Had Syed Muhamad Nad-e-Ali been better when he started figure skating, he might never have gotten into ice hockey. And had he not started hockey, the West Windsor-Plainsboro co-op ice hockey team might not have been a state South Public Co-Op Tournament qualifier.
“Without Nad-e, we would not be able to be in the position we’re in this year, let alone have done as well we did in previous years, although this is our best season,” said Andy Borowsky, head coach of the United, who were 10-7 at the end of the regular season. “He’s just the game changer. He’s like a brick wall. It’s unreal.”
Nad-e-Ali, a senior goalie out of High School South who is in his second year as a team captain, has posted some huge numbers throughout his career. This year, he made 56 saves in a loss to Notre Dame. He made 38 saves in a 1-0 shutout of Paul VI, a team that beat WW-P, 6-2, earlier in the season. He had 59 saves a year ago against East Brunswick and a season-best 47 saves as a sophomore and 37 saves against Robbinsville as a freshman. He’s enjoying the success of the United team that put together the best season of his career.
“The team in front of me just played amazing honestly,” he said. “You love to say the goalies played great, but a lot of games I showed up but I didn’t play up to par, but the team just played amazing. For example, that Johnson game. We were down in the third period and we all rallied. I think for the last 10 minutes I didn’t get a single shot and then we came back, scored three and won the game. So it’s just we’ve been playing great team hockey and when we’re all together we could probably beat any team in this state.”
Nad-e-Ali, who teammates and friends refer to simply as “Nad-e,” has taken a unique path to ice hockey. He was born in Pakistan, but moved to Labrador City, Newfoundland, in Canada when he was 3 years old. His mother had him try figure skating at 5, but he had a hard time staying up on the skates.
“I fell on my butt and then my mom put me into hockey because she was like, he needs a stick to help him stay up,” said Nad-e-Ali.
By 6, he was playing ice hockey, and at 8 he made the move to goalie. Nad-e-Ali was tall and his coach at the time gave Nad-e-Ali his own son’s old goalie equipment to start.
“He wanted me to try it and he thought I’d be pretty good at it,” Nad-e-Ali said. “So he threw me in the net. I just found it fun. It sounds kind of weird because it’s not fun getting hit by a puck, but I found it fun. I’m pretty sure I got lit up my first game, but I wasn’t worried about that. I was just playing the game that I loved.”
Nad-e-Ali made another move, maybe the most significant for him, when his family came to Plainsboro as he was turning 10. He stuck with ice hockey and with playing his new position, and in both areas he made bigger strides in his new home than he had in Canada.
“In Newfoundland it wasn’t a big town,” Nad-e-Ali. “You knew everyone in the town, and my mom just threw me into every sport she could think of just to occupy me, and I fell in love with hockey. But the development wasn’t great. The people were amazing, the coaches, they loved the sport just as much as the kids. But just moving here was good. Coming here has been amazing for my development.”
Nad-e-Ali joined the Princeton Tigers club and played A-level ice hockey, then a year of B before jumping all the way to the higher AA team with the Tigers. When he moved to the Mercer Chiefs, he played even higher level club hockey at AAA for two years before advancing to play with the Bridgewater Rockets while also starting all four years for WW-P’s high school team. He’s been able to steadily progress into one of the best in the area.
“I’ve always been a pretty confident kid,” Nad-e-Ali said. “Even when I was playing the lower level my parents always told me, just do your thing, just work hard and then everything will come. I always say leave it to God. We’re pretty religious people, so just to put it simply, yeah, just I just leave it to God. I work as hard as I can, do everything I can and just let happen whatever is going to happen.”
He’s been a staple for four years for the United team that brings players from both North and South together. His presence has built confidence in the WW-P team, and it gives them a good starting point.
“We don’t have to get many goals, but we know we need at least one because there’s games where Nad-e could just close the door and not let any in and that’s been the biggest difference the entire season,” Borowsky said. “I think we had seven games were we only let in one or two goals at the most and it’s been the difference thanks to Nad-e. It also allowed all the other players to play with more confidence and take some chances because they know they have such a strong goaltender in net. They can take some risks and go for some goals and take some shots. It’s reassuring to know you have one of the best goaltenders in the league back there.”
The United squad has fluctuated in success through his time. From two- and three-win seasons as a freshman and junior respectively, he was also a part of a 6-9 sophomore year. And this year, he’s part of a senior class with Charles Xue, Cam McCreary, Caleb Feguson and Dylan Ferguson that are enjoying a strong final season with WW-P.
“I did have big expectations for this team,” Nad-e-Ali said. “I know most people did not expect this season from us, but I fully expected it. Having this season being my last season, it’s been fun. Going three years, we almost had a winning season my sophomore year and then just coming together, all of us having that four-game win streak, beating PVI, beating Tenafly in our outdoor game, it’s just fun. It’s been fun to watch. It’s been fun to play. These players have worked really hard and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
WW-P finished 5-1 in the Colonial Valley Conference Valley Division, and their 10-7 overall mark earned a state tournament berth. The United earned the No. 15 seed and a first-round matchup with second-seeded Toms River East. It’s their first time going to states under Borowsky, who came aboard when this year’s seniors were freshmen.
“They’ve just kind of grown into the system,” Borowsky said. “It’s taken a few years, but we’re finally at that point where they understand what the mentality is and the responsibilities they have. I’ve been speaking for four years now how to juggle school and outside of school life and activities in hockey and we’ve been able to do it this year better than ever. That’s been the difference – the dedication to the team.”
It’s paid off with a state tournament reward and their best season in years. It may not be the end for Nad-e-Ali. He is looking to continue his career beyond WW-P, in college or possibly in Juniors. He will face a tough decision when college acceptances come out.
“I would love to play Juniors,” he said. “I think I can play Juniors but I don’t want to give up that college education, especially coming from the type of culture I come from. It’s not really normal to go play Juniors and give up a year of college for hockey. But I believe if I get a chance to play Juniors, I’m pretty sure I can juggle college and hockey as well.”
He has other interests outside of hockey, though that takes up a large chunk of time. He’s watching hockey when he’s not playing it. Nad-e-Ali has even looked into the possibility of paying for the Pakistan national team. The Pakistan team competed for the first time at the 2024 Amerigol LATAM Cup last August.
Nad-e-Ali has competed in outdoor track for the South boys team just to develop his athleticism, and he enjoys playing pick-up basketball. Since getting his driver’s license, he’s also gotten more interested in Formula One cars, and mechanical engineering is one interest he has for college. Ice hockey, though, is something that won’t be going away anytime soon.
“I’ve always been a big hockey kid,” Nad-e-Ali said. “I’ve always spent almost all my days just like obsessing over hockey, watching hockey, playing hockey.”
That’s made him a huge benefit to the WW-P team.
