Fire up the Zamboni. The Loyola Academy Thanksgiving Tournament has commenced.
With four state champions–Illinois’ New Trier Green, Park Tudor (Ind.), DeSmet (Mo.) and Washington County (Wis.)–included in the 16-team field, there are few turkeys to be found this weekend in Wilmette.
Concluding with Sunday’s championship game at 3:45 p.m., the Loyola tourney is an early-season indicator of who’s who in Illinois hockey. Here’s a look at the top teams skating at Wilmette’s Centennial Ice Arena who likely will be among those vying for the state championship in March.
New Trier Green: His teams have won two Blackhawk Cups (state titles) in two tries, but coach Bob Melton’s squads have fallen short at Loyola’s annual 16-team event. “This is my third year at New Trier and we’ve never won it,” he said. “That’s the one thing we really want to do this year.”
New Trier is banged up. Sidelined are center Michael Scalla and freshman defender Brad Lau, both out with separated shoulders. Still, this team is four lines deep and more skilled offensively than last year’s squad, which lost just three times in 59 games.
Gone are goalie C.J. Heitmann and the rock-solid defensemen who kept his work to a minimum. But new goalie Michael Block has a 1.25 goals-against average in tough Metro North play, and Michael Novak gives the Trevians two solid defensemen once Lau is healthy.
Leading the offense once again is junior winger Andrew Vitt, a proven goal-scorer who led the Metro North is scoring last season and is doing so again. Centering his line is John Wilson, who is tied for second in scoring. Ricky Lee, who led New Trier Blue to a terrific 1998-99 campaign, centers the Trevians’ second line.
“We’re everybody’s biggest game,” Melton said. “Sometimes it’s hard to get your team excited to play every game.”
Loyola Gold: Can the Ramblers’ top scoring line of center Joe Letizia and wingers Bill O’Connor and Kevin Heaton make up for inexperience at the blue line?
Loyola, which unexpectedly won its own tournament last year, has a new coach in Pat Kelleher, who hopes to carry on Gold’s sterling tradition with seven underclassmen.
Fenwick: Since moving on from New Trier Green, proven winner Dave Cromer is back coaching at the high school level. That’s good news for the Friars and bad news for the rest of the Catholic League. Particularly Mt. Carmel, another Loyola entrant and the team Fenwick will likely unseat atop the division while trying to reclaim the Catholic League’s Kennedy Cup, an item the Caravan has owned since the Friars last won it in 1995.
“There’s a lot of emphasis on the Kennedy Cup,” Cromer said. “It’s almost as big as state, and some people say even bigger.”
Through a dozen games, Fenwick is 10-1-1 and 6-0 in the Catholic League. The offense has been inconsistent, but goalies Mike Serpico and Kyle Brunette have been steady and defensemen Matt Montes and Joe Giovenco solid.
Naperville Central: The Redhawks are eager to prove that West is best and that Illinois hockey does not revolve around the North Shore. Naperville Central is averaging better than six goals a game in the Metro West, thanks largely to its 34 percent power-play efficiency. Forwards Anthony DeMaria, Patrick Tumilty and Paul Peseski have scored 34 of the Redhawks’ 49 goals in conference play.
Other Illinois teams at Loyola are Stevenson, Loyola Maroon, Glenbrook North, Sandburg, Lake Forest, Marist and New Trier Blue.
