Mount Carmel hockey has not seen ideal results in recent years, but they may have just found some rhythm towards the end of the 2023-2024 season. Their home ice is the Morgan Park Sports Center, but they recently got the opportunity to show their skills at a more impressive and well-known ice rink.
On Saturday, January 13th, the Caravan played at the United Center, the arena that the Chicago Blackhawks and Bulls call home. The coaching staff had connections with the Blackhawks organization, and after a lot of planning and coordination, the team was finally set to take the ice.
“It’s a special place for any hockey fan,” said Caravan head coach Tom Mayhan. “We had already played Saint Xavier last season in a tournament so there was a lot of excitement around the game.”
Saint Xavier High School is a private, all-boys Catholic school in Louisville, Kentucky. They’re hockey program had a record of 10-4 before playing the Caravan.
Caravan hockey has not had the success recently that the program has been known for in years past, so to be able to play in such an exciting atmosphere was important to a lot of the players. They wanted the win more than anything on that Saturday.
“We’ve been struggling a little bit this season, so it was nice to play at the United Center,” said senior Anthony Wiseman. “Playing where my favorite team plays felt cool.”
Wiseman is just one of three seniors on the team, so this game was the start of the send off for the talented group.
“Playoffs will probably be rough,” said Wiseman. “I’m glad we got this big of a game towards the end of the season.
While the stakes were high and levels of excitement even higher, the team still needed to lock in before the game.
“A couple of the guys were nervous,” said Coach Mayhan. “I felt like it was wanted though. For a big game like this I think anyone would be a little nervous.”
While Wiseman was focused on having a great game towards the end of his senior season, a few juniors were looking to continue the success they’ve had on varsity this year.
“We got locked in the locker room for sure,” said junior Andrew Flood. “Even though it was the United Center, I still felt focused.”
Flood being focused before he stepped on the ice definitely helped the team later on. He had a hat trick with all three goals being scored in the third period. The Caravan ended up winning over St. Xavier 9-2.
“When I scored the second goal it felt unreal,” said Flood. “I went back out there for my last shift and got another one to finish off a nice game.”
Another player that had a great night was junior Danny O’Connor, who had two assists and helped with team morale before the game.
“Before the game I walked into the locker room and saw Danny smiling from ear to ear,” said coach Mayhan. “I’m glad he and a lot of other guys had a great game.”
Even while the Caravan were up 9-2 in the third period, they were still taking in the atmosphere of the Blackhawks’ home ice.
“We were ecstatic that we got to play at the United Center,” said O’Connor. “We were even more excited that we pulled off the win.”
As the Caravan move forward to their last regular season game on Friday, January 26th, they’ll still hold on to this incredible win they had at an historic venue. The win will stick with the team over the offseason, something that Coach Mayhan and the players are looking forward to.
“The guys understand that this is a process,” said Coach Mayhan. “We didn’t have the best season this year but this win at the United Center is definitely something we won’t forget.”
