The style looks the same as it did at Larsen Rink: Legs churning constantly, head as if on a swivel, and the skates carving, swerving, cutting and gliding in fluid coordination with the puck.
The big difference, of course, is that Pete Silverman, WHS Class of 2024, now wears a “T” on the front of his No. 20 hockey jersey as he buzzes around the MacMorran Field House and Hockey Rink for the Tilton (NH) Rams Varsity A team. It is an important next stop in Silverman’s hockey journey.
“My next plans are to play college hockey, so I am looking at juniors for next year,” said the 5’10”, 168-pound forward who has added some muscle bulk to his frame since high school graduation.
Tilton plays against top-tier programs of the competitive Lakes Region League of the New England Prep School Athletic Council. Tilton hockey alumni have populated the rosters of major college hockey programs, and that’s what Pete Silverman has in mind.
For Silverman, the prep school experience has been a little different than high school, where he dominated just about every time he was on the ice. “The competition is bigger, better, and faster,” he said.
But Silverman’s skating and stickhandling skills make him a force, just as he was in high school. Through Tilton’s first 27 games, Silverman has tallied 10 goals and 9 assists as the team compiled a 18-7-2 record with two games left in the season.
The traits and talents that earned Pete a place on the Boston Globe’s 2024 boys high school hockey Super Team are evident at the next level. Tilton coach Brooks McQuade cited Silverman’s hard work as a key factor in his success. “Pete is an excellent kid from a great family,” said McQuade in an email. “He’s an extremely hard worker with a high compete level.”
As he did in Winthrop, Pete’s non-stop effort elevates the players around him. “He makes players around him better,” said McQuade. “He’s a pleasure to coach and work with. He has proven thus far what when the game is on the line, No. 20 will give you everything he has.”
Pete’s success at the prep school level is no surprise to anyone who watched him during his scintillating four years as a Winthrop Viking. A two-time League MVP, he led the Vikings to three Northeast Conference championships and a berth in the 2024 MIAA Division 4 state championship semifinals, where they lost, 2-1, in an overtime shootout to the eventual champs Dover-Sherborn.
“Making it to the Final Four was an awesome experience,” said Silverman, who counts that game among the highlights of his high school career.
The Silverman name and hockey prowess are not unfamiliar at Tilton’s New Hampshire campus; Pete’s sister Maddie enjoyed a stellar career at Tilton from 2017 to 2021.
Coach McQuade appreciates that the Silverman Siblings chose Tilton. “We are fortunate at Tilton to have had his sister attend a few years back, so we are all grateful to have worked with both siblings in recent years,” he said.
Maddie Silverman, four years older than Pete, is wrapping up a standout career playing defense for NCAA Division III Stevenson University in Maryland. Maddie, a chemistry major, has been a stalwart on the Mustang’s blue line all four of her years there.
Silverman praises his coaches for the encouragement and lessons he’s learned on the ice, but, first and foremost, credits his parents Peter and Leanne for their support and always wanting what’s best for him.
It’s been a fun ride for the youngster who grew up playing soccer, football, baseball, and basketball while he advanced through Winthrop’s Fort Banks and Cummings School’s before high school.
If the next step is, indeed, junior hockey, he’s got the tools. “His game should translate well to the junior level where he will likely play a year before college,” said Tilton coach McQuade.
Junior hockey, where top-flight players hone their skills before stepping up to NCAA competition, will be another big step. But one can bet that Pete Silverman will continue to carve out his remarkable hockey legacy, racing relentlessly as he chases the puck—and his dream of college hockey. Beyond that…who knows?