It’s been a quiet two weeks for the Fenwick hockey team.
Thanks to a first-round bye in the Kennedy Cup playoffs, the Friars have been able to use the past 14 days to recover from a roller-coaster regular season and get healthy for a grueling upcoming stretch.
Fenwick is in search of its fifth consecutive Kennedy Cup crown, a feat that has only been accomplished once before in Catholic League history-by Mount Carmel.
While the Friars try to focus on the Kennedy Cup, they’ll also be trying to keep their state-title dreams alive when they open the Blackhawk Cup on Feb. 22 against an upstart Bartlett squad.
“We know it’s going to be a tough stretch, and that’s what we’re focusing on,” Fenwick coach Dan Wolff said. “We didn’t have any rhythm at the end of the season, but there are no excuses from this point forward.”
Wolff’s squad isn’t exactly skating into the postseason with a ton of confidence. Fenwick lost its last three regular season games and finished the regular season campaign four games under .500.
“We actually cancelled our last game of the year against Oak Park because we weren’t healthy, and they had a number of games in a short span of days,” Wolff said. “We were really banged up at the end of the year and a number of guys had the flu. It was a tough season, no doubt.”
Wolff credits Ryan Glazier and Cam Verbeke for keeping the ship afloat. The duo was recently named to the All-State squad.
“Ryan has always had the talent to be one of the best players on the ice at all times,” said Wolff about his senior forward. “He has really matured and has given us what we needed in terms of leadership all year.
“And Cam is one of the best all-around defensemen in the league. He is involved in every play on the ice. Just like Ryan, his leadership in the locker room is something we really needed this season. If they continue to play well, it’s really going to help us in the playoffs.”
According to Wolff, Fenwick, which advanced to the state title game in 2007, expects to play Game 1 of its best-of-three Kennedy Cup series against Brother Rice during the week of Feb. 25. The schedule is still TBA because the Crusaders also are involved in the Metro playoffs.
“We’re trying to figure out what works best for everyone right now,” Wolff said. “We have the Kennedy Cup, the Metro playoffs and the Blackhawk Cup.
“With the Kennedy Cup, we dictate our playoff schedule. But the Metro league dictates its playoff schedule. So we’re just using this extra time to get everything in order for a long playoff run.”
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