St. Norbert College ACHA hockey team in Green Bay, Wisconsin is having a prospects skate for interested players on… https://t.co/p55ckamMVM
The Chicago Catholic Hockey League (CCHL) was established in 1963. The league consists of eleven Chicagoland Catholic schools offering high school hockey as a school sponsored sport. The CCHL is the oldest youth hockey league in Illinois and is administered and operated by current and former league coaches. The Kennedy Cup playoffs have been the highlight of each season making the Kennedy Cup one of the most coveted trophies in high school athletics in Illinois.
The CCHL maintains a rich history of talented student athletes that have gone on to play collegiately, internationally and professionally. Notable alumni include former NHL players Chris Chelios (Mount Carmel), Ed Olczyk (Br. Rice), Bates Battaglia (Fenwick), Joe Corvo (Fenwick) and Tim Stapleton (Fenwick). Former NCAA standouts Gary Kruzich (DeLaSalle, 1984 NCAA Champion at Bowling Green 1984 and Finals MVP) and Scott Paluch (St. Rita and Bowling Green 1988 All American ). The CCHL has produced current and former collegiate coaches: George Roll (Br. Rice and Nazareth College), Joe Augustine (St. Rita and Rhode Island University) Mark Opstipina (Mount Carmel and Milwaukee School of Engineering) and John Micheletto (Mount Carmel and U-MassAmherst).
St. Ignatius defeated Providence Catholic in two games to win the 2023 Kennedy Cup.
Click here for the broadcast of the clinching game.
St. Ignatius High School - 2023 Kennedy Cup Champions
Fenwick defeated St. Ignatius in two games to win the 2023 DiCristina Cup.
Click here for the broadcast of the clinching game.
Fenwick High School - 2023 DiCristina Cup Champions
Game 2 of the Kennedy Cup Finals between St. Ignatius and Providence Catholic will take place on Sunday, February 26th at 5:00 PM at the Arctic Ice Arena in Orland Park, IL.
A spectator gate will be collected ($5 adults - $3 students). CASH ONLY
If you cannot make it to the game, the CCHL Network will be livestreaming the game. Click here for the livestream.
Congratulations to the following players who were named to the 2023 All-State Team
Forwards | Defensemen |
Carson Burriss (Providence Catholic) | Conor Haggerty (Brother Rice) |
Vinny Felice (Providence Catholic) | Nolan O'Malley (St. Rita) |
Corbin Klein (St. Ignatius) | Jack Perrault (St. Ignatius) |
Luke Maher (St. Rita) | |
Cole Rosenthal (Benet) | Goaltender |
Andrew Pavich (Providence Catholic) |
Congratulations to the recipients of these prestigious awards for the 2022-23 season.
Jim Misiora President's Cup to the 1st Place Regular Season Team:
St. Ignatius Wolfpack
Lowest Team Total Goals Against:
Providence Catholic Celtics
John Dueran Award for the Most Valuable Player
Andrew Pavich (Providence Catholic)
Tom Kurow Award for the Most Outstanding Player
Luke Maher (St. Rita)
Most Valuable Defenseman Award
Jack Perrault (St. Ignatius)
CCHL Leading Scorer
Cole Rosenthal (Benet)
Bill Peluse Award to the Coach of the Year
Spencer Montgomery (St. Ignatius)
Lady Ginger Sportsmanship Award
Michael Greco (Marmion)
Kennedy Cup Finals MVP
Corbin Klein (St. Ignatius)
St. Norbert College ACHA hockey team in Green Bay, Wisconsin is having a prospects skate for interested players on… https://t.co/p55ckamMVM
The CCHL is pleased to announce that all regular season and playoff games will be scored via GameSheet. Games played in rinks with available Wi-Fi will be scored "live". This will allow games to be followed in real time. Also, in rinks that have Livebarn streams, the stream will have the real time date from GameSheet available.
Congratulations to the 2022 Chicago Catholic Hockey League All-Stars! These players represented both their respective schools and the Chicago Catholic Hockey League in a game against the Scholastic Hockey League All-Stars on Friday, December 30 at 1pm at Allstate Arena.
The CCHL and SHL also took part in a Skills Competition.
See the News Story below for the players selected.
We would like to invite you to the 2023 JOG College Showcase that will take place at Fifth Third Arena, Chicago IL, May 5th- 7th.
This showcase highlights the talent of local and regional players ranging from birth years of 2002-2006. The goal of this event is to educate and create an opportunity for players to showcase their talents in front of top ACHA programs from across the country. In 2022 we had over 50 ACHA coaches attend, and we expect to surpass that number this year.
On the ice, players will compete in one practice led by ACHA coaches and three games to showcase their skill and gain exposure. Off the ice, players and parents are encouraged to attend our one of a kind recruiting & coaching panel. This panel is a great platform for individuals to learn about the attending school’s programs and admission requirements, as well as what it takes to be a successful student athlete. They will gain valuable time with coaches and be able to introduce themselves and make a personal connection.
Registration for the event is now open! Please use the appropriate link below to register. The cost for the showcase is $350.
For registration and information on the showcase:
Showcase Website: https://www.fifththirdarena.com/hockey/jog-college-showcase
Forwards and Defensemen: Click Here
Goalie: Click Here
On Friday, November 18th, the Benet Redwings will visit the Providence Catholic Celtics in the first game of this seaon's High School Hockey Rivalry Series sponsored by the Chicago Blackhawks.
The game is available via livestream at:
Date & Time | Teams | Link |
---|---|---|
10/21/21 @ 8:30 PM | Providence Catholic @ Mount Carmel | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20MxUABskxY |
10/26/21 @ 8:30 PM | Brother Rice @ Carmel Catholic | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf8q_i8Zp74 |
10/31/21 @ 3:40 PM | Marist @ Marmion | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm39UlcpIn4 |
11/7/21 @ 5:20 PM | Carmel Catholic @ Notre Dame | https://youtu.be/puHuttZAI6Y |
11/12/21 @ 8:00 PM | St. Ignatius @ Fenwick | https://youtu.be/TSEnTZxnKdc |
11/18/21 @ 7:55 PM | Providence Catholic @ St. Rita | https://youtu.be/vgmFCdN-iU4 |
12/3/21 @ 8:30 PM | Marmion @ Providence Catholic | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbVtUj9PvYk |
12/9/21 @ 8:00 PM | St. Ignatius @ Brother Rice | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je7_On0FO48 |
12/16/21 @ 8:00 PM | Fenwick @ Brother Rice | https://youtu.be/getPAjAAwIc |
1/8/22 @ 6:50 PM | Marmion @ St. Ignatius | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hypTpIAPOfk |
1/24/22 @ 8:20 PM | Fenwick @ Marist | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEPnk9Gz4nk |
1/29/22 @ 7:00 PM | Benet @ Notre Dame | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9r-EBh56mw |
2/12/22 @ 2:40 PM | St. Rita @ Carmel Catholic (Game 3) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7t9JE2gluo |
2/15/22 @ 8:40 PM | Benet @ Fenwick (Game 2) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYz08GIdxsY |
2/19/22 @ 1:30 PM | St. Ignatius @ Carmel Catholic (Game 2) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie67_Q8tcvI |
2/23/22 @ 8:00 PM | Benet @ St. Ignatius (Game 1) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2PHVG5P4q0 |
By Gary Larsen
OAK PARK -- Teams around the Chicago Catholic Hockey League would be wise to beware of Fenwick’s penalty kill.
Twice in Friday’s 3-2 win over visiting Marmion, the shorthanded Friars came up big, thanks first to Cam Corvo and then to Anthony Balesteri.
All Corvo did was get Fenwick out from behind the 8-ball early in the second period. After Marmion’s Trey Howicz gave his side a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal to start the period, the Cadets quickly went on another power play and a 2-0 lead would have put momentum squarely on Marmion’s side.
Instead, Corvo intercepted a pass and swept in alone on net to score a shorthanded goal, tying the score at 1-1 little more than a minute after Howicz’s goal.
“Between Corvo and (Will) Steadman, they absolutely skate their behinds off on the PK,” Fenwick coach Nick Chiappetta said. “It’s almost like they prefer that for scoring opportunities.”
A wild and fairly evenly-played game played out in Oak Park on Friday. A penalty-plagued first two periods saw the score tied 2-2 before a cleaner third period saw Corvo score his second goal of the night for the game-winner, mid-way through the third on a feed from Steadman.
Even with the 18 combined penalties whistled in the game, Friday’s Friars-Cadets game was a doozy.
“I thought it was a really good game, overall,” Marmion coach Christian Esposito said. “It was a back-and-forth battle, a lot of intensity and good energy on both sides, and both goalies were standing on their heads, especially in the first period.”
A scoreless first period saw Fenwick senior goalie Santino Ori and Marmion sophomore goalie Charlie Donoghue weather three power plays apiece to keep their slates clean.
Howicz broke the drought at the 15:30 mark of the second period on a power-play goal, on assists from Sonny Lombardo and Michael Greco. Corvo’s unassisted goal came at 14:22 in the face of Marmion’s second power play of young period.
Junior Corvo and senior Steadman both decided to play for Fenwick this year and the Friars are enjoying clear dividends on the scoresheet thus far.
Steadman put Fenwick up 2-1 on a Demitri Karabatsos assist mid-way through the second period, but Marmion’s Nolan School tied the game with roughly four minutes remaining on a feed from Graham Robertson.
The spotlight hit Balesteri at the outset of the third period. With Marmion on the power play, he was headed in alone on net before being taken down from behind.
Marmion’s one-man advantage was thus erased to 4-on-4 play, courtesy of Balesteri’s heads-up play.
“Anthony Balesteri comes out, blocks a shot, goes in on a breakaway and a kid drops him and we’re back to even strength,” Chiappetta said. “That was a big moment from him.”
The junior Balesteri is part of a young varsity core that Fenwick senior captain Sam Chioda appreciates.
“I love it. Young guys going out there, working hard, getting a win and getting used to varsity,” Chioda said. “We have a good core of seniors and the young guys are following behind them. It’s just positive energy on the bench, getting the puck and getting their heads up and making plays. But I think they’re doing well.”
Marmion has a similarly young team.
“We’re really young, with only a few seniors,” Marmion captain Blake Powers said. “We have a lot of juniors and sophomores, and we even have five freshmen on the roster. I’m just excited to see how the team progresses as the year goes on.”
“Tonight we just struggled to play as a team. It was too much individual play. We played together in our game against Providence (a 2-0 win on Sept. 26) and that’s how we have to play to win. So I think today was just a fluke."
Both Ori and Donoghue were solid throughout and each had moments of brilliance. Ori stood particularly tall during a second period in which Fenwick committed seven penalties.
“We were outshot just about every game last year, yet we earned a spot in the playoffs and that starts with the success we've found in net,” Chiappetta said. “(Ori) is one of the elite goaltenders in the Catholic League. He put in a ton of work this off-season, his game has elevated tremendously, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can accomplish this year.”
Esposito is also pleased with what he’s seeing from Donoghue.
“Charlie Donoghue is having a heck of a year for us so far and he’s only a sophomore,” Esposito said. “I’m excited to see him continue to grow and take this opportunity by the horns the way he has so far this season.”
Esposito has gotten solid leadership from Powers and Graham Robertson, "and Chase Breslin has brought a really good element to our team,” he said.
The Marmion skipper also had praise for an unsung Cadet.
“One of our wingers, Joey Nowicki,” Esposito said. “He gives it a hundred and ten percent, every single night. Both of the goals we scored tonight were because of plays that he started based on a forecheck and takeaway, and an opportunity for another guy. He doesn’t end up on the scoresheet every single night but he’s a difference maker for us right now.”
Chiappetta took note of a key shot-block late in the game by Fenwick’s Eddie McFadden, one of two McFadden plays that helped preserve the win late in the game.
Chiappetta liked the presence his boys brought to the ice as well.
“Physicality,” Chiappetta said. “We weren’t afraid to take hits. Now we’ve just got to do it a little bit cleaner. And peppering the net — we got outshot almost every game last year so it was nice to see that finally tilting our way.”
After last year’s COVID-plagued season, the return of fans in the stands at Fenwick’s home ice of Ridgeland Commons in Oak Park was also a welcome return to normalcy.
“The kids were all jacked up tonight. It’s been two years since we’ve had people here so it was nice to see fans for the first time in a while,” Chiappetta said.