Hockey Club Hosts Top Ranked Teams from Across the Country This Weekend

The Saint Viator Hockey Club welcomes some of the top teams in the nation this weekend – including some state champions – to compete in the inaugural Scholastic Hockey League’s Showcase Tournament. 

The tournament opened with games Friday afternoon and continues at 6:10 p.m. Friday night, with the Varsity taking on the Raiders from Regis Jesuit High School in Denver. The tournament runs through Sunday, with games being played on all three rinks at the Mount Prospect Ice Arena.

“We did our research on the caliber of play from the out-of-state teams,” says Saint Viator Head Coach Tim Benz, who invited these top teams to participate. “All should be great, thus a perfect showcase, a great way to get our kids’ exposure.”

Even before the first puck was dropped, President Fr. Daniel Lydon, C.S.V. ’73, offered Mass in the Alumni Memorial Chapel. The Lions typically open their season with a Mass, but this morning they welcomed visiting teams and their fans to attend as well.

Teams came in from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas to play in the Showcase. They will be playing the eight SHL teams that made the playoffs last season, including: Carmel, Glenbrook South, Glenbrook North, Loyola, New Trier, Saint Viator, Stevenson and York high schools.

Unlike other tournaments, no champion will be crowned at the end of the weekend. Instead, the matchups are a way for SHL players to showcase their skill against some of the best high school players from across the country – under the watchful eyes of scouts and coaches from across the Midwest.

Some of those include Brad Stoffers, Northern Illinois University head coach; Mike Hernbrott, Illinois State University head coach; Steve Ortman, Peoria Mustangs head coach; Sean O’Malley, Lake Forest College head coach; and Justin Cohn, coach for the Decatur Blaze, among others.

Top contenders in the field include Valor Christian High School, which has won the state championship in Colorado three of the last four years, and North Broward Prep, the two-time defending state champion in Florida; as well as the top four teams in the SHL so far this season: Glenbrook North, New Trier Green, Loyola Gold, and Saint Viator.

The other out-of-state participants are Jesuit College Prep (Dallas), Cathedral Prep (Erie, Penn.), Medina High School (Lakewood, Ohio), Norwich Free Academy (Norwich, CT) Notre Dame Prep High School (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Regis Jesuit High School (Aurora, Colo.).