The Saint Ignatius varsity prep hockey squad will take on our great nation’s capital on Thursday. In the shadows of Capitol Hill, the Ice Cats will look to win their second Gonzaga (D.C.) Purple Puck Tournament, known as “the oldest hockey tournament on the East Coast.”
The Wildcats will not have an easy trek to repeat their 2012-13 success in the American Rome. The 11-2 Ice Cats, coming off their second consecutive Padua Christmas Classic Tourney title, look to improve this weekend against some of the toughest competition in the nation. Here is a closer look at the Wildcats’ opponents.
The Wildcats’ first contest upon entering D.C will be a 6 pm Thursday contest against stalwart Loyola Academy (IL). The Ramblers of Loyola will enter the contest ranked No. 1 in the state of Illinois with a record of 31-4-1. Past Rambler success has led their players to move to higher levels of play, including current Montreal Canadian goaltender Al Montoya. Loyola Academy, along with all of the Wildcats’ opponents, is a Jesuit school. The co-educational school has 2,000 students in enrollment. Coach Lavarre’s team comes into the contest with a 4-3 win over Barrington, as well as several wins over past Wildcat opponents Glennbrook North, New Trier, and Carmel.
There is no better way to spend a Friday morning on Christmas break than at an ice rink, and the Wildcats plan on spending theirs at a seven o’clock contest on their second day in the District. The Ice Cats take on the Regis Jesuit Raiders. Regis, another Jesuit school, is the only co-institutional school in the United States. This means that while both male and female students are enrolled, they do not share any classes together. Approximately 1,700 students inhabit the beautiful suburban Colorado campus.
Coach Dan Woodley’s team enters the holiday weekend with an impressive 6-0-0 record including coming off an 8-1 win against St. Albans. The Raiders are four time state champions and 5 time A National Champions. One notable alumna of Regis Jesuit is gold-medal Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin. Missy captivated the hearts of many Americans with her relentless attitude in the 2012 London Summer Olympics and will not soon be forgotten. The Wildcats will look to take that same attitude into the double header Friday.
On Friday night, the Wildcats will end the round robin with a contest against the host, Gonzaga. The Wildcats beat the Eagles 5-2 last year in Chicago because of a memorable performance by last year’s senior captain Connor Koehnke. The Eagles won the tournament last in 2013, just a year after the Wildcats did. Gonzaga is #1 in the Washington Post DC rankings due to their 6-1-1 record.The Eagles beat the same St. Albans team that fell to Regis 8-2. The Jesuit school with an enrollment of 930 is home to Browns quarterback Kevin Hogan.
In the Purple Puck Tournament, there are two 25 minute halves with an ice cut between the periods. The tournament’s first puck drop in the Prep division is Wednesdat at 8:30 as Gonzaga (D.C.) takes on Spalding (MD).
The tournament also features Archbishop Spalding (MD), Bishop O’Connell (VA), Georgetown Prep (MD), Hun (NJ), Loyola (Montreal), St. Joe's Prep (PA).
The SIBN will have you covered with every second with Jack O’Rourke, Max Marazzi, and the incomparable Pat Keane.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all and we hope you tune in to provide your support for the boys of winter and their excellent 11-2 start despite the toughest schedule in the state.
A final HUGE thank you to Mr. John Cotten. Cotten is the director of the Purple Puck Tournament and does an amazing job publicizing the tournament and we must thank him for inviting us back to the Purple Puck. Personally, the SIBN would like to thank him for his hospitality letting us come to broadcast at the tournament and setting up a hard wire connection so we can give video to the great fans at home.