SCOREBOARD WINTER 2022-2023 Prep Hockey Triumphs Over Adversity

It is safe to say that our hockey team exceeded expectations this year. With the first new coaching staff in 24 years, 13 returning players, and ten fresh faces on the Varsity squad, we completed an underdog story for the ages, winning the SCC Championship and Prep's 19th CIAC Division I State title, defeating Notre Dame West Haven 3-0! Yet, the moments of loss forged the foundation of our eventual success.

After getting off to a strong 3-1 start, we traded wins and losses for nearly a month, including a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Notre Dame-West Haven. However, in late January, the sudden passing of Jimmy Heber, father of our goalie, James Heber ’23, devastated our hockey and school communities.

We hit pause on hockey to focus on what mattered most. We did everything we could to support and love the Hebers and one another during that time of grief. In time, and with a new respect for the moments we may have taken for granted, we returned to the ice a different team. In the second half, we went 11-2, including a nine-game winning streak to finish the season as SCC and Division I champions.

Led by a dynamic line of James Murphy ’24, Blake Baksay ’24, and Will Huntington ’23, few teams could keep them off the scoresheet. Baksay led the state with 63 points (26 goals and 37 assists) in 23 games. Zach McCarthy ’23, Owen McNicholas ’23, and Will Donnelly ’23 generated a great deal of our energy, playing with a mixture of speed and finesse. Jackson Hicks ’23 and Graham Michener ’23 played with physicality, strong defensive positioning, and scored in clutch moments. Arteen Eshraghi ’23 and Maks Mackenna ’23 added depth and skill, making our team four lines deep and challenging to match up against.

On defense, senior defensemen Colin Woodward ’23, Greg Hilinski ’23, Lucas Carfi ’23, Conner Reid ’23, and Bennett Walker ’23 combined to make a punishing yet uptempo puck-moving brand of hockey. They did all they could to protect our goalkeepers, a battery of three: James Heber ’23, Justin Lewis ’23, and Zack Meehan ’23. Whether it was Meehan shutting down Bishop Guertin in the Mount Tournament, Lewis breaking NDWH's instate winning streak, or Heber in the SCC Championship shootout and his 42 saves in the CIAC Championship, they all contributed with showstopping performances at critical moments of the year.

This is a championship team. Through difficult defeats, broken-down buses, long conditioning days, and even the loss of loved ones, these boys became men for each other. Their talent, work ethic, and humility meshed to become a tireless pursuit of excellence that became our defining characteristic. I am immensely proud to be their coach. I only wish we could hit reset and do it all over again.

By Vin O’Hara ’01, Varsity Hockey Coach, English and Social Studies Teacher

Hockey Honors

TEAM AWARDS

• CIAC Division I Champions

• SCC Champions

• CHSCA Team of the Year

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

• Blake Baksay ’24

All-SCC

CHSCA All-State

GameTimeCT All-State

CTHS Hockey Report Skater of the Year

Pope Francis Invitational

All-Tournament Team

New Haven Register All-Area Team

• Lucas Carfi ’23

All-SCC

• James Heber ’23

SCC Championship MVP

CIAC Division I Championship MVP

CT Hobey Baker Award

New Haven Register All-Area Team

• James Murphy ’24

All-SCC

GameTimeCT All-State

New Haven Register All-Area Team

• Colin Woodward ’23

All-SCC

CHSCA All-State

New Haven Register All-Area Team

• Coach Vin O'Hara ’01

GameTimeCT Coach of the Year

New Haven Register Coach of the Year