Expect hot times on MIAA ice this winter
Archbishop Spalding and Boys’ Latin shoot for title repeats in ice hockey
by Nelson Coffin
Archbishop Spalding’s quest for an A Conference ice hockey three-peat is off to a rollicking good start this winter.
The Cavaliers are 10–1 overall and 4-0 in league play, including a 4-3 overtime verdict against last year’s runner-up, Calvert Hall.
Mount St. Joseph, which tied the Cardinals earlier this month, is seeking its first crown since the 2019-2020 campaign.
Reigning B Conference champ Boys’ Latin, on the other hand, has dropped two of its first three league encounters, which gives Loyola Blakefield, St. Paul’s and Saints Peter and Paul enough optimism to believe that a title is within reach.
Archbishop Curley and Gilman have similar hopes as all the teams in both conferences prepare for a busy slate of games in January.
A CONFERENCE
Archbishop Spalding returns a slew of players with championship pedigree and has bolstered that group with some talented newcomers.
The Cavaliers also bring back senior Evan Snyder, who coach Rob Trantin considers the best goalie in the area.
“He makes all the (routine) saves, and then makes plus-plus saves, too,” Trantin said about one of the Cavaliers’ captains. “He just works so hard at his craft. And what’s unique about him is that he’s such a wonderful leader, on and off the ice, with a great personality.”
The other captain, senior left wing/center Caleb Young, is Spalding’s “glue guy,” Trantin said. “He’s the straw that stirs the drink. He’s missed some games for us, and it’s noticeable when he’s not out there. He makes everyone around him better.”
Senior center Grant Wanner (team leading 7 goals and 7 assists) creates space for his own shot and helps others do the same in part because of an imposing 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame and top-notch skill-set.
“He is locked in,” Trantin said. “He makes problems for everybody.”
If that’s not enough, consider how deep and talented the Cavs are on the blue line as well.
Those defenders include senior Connor Sweeney, sophomore Grant Christiansen, junior Carson Gloman and his freshman brother, Zach.
“We still haven’t played our best hockey yet,” Trantin said. “But we’re getting healthy at the right time.”
Calvert Hall captains Ben Shramek (Sr. C), Luke Bonaccorsi (Sr. C), Jack Tanton (Jr. C), and Mikey Tanton (Jr. D) anchor a talented and deep core of skilled players hungry to get back to the championship game this year, according to coach Paul Kansler.
Look for the tandem of senior Torren Poltrack and junior Brayden Jones to share goaltending duties for the Cardinals, who are 6-5-1 this season.
“Early in the season, Calvert Hall has brought on a team first mentality and a ‘we-won't back-down’ focus on and off the ice,” Kansler said.
Mount St. Joseph’s only senior, forward Liam Nilan, will be on the hunt for plenty of scoring opportunities in transition for a fleet team of skaters that also features juniors Tim Trimble and Ryan Currie.
Juniors Nate Carr and Ryan Adams will split time in the Gaels’ gaol.
“We’re very fast,” coach Mike Marley said. “Our passing is a lot better and we have a lot of speed and finesse.”
B CONFERENCE
Losing six seniors from last year’s championship squad means that others will have to fill a huge void for Boys’ Latin this winter.
“We will need our three seniors and younger guys to step up a lot in order to be successful,” coach Baptiste Vernieuwe said. “We have a small team (10 skaters and 2 goalies), so we also need to play good disciplined hockey with low-scoring games and very few penalties in order to compete. This season, the B conference is really for anyone to win, so I'm expecting a long season with everyone being close to each other in the standings”
Cade Bruning (Soph., D), Chase Wehberg (Soph., F), Carston Shepherd (Sr., F), and Dylan Graney (Sr., G) will lead the way for the Lakers.
BL may be already feeling pressure from Loyola Blakefield, a team that is beginning the 2024-2025 campaign on a 4-0 heater.
The Dons are averaging nine goals per game and yielded a mere seven retaliations while downing St. Paul’s (7-4), Curley (11-1), Gilman (13-1), and Boys Latin (5-1).
Loyola coach Matt Hanley said that 10 of his players rank in the top 15 in MIAA points, including Ryder McClure (Sr., D), Jimmy Albanesi (Sr., F), Jesse D’Alonzo (Sr., F), Paul Gately (Soph., D), Brody McClure (Soph., D), Ashton King (Sr., F), Josh Goloboski (Sr., F), Theo Hembling (Jr., F), Grant Keller (Sr., F) and Brady Maul (Jr., D).
“The team’s depth and teamwork are evident.,” Henley continued. “Senior goaltender Tommy Bunte has been stellar, stopping 145 of 152 shots for a 0.954 save percentage.”
Not all of the top scorers, however, are awarded hardhats, a peer-to-peer award that goes to the hardest worker in each of the four wins.
While Keller and King received the honor, so did Connor Counselman and Dylan Santos for their efforts.
“I feel that shows (that) the boys in the room see more value in hard work than points on the board,” Hanley added. "Sometimes those two things can intersect, but it's important for the boys to receive recognition regardless of how many goals they score.”
Saints Peter and Paul coach Sam Gerdano said that his young team, featuring 11 freshmen and only three seniors, will need to gain “enough confidence and comfortability to be able to contribute to our team's success.”
The Sabres’ offense will be led by senior forward and co-captain Jackson Stepp.
“Jackson is leading our team in goals and points,” Germano added. “Junior Buel Jensen has also contributed offensively. Defensively, we are led by junior Daniel Schwaninger and starting sophomore goalie and co-captain Brennen Griffin."
Co-captains Mason Kaplan and Casey Burkom will propel St. Paul’s offense with fellow senior forward Tucker Paxon.
A pair of sophomores, gifted stickhandler Andrew Breslin and Andrew Gittens, are up for the challenge of keeping Crusader goalies, junior Zach Friedman and freshman Andrew Dugas, out of harm’s way.
“We’re building on the identity we started building at the end of last season,” St. Paul’s coach Sean Baker said about a team that boasts seven freshmen. “We are getting a lot of buy-in. All of our guys will see a ton of action. We want to do the simple things — and do them well.”