2019-2020 Season Preview
Welcome to the Saint Ignatius Wolfpack Hockey Club 2019-2020 season!
As summer moves along and we begin to shift our attention to the start of the school year, we wanted to share an overview of our program’s recent accomplishments and our plans for the upcoming season.
2018-2019 Season Recap
The 2018-2019 season was an exciting campaign for Saint Ignatius hockey. Building on the success and momentum of the last few seasons, Saint Ignatius solidified its spot within the top tier of Illinois high school hockey. A sample of the program’s on-ice and off-ice accomplishments follows:
Varsity On-Ice Accomplishments
- Overall record of 35-13-1
- Chicago Catholic Hockey League regular season champions for 2nd straight year (19-2-1 record)
- Kennedy Cup runner-up for 2nd straight year (CCHL playoffs)
- #4 seed in Blackhawk Cup state high school tournament (reached state quarter finals)
- Finalist at Purple Puck National Capital Hockey Tournament (Washington, DC)
- Head Coach Matt Smith named AHAI Coach of the Year
- Three players achieved All-State honors; one named to the fall NAHL IL Showcase team; another named to the spring IL Showcase team
- Competition included games against eventual state champions from IL, WI, OH, IN, and VA
Junior Varsity On-Ice Accomplishments
- Successful 39-game season
- 10-9-1 record in CCHL regular season
- Kennedy Cup first-round victory (first playoff win in JV program history)
- Finalist at CrossRoads MLK Tournament
Program-Wide Off-Ice Accomplishments
- Saint Ignatius Valedictorian – Christian Klein (Asst. Captain)
- Saint Ignatius Athlete of the Year – Dom Fischer (Co-Captain)
- Active in community service including Hornets Youth Sled Hockey Team fundraiser and volunteering both with Blackhawks Charities and Cradles to Crayons
Overall, we believe the Saint Ignatius Hockey Club offers a complete student-athlete experience that advances player development in a way that is unmatched by any other hockey program (school or club) in the City of Chicago. We strive to provide our student-athletes with the opportunity to (1) compete at a high level on the ice; (2) seamlessly integrate high-level hockey with the academic rigor of St. Ignatius College Prep; and (3) graduate from our program as young men of high character prepared for life beyond hockey.
These are the goals that drive our choices as a program. We hope you’ll join us on this journey.
2019-2020 Season Preview
Looking ahead to the 2019-2020 season, we have lots of exciting hockey on the way.
Head Coach Matt Smith will continue to lead both the SICP hockey program and the Varsity team with Spencer Montgomery serving as Associate Head Coach and, new to the staff, Jeff Rogers being added as an Assistant Coach.
Coach Jim Borgaard will take over head coaching duties for the Junior Varsity team with Mike Rigitano and Sean Hammond serving as assistants.
Varsity Schedule Highlights
- Approximately 45 games
- 20 CCHL regular season games
- Weekend trip to Southwest Michigan Challenge (October)
- Loyola Thanksgiving Tournament (November)
- 200x85 Prep Invitational (December)
- 4th Annual Jesuit Cup (January)
- Kennedy Cup and Blackhawk Cup Playoffs
Junior Varsity Schedule Highlights
- Approximately 40 games
- 18 CCHL regular season games
- Chicago Pre-Season Challenge Tournament (September)
- Loyola Thanksgiving Tournament (November)
- CrossRoads MLK Tournament (January)
- Kennedy Cup and Blackhawk Cup Playoffs
Upcoming Important To-Do’s
Over the next month, there are several items you’ll need to complete to be ready for the season. Please take note of these items and watch for additional emails as we move forward.
Athletic Physicals & Consents – All sophomores, juniors, and seniors will need to submit completed sport physical forms to the hockey club before tryouts. Freshmen physicals are already taken care of through the school’s entrance policy, but freshmen still need to submit AthletiCo and IHSA Consent Forms. The required forms can be found here: https://ignatius.myschoolapp.com/ftpimages/1309/download/download_3615888.pdf
Registration – Beginning August 1st, parents may register players for the 2019-2020 season. A registration link will be available on the team’s website at www.saintignatiushockey.com . All players must be registered and pay their $200 tryout fee, which will be applied toward season fees. Once team rosters are announced, a follow-up email will provide instructions for completing payment for the season. (Note: Please renew your player’s USA Hockey # before registering.)
Tryouts – The tryout schedule will be as follows with all skates at Fifth Third Arena.
- Pre-tryout clinic: Tuesday, August 20th (3:40-4:50 pm)
- Pre-season school-wide athletics meeting at SICP: Wednesday, August 21st
- Tryout 1: Friday, August 23rd (4:20-5:30 pm)
- Tryout 2: Saturday, August 24th (3:00-4:10 pm)
- Tryout 3: Sunday, August 25th (4:50-6:00 pm)
- Tryout 4 (TBD): Monday, August 26th
- Dryland Testing: Tuesday, August 27th (3:15-4:45 pm at SICP track)
- Dryland Testing: Wednesday, August 28th (3:15-4:45 pm at SICP track)
First Practice – Team practices will begin Monday, September 9th at Fifth Third Arena. Varsity and junior varsity practice schedules will be available on each team’s calendar within the SICP Hockey website.
Thank you for working through this email. Please contact Coach Matt Smith with any questions at masmith18@hotmail.com or (312) 446-5763.
Go Wolfpack!
