Chaminade ice hockey to play for Catholic league state title

Losing both a star player to injury and the top seed in one night wasn’t easy for the Chaminade ice hockey team.

But four weeks later, the Flyers met with top-seeded Iona Prep, and their star forward Jack Petrone was back from a shoulder injury for the championship series.

This also meant the duo of Petrone and Mikey Johnson was back, and it made a difference.

In Game 2 of the CHSHL championship series, Petrone had three assists and Johnson scored two goals to lead No. 2 Chaminade to a 4-2 victory over No. 1 Iona Prep, giving them the series win last Friday night at Cantiague Park Ice Rink in Hicksville.

“It felt unbelievable,” Petrone said. “The adrenaline was unbelievable and we knew what we had to do. I obviously wanted to beat the team that not only injured me on my senior night but beat us in the championship the year before. And to do it in front of our fans too, you couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Chaminade will advance to the Catholic High School state championship game. The Flyers face Canisius (Buffalo) at Harborcenter in Buffalo on Saturday at 3 p.m. Chaminade is looking for its first ice hockey state championship in school history and to be the first downstate team to hoist the trophy since 2018.

In Game 1, Nate Pitman of Chaminade was the anchor in net. After allowing the first shot of the series to go in, he made 39 straight saves to help the Flyers win, 4-1. In the second game, Pitman’s excellence continued.

He collected 33 saves and stopped the relentless pressure of the Gaels throughout the series.

“I just had to go back to the roots of my development,” Pitman said. “I had to make sure my team had faith in me so they could play with freedom and take stuff off their chest and help give my team the opportunity to win.”

In Game 2, Chaminade gained momentum early. Petrone found a trailing Johnson for a shorthanded goal to open the scoring with 8:16 left in the first period.

“I felt like we had to match Iona’s physicality,” Chaminade head coach Keith Macias said. “MJ’s [Mikey Johnson] shorthanded goal really took the wind out of their sails and Richard L’Esperance scoring the third goal was huge.”

The Flyers had a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. Maximus Wood found L’Esperance in front of the net for the goal to go up by two. But just moments later, Iona Prep’s Liam Collins scored to trim the deficit to one with 8:27 left.

Chaminade needed an insurance goal, and the duo of Petrone and Johnson was the answer. Petrone passed the puck from behind the net to Johnson, who ripped a shot top shelf for a goal. The puck went in and out and the Flyers crowd exploded as they took a 4-2 lead with just over six minutes remaining.

“I got a great pass from Jack Petrone,” Johnson said. “I saw my spot and figured I’d let it rip. I picked a corner and hit the back bar and came right out. I saw it go straight in and the ref called it a goal right away.”

Chaminade held on for the championship, capturing its first CHSHL hockey crown since 2023.

“It was the first time we ever won it on home ice in front of our fans,” Macias said. “It was phenomenal to actually finish here at Cantiague Park, let the boys enjoy the moment with their fans, parents and classmates.”

The Flyers' seniors now have an opportunity to win their last high school game and cement themselves in school history as the first ice hockey state champions.

“We knew we had a good senior class,” Petrone said. “And this has been the mindset the whole time and the time has finally come. We are going to leave it all out there.”