Varsity Hockey Team Defends Catholic High School League Championship Title
By Sean Atkinson ‘24
The Chaminade High School varsity hockey team had another excellent season, setting a regular season record of 19-3-2 and a 14-2-2 record in league play. The Flyers set a precedent at the start of the season: Chaminade was the team to beat. The squad started the year with a win over St. Anthony’s High School, scoring seven goals. James Hedquist ’23 scored the game-winning goal in the last minute, completing a hat trick in the process. The Flyers had a rematch against St. Anthony’s later in the season and again came out victorious with a 3-0 win.
With a phenomenal league record, the Flyers tied for first place after the regular season and entered the playoffs as the second seed. Chaminade swept Xavier High School in the first round of the playoffs with two semi-final wins, which resulted in them clinching a spot in the Catholic High School Hockey League finals. They then faced the nearly all-senior team of St. Anthony’s on February 22nd. Playing in Dix Hills, the Flyers had a dominant beginning-to-end game and made a statement with their 5-3 win. The Friars forfeited the second game, and the Flyers punched their ticket to the state championship for a third consecutive year with a 20-4-2 overall record.
On Sunday, March 5th, the team traveled to Abe Stark Arena in Brooklyn, NY to play in the state championship against the Buffalo powerhouse, Nichols School. Wanting to avenge their 5-4 controversial overtime loss from last year, the Flyers were pumped for a rematch. Although the team was down 1-0 after only 14 seconds into the game, the players persevered with strength and ferocity. With three minutes left the game was tied 3-3 but, unfortunately, Nichols scored to gain the lead. The Flyers could not battle their way back, despite leading in shot totals 25-17.
Reflecting on the state championship match-up, Coach Edward Smith stated, “It was a very hard and well-fought game that simply didn’t end in favor of the Flyers. Despite the heartbreaking end to our season, our heads were held high as a sign of great character—character found in a fight to the very end.”
Signature wins throughout this season included beating Chaminade’s rival, St. Anthony’s, three times; defeating reigning New York public school champion, Pelham High School, with a score of 4-1; and shutting down Buffalo powerhouse, Williamsville East High School, with a score of 4-0.
Additional congratulations go to the four players who received All-League Honors from the Catholic High School Hockey League: forward Hedquist, defenseman John Dunn ’23, forward Kieran Thomson ’24, and defenseman William Auger ’24.
The Chaminade varsity hockey team has proven that they can soar to new heights each year. Coach Smith said it best, affirming, “Anyone who wants a shot at the state title or league championship must first go through the Crimson and Gold.”
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