St. Francis hockey team battle tested, reloaded for another run at state title

Nov. 27—The seniors on the St. Francis de Sales hockey team have seen it all.

From an uncharacteristically down year as freshmen to a pandemic-shortened sensational season as sophomores to the ultimate glory of a state championship as juniors, the Knights are seasoned.

St. Francis is coming off a special 2020-21 season where the team had a 28-3-2 record and won the program's third state title.

The 14 seniors endured an eight-win season in 2018-19. They helped lead the Knights to the state final four the following season before the state tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Last season, the Knights achieved a No. 2 ranking and then made a run to Columbus where they got a 2-1 victory over No. 1 ranked Lakewood St. Edward to win it all.

"They know our expectations and they know what it is like to compete in high-pressure situations," St. Francis coach Chris Varga said. "They also know what it's like to struggle. One of the biggest strengths will be that experience. At the end of the day, they should be ready for any situation because they have been through a lot."

St. Francis got off to a 1-0 start this season with a 3-2 win over Bowling Green that featured a banner raising ceremony on Nov. 19 at Tam-O-Shanter. The Knights then defeated Olentangy Liberty 6-0 on Friday night.

The team has the depth, experience, and balance to make another run at a second straight Northwest Hockey Conference Red Division title and a sixth district title in the past seven years.

"We want to develop and compete," Varga said. "We do have a well-balanced team from goalie to defense to offense. Hopefully, we can put it all together."

St. Francis, which also won state titles in 2011 and 2015, is playing in the annual Cold Turkey Tournament this weekend at Tam-O-Shanter. The schedule includes a game against Lakewood St. Edward on Saturday.

Senior goalie Jackson Smalley was between the pipes in the state title game against St. Ed's, finishing with 27 saves.

"We're trying to live up to the hype," Smalley said. "People are saying that we won't be as good as we were last year. But I feel like we have enough depth and guys back from last year where we can bounce right back."

Smalley went 26-2-2 with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage last season.

"He had a great junior season," Varga said. "He is definitely a competitor and hates to get scored on, even in practice. We know that he is going to keep us in a lot of games and give us a chance to win."

The Knights lost their top three scorers, Devon Homier, Luc Kuhr, and Riley Box, to graduation. Varga said the Knights are a tight-knit group with plenty of talent.

"We have to play as a team," he said. "Our team has to have everyone competing and contributing at all times. We can't rely on one or two players to do all the work. Our defense and goalies will need to be steady, while our forwards are going to have to find ways to put the puck in the back of the net."

Senior captain Gordie Hunt had 23 points last season with 13 goals and 10 assists. Senior Jon Jaros had 19 points (12 G, 7 A), while fellow senior forwards Chris Meyer had 13 points (4 G, 9 A), and Will Sherer had 11 points (2 G, 9 A).

"Gordie Hunt joins us for his second year and had a great offseason getting bigger, faster, and stronger. He is a workhorse up front and never quits," Varga said. "Jon Jaros, Chris Meyer, and Will Sherer will also need to contribute with their playmaking and goal scoring abilities."

The defense will be led by seniors Kyle Owczarzak and Owen Denker.

"Kyle plays a more stay-at-home style, while Owen is a bit more aggressive," Varga said.

Smalley said he believes the Knights have all the components to make another deep run.

"Everyone knows what we need to do," Smalley said. "We just try to keep our mouths shut and show them what we can do. I think we have what it takes to do it again."

The Knights junior varsity team also won a state title last year, and the program has large numbers overall.

"Last year was a unique situation with both teams winning state titles, but we also had such high numbers we actually had to have a taxi squad to rotate players," Varga said. "We expect them all to work hard and buy into our systems."

Varga said the seniors who played as freshmen during the 2018-19 season went through a lot of adversity.

"It was certainly a learning experience, and then they also dealt with having a season canceled on them right before the state semifinals during the COVID-19 shortened year," Varga said.

St. Francis will once again look to out-work opponents and try to maintain puck possession.

"We are working on finding our identity but, at this point, we are stressing teamwork, hard work, and learning offensive and defensive systems," Varga said.

The Knights have extra motivation as they will be playing for general manager Mike Marciniak, who is entering his 40th season with the program.

"We want to make it a memorable for him," Varga said.

Varga led the team to state final appearances in 2017 and 2018, but finished second. He said everyone involved in the program is responsible for that consistent success.

"First and foremost, it's the players. They have bought into our systems and trust what we ask of them," Varga said. "We try to make sure they are sacrificing the 'me' for the 'we'. We also have a great staff who do their jobs extraordinarily well."

The Knights know they will get the best shot from every opponent as the team that is the "hunted."

"We have developed some really intense rivalries across Ohio and Michigan, which forces us to be on our 'A' game every single time we touch the ice," Varga said. "Go out, compete, do your job, and let's see where the chips fall."