At the end of every season, Prep’s hockey team competes in the Mid-Atlantic Prep Hockey League Playoffs (MAPHLs). This year, our team had been stretched thin, with five sustained injuries before entering their playoff run. The playoffs would be an uphill battle, but the Hoyas never go down without a fight.
On February 20, the Hoyas faced the DeMatha Stags in the AA Play-In round. In the first period, four different Prep players scored: Tyler Butler, ’26; Alex Markva, ’25; Connor McCarthy, ’24; and Austin Markva, ’24. Thanks to brick-wall goalie Billy Bass, ’25, the second quarter went scoreless. DeMatha attempted to rally with a goal in the third period, but the Stags’ momentum was quickly shut down by goals from Andrew Chaconas, ’24 and Rowan Healy, ’24. The Hoyas marched out of the Rockville Ice Arena victorious, winning 6-2 over DeMatha.
In the next game, we faced our biggest rival. The matchup against the Landon Bears was slow with Grayson Felizzi, ’27 scoring Prep’s only goal during regulation. In the third period, Landon matched it, sending the game to overtime. Though both teams played ferociously, the game came down to the difference in the caliber of the two goalies. “Brick-wall Bass” dealt with 31 shots on goal but managed to hold Landon to one goal. Bass held down the fort in shootouts and stopped every single shot from the Bears. However, the goalie for the Bears couldn’t stop Tyler Butler, ’26 from finding the net in shootouts. The Hoyas’ playoff run continued.
In the semifinals, the Hoyas played against the Saint John’s Cadets. The Cadets led the MAPHL rankings all regular season, so this game would prove to be their hardest yet. Unfortunately, the game started with four unanswered Cadet goals until Andrew Chaconas, ’24 put one away unassisted. The Hoyas, led by seniors Austin Markva, Luca Nascone, Rowan Healy, and Andrew Chaconas, fought valiantly—Andrew Chaconas was even ejected from the game after a major collision against the boards in the third period—but Billy Bass was overwhelmed by the 42 shots on goal. The Hoyas’ playoff run ended in a crushing 5-to-1 defeat at The Gardens Ice House.
