As high school hockey has grown in Central Ohio, highlighted by two state champions in the past three seasons, parity has increased with it.
Last year, the race for a Capital Hockey Conference Red Division crown was a true battle, with Olentangy Liberty, New Albany, Upper Arlington, Olentangy and St. Charles all in the race until the very end.
New Albany and Olentangy Liberty tied for the top spot in regular season play, with Liberty then earning the Blue Jackets Cup championship for the second time in three years. The OHSAA Columbus regional was then a battle, with Upper Arlington outlasting St. Charles in a 5OT semifinal and then downing Liberty to advance to the state tournament. There, the Golden Bears went on to win the first state championship in school history.
The season showed the depth and talent in Central Ohio high school hockey continues to grow, and it appears this year will be no different. Early-season results show there will again be multiple contenders for the Blue Jackets Cup in February and the state championship when it is held in Nationwide Arena in March.
Any discussion of the season must begin with Upper Arlington, which captured the historic state title a season ago by beating traditional power Cleveland St. Ignatius in the final. The Golden Bears are replacing first-team all-state goalie Mason Herndon but are led by second-team All-Ohio defenseman Henry Thackeray, senior forward Connor Hagkull and junior forwards Ben Spence and Tate Rook.
There have been ups and downs in the early season as the Golden Bears are off to a 3-1-0-1 start in CHC play, but their last league game – a 10-1 win over Olentangy Liberty highlighted by a nine-point effort from Rook – shows what the squad is capable of.
"Coming off a remarkable season, our program faces an exciting new chapter,” head coach Craig Hagkull said before the season. “We said goodbye to 14 exceptional players, including the talented Herndon twins who would have been seniors. Our roster has a lot of talent and promise, and we're confident that both our returning veterans and new players will continue to improve and take their game to the next level. If they do that, we have a chance to have another great season.”
One of the teams to already down UA in the early season is St. Charles, which is off to an unbeaten 4-0-0-0 start in CHC play and posted a 3-2 overtime win over the Golden Bears on Nov. 14.
Standouts on the squad include defenseman Tommy Scharfenberger, who was a second-team all-state choice a year ago, as well as the goaltending tandem of senior Dylan Fansler and junior Dylan Bell, an All-Ohio honorable mention choice. Scharfenberger is joined on defense by juniors Harry Hadden and Alex Martin in what head coach Danny Greiner describes as the “engine” of the team.
“I gave the players the challenge of being the ‘Hardest Working Team in the State’ this year,” Greiner said. “I am excited to watch them compete in every game throughout the season.”
And no mention of the top teams in the area is complete without Olentangy Liberty, which won the region’s first state title in 2023 and captured the Blue Jackets Cup a year ago. A bevy of talented players have come and gone – last year’s state player of the year Jake Struck has moved on to Ohio State to play lacrosse – but head coach Jonathon Falvo expects to have a group that will contend again.
The Patriots (4-1-0-0) were unbeaten in CHC play before the loss to Upper Arlington, led by such players as junior forward Drew Hunkins, who had a breakout 45-point campaign a year ago; Evan Bachus and Connor Tribbie, who each have five goals in the early going; and senior goalie Thomas Morgan, who has a .900 save percentage.
“This is going to be a fun season for Liberty,” Falvo said before the season. “The boys not only worked hard off the ice to be ready physically, but they have realized the importance of the mental side of the game. They have spent countless hours reviewing film and analytics. It’s now time for them to implement everything they have learned this offseason. With our senior leadership and our eager junior class, we have the right players in place for us to play our best hockey in February and (hopefully) March.”
Other teams to watch in the Red Division include New Albany (2-1-0-0), which tied for the top spot in the CHC regular season a year ago but must replace third-team All-Ohio forward Matan Lefebvre; Olentangy Orange (2-2-0-0), which moved up from the White Division and is led by first-team All-CHC White performers Maverick Scholvin, Ian Leskovich and Josh Lambert; and Olentangy (1-3-0-0), which defeated traditional Cleveland power University School this weekend to win the Jamie Ruffner Memorial Tournament hosted by Bowling Green High School.
In the White Division, Dublin Coffman (4-0-0-0) and Thomas Worthington (3-0-0), which finished winless in CHC play last year, are off to perfect starts.
