While he was a solid skater for the Clippers, he wasn’t recruited, and felt that if he were going to go in that direction, it was going to take at least another year of hockey, probably at a prep school, to get to that level.

After some serious thought, White, with help from parents Don and Tricia, decided to give up hockey and headed off to the University of Massachusetts, where he’ll graduate this May with a degree in Finance and Operations Management from the Isenberg School of Management.

Turns out, he didn’t have to give up hockey because UMass has a second option for players like White - players who love the game but may not have the size or talent or speed or even the commitment involved to play varsity level collegiate hockey.

That would be the UMass Minutemen of the Northeast Collegiate Hockey Association, a club-level team playing a competitive schedule against more than 20 similarly skilled collegiate club teams all over New England. The league is part of the American College Hockey Association which has teams all over the country.

In his senior season, the defenseman, who is now a team captain and president of the club, was named to the league’s All-Star team and will be playing in the All-Star game at the University of Vermont’s Gutterson Field House.

White was one of two UMass players selected for the team. His roommate, Danny O’Leary was also selected.

White finished his senior season with six goals and 15 assists in 25 games. One of the goals was shorthanded. The team finished 19-6-2.

“The majority of the team is from the Greater Boston area,” he said. “They all played high school hockey. They’re all talented, but maybe not enough to play Division 1 hockey. Some just didn’t want to make the commitment required to play at that level. I know if I was going to play, even Division 2 or 3, I was going to need at least another season of really good hockey. I didn’t want to go to prep school. I was ready for college. It was a tough decision. My parents told me that we can send you to prep school, but we made the decision not to. When I came here I didn’t even know about club sports. Now I know all about it. I’m so happy I did what I did. It worked out well for me.”

With just the one team representing the school, the competition started with tryouts.

“The first year I tried out there were 35 kids trying out for five open spots,” White said. “The second year there were 40. The team is only five years old and it’s growing exponentially. It’s a great balance of competitive hockey.”

The team practices twice a week and usually plays two games in a weekend. During the summer, White was still involved, working on fundraising and other administrative duties.

“We had a golf tournament,” he said. “And an alumni game. Kids who played before came back.”

On the ice, there’s a reason White was voted a captain by his team.

“Brian is the heart and soul of this team. He’s a players player,” said head coach Robert Talloni. “In the locker room before games, at intermission, after games he’s the guy who’s talking. He takes charge of the locker room.”

Talloni, a volunteer who drives more than two hours each way for practices and games, credited White’s help with the team’s success.

“There will be times that I’m talking to a forward and need to talk to a defenseman,” Talloni said. “By the time I get there he’s already been there. He’ll talk to them and let them know in a positive way. He knows the game that well.”

“We have tryouts for next season the second week of September,” he said. “I told Brian and Danny both that I know they’re both graduating and going into the real world, but if they’re around for tryouts, please be around. We’re going to miss Brian.”

“He’s Mr. Consistent,” Talloni said. “You can always count on Brian. Whether it’s killing a penalty or the power play, he’s always consistent. He’s never high or low. He plays the same way all the time. He’s a big contributor.”

White’s parents, Don and Tricia try to get to as many games as they can.

“There is some great hockey,” Tricia said. “There are a lot of kids with great hockey backgrounds. It was great to see Brian make the team and then take a role as team captain and team president. We’re really proud of him. I know he’s pretty proud of making the All-Star team.”

As much as the hockey is important, White said the experience has paid off in another big way.

“I’ve made some real good friends here,” he said. “Freshman and sophomore years I lived in the dorms. Now I live with some of the guys. We do a lot of road trips. There’s a bond here. If you’ve been in hockey you understand it. That’s probably my favorite thing about being on the team.”

“I never thought I’d play on a competitive team again after high school,” he said. “I thought I’d play pickup games with my friends and that was it. Not having to give up hockey is great. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. If there are other kids out there in a similar situation I would recommend it.”