ODESSA, Texas — Odessa Jackalopes defenseman Matt Clark will be playing at the next level.
He will continue his education and hockey career at Bentley University.
"I've always wanted to play division one hockey. It's been my dream since I was 14," Clark said. "Getting there and taking that step after all the work I've put in - I'm proud of it."
While Clark's road hasn't been easy, he continues to show what he's made of.
"It hasn't always been smooth sailing," Clark said. "My whole life, it's been a lot of ups and downs, doubters, and people have written me off."
Even though he believes in his future as a hockey player, he's always been serious about his studies.
"I can't wait. D1 NCAA gets a lot of attention around the country," Clark said. "I'm very focused on my education. I really buckled down in high school, worked hard, and I feel I owed it to myself to get into a good school through hockey."
With all the excitement building, he's ready to get going.
"I'm excited to be in that spotlight, like kind of get it rolling here," Clark said.
The Jacks have helped his development and he's appreciative of that.
"I feel like I've been doing a lot of the little things right. I do make mistakes but I work on them and I'm conscience of them," Clark said. "My teammates have really helped me."
He's played in 27 of Odessa's 28 games and has accumulated eight points so far.
Clark will finish out the Jackalopes season and attend Bentley University in the fall.