SIOUX FALLS — Peyton Matsui began searching for a new home as he entered the transfer portal for his final season of college eligibility. That's when Augustana coach Garrett LaBoin reached out and started a conversation.
Labouin was looking for veteran leadership, and in Matsui's case, he had too many connections to ignore.
First, Matsui has already had a chance to skate on the ice at Midco Arena, where he and his Alaska teammates took part in a two-game series near the end of the AU's first tournament, giving a visitor's perspective on the Vikings. I was looking at the new facility. 2023-24 season.
But beyond that, his affinity with several players at Augustana tied everything together. Two of his former Nanooks teammates, Simon Faulk and Quinn Lourdes, had transferred the previous year and joined the Vikings in their first season as a program.
Miles Jordan / UAF Athletics
It didn't take long for the Lakeville, Minn., native to realize Augustana was ultimately the best fit.
“I was on the phone with Labouin and the players on the team like Faulk and Lourdes played together the year before and how highly they thought of him and how responsive everyone was to him. I was attracted to him because I knew him,” Matsui said. “Having that conversation with him myself made it easier.”
On April 23, Matsui made it official by announcing his decision to join the Vikings' program on Instagram.
Matsui, coming off his second straight season in which he scored 48 total points, will be able to gain experience in Augustana's offense in 2024-25.
“Obviously, I only have one year of eligibility, but I have three years of college hockey experience, so I’m just going to come in and try to help build the culture,” Matsui said. “Of course I want to win, so I feel like the competitive spirit in me, even though I’m small, will help me a lot.
“I've heard nothing but good things about the guys on the team, so I'm looking forward to enjoying my final year as well. In that atmosphere, and with the team being young this year, I'll have to rely to some extent on my leadership abilities from last year. I'm appointed as a mentor. He said it's more of a coaching role, and I love it. It's a new thing. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Miles Jordan / UAF Athletics
Matsui is no stranger to South Dakota either.
After graduating from St. Thomas Academy in 2018, Matsui began his junior hockey career with a brief stint in the USHL, appearing in 13 games with the Central Illinois Flying Aces from 2018-2019. . He finished that season with the BCHL's Merritt Centennials and served as alternate captain the following season, totaling 61 points in 93 games with Merritt. In 2020, Matsui joined the Aberdeen Wings as the 23rd overall pick in the NAHL. draft.
It was there that Matsui was most established in his junior hockey career, scoring 73 points (29 goals, 44 assists) in 67 games for Aberdeen's team, which finished runner-up in the 2020-21 Robertson Cup Playoffs.
“Everyone on the team still talks. We have group chats and Snapchat,” said Matsui, who was named the 2021 NAHL Forward of the Year. We had to love each other because we were quarantined together. I think for me going into the college game it was about understanding that there are only a few that form special bonds. In college, we all seem to have a common goal, but also grow and become adults together.
“The chemistry on the ice is definitely better when we're closer as a team. We want to block extra shots and make backchecks more difficult for the goalie. With love for each other. When you do, it’s very contagious.”
In early March, a group of Aberdeen fans made the three-hour trip to Sioux Falls so they could watch their star forward play against the upstart Vikings.
Matsui served as an alternate captain as a junior and finished the 2023-24 season with 20 points with five goals and 15 helpers, and the year before he was one of the best offensive players at the collegiate level, scoring 28 points (9 goals). , 19 assists), the Alaska team finished with a record of 22 wins, 10 losses, and 2 draws, finishing in 15th place, just below the pairwise cut line.
The decision to transfer to Augustana also gives Matsui a chance to return closer to home. He will be able to play in front of the Wings faithful, and his relatives and girlfriend will have more opportunities to come watch him play.
Of course, we're also back in the Central time zone, which makes traveling in AU much easier.
Matsui said, “I'm looking forward to it.'' “I've already talked to some of my former teammates going to Omaha and they're saying it's starting to become a rivalry with the freeway battles. So I'm just excited.
“The proximity to home is definitely a big part of it.”
The closer we are as a team, the better our chemistry on the ice becomes. You want to block extra shots or make backchecks more difficult for the goalie. When there is love for each other, it is very contagious.
Peyton Matsui
Matsui is grateful to have played under Nanoux coach Erik Largen and appreciates all the opportunities to succeed that his former bench coach has given him.
“I think what we learned there was how difficult it is to win games and how hard it is to want to, especially being a true independent team,” Matsui said. “Augustana is getting that vibe right now, but they’re going to be in the conference.
“For myself, the biggest thing I learned was to stay in the moment and enjoy the process.”
Matsui also knows Vikings defenseman Brady Ziemer well, as the two grew up together in the Minneapolis area. Mr. Matsui had already visited the campus and was able to speak directly with Mr. Falk and Mr. Lourdes.
“Falker and I enrolled together as freshmen and became pretty close friends, especially his brother as well,” Matsui said. “I was a little sad when those two left last year, but I'm excited to be back and reunited. Me and Quinn work together at MAP. [Hockey] We have been able to train together in the past few summers.
“They were the first two people I told them I was committing to the Labs, so they were pretty excited too.”
Miles Jordan / UAF Athletics
Matsui plans to head to Sioux Falls in June to train with the team and work on hockey camp. He plans to return to Minnesota near the end of the month and then return to Augustana in August to prepare for next season. He plans to pursue a master's degree in business administration at AU.
The 5-foot-7 forward is a left-handed shooter and considers himself a gritty two-way forward who can be underrated at times at corner.
“I feel like I have to constantly move my body around because I have to make up for my lack of size,” Matsui said. , i will do it. “
