Marist senior Pete Opalacz is a National Honors Society student, maintaining a 4.4 GPA while juggling jobs at a south suburban ice rink and an electrical shop.
He’s a three-year forward for the RedHawks’ hockey team who leads the team in scoring, highlighted by a five-goal game this past October.
Although undecided on college, he plans to major in electrical engineering and then join the Marines’ Officer Candidates School (OCS).
Opalacz is focused, on and off the ice.
Especially after a pair of well-publicized episodes that have brought a dose of the real world to co-captain Opalacz, 17, and his Marist mates.
Last season, for one, ended with Marist coach Rick Freiberg suspended for two years and two key players being suspended for one month and seven months, respectively, following a hazing episode (erroneous material as published has been deleted from this sentence). Freiberg has since been replaced by Terry LaBella.
Then, earlier this season, a referee was arrested for simple assault following a heated Marist-Loyola Gold game after the mother of a RedHawks’ player charged the official had thrown her son around in an attempt to break up a skirmish. The charges eventually were dropped.
Those situations “have helped us grow up a lot quicker,” Opalacz said. “We take things more serious now. We don’t joke around as much as we did in the past. We’ve gotten more disciplined.
“I personally took a positive attitude into the season, and knew I had to step it up, particularly after the way things ended last year. I think if we play like we can and how we have already played this season, we can go a long way.”
Marist has been one of the top teams all season, a Catholic League contender that, perhaps, could snatch the Kennedy Cup from Fenwick, or, possibly, maybe even the Blackhawk Cup.
Sure, New Trier Green might have something to say when it comes to the state championship, but Marist has battled the Trevians to a one-goal game earlier this season (2-1 New Trier win).
Opalacz is a physical forward in the mold of Peter Forsberg or Jeremy Roenick. He centers for senior Lonkar and sophomore Jim Siepka on the team’s top line.
Marist also uses Opalacz on power-play and penalty-kill units.
“I stepped it up big time this year, and am pretty proud of myself because I didn’t really know if I’d be able to be playing this well,” Opalacz said.
