The Oak Park and River Forest Hockey Club is in the midst of a rebuilding year. After a tumultuous 2022-23 season, the team is committed to restoring a good reputation to the organization. Players and coaches alike believe they are on the right track this season.
The team’s varsity head coach, Mike Murphy, has returned for a second season, and is signed on for the next three years. He believes that having consistency on the coaching level is an important step for the club’s long-term success. “I think a big deal was just having me come back for a second year,” said Murphy. “They trust now that there’s some stability all the way at the top.”
This year, the Huskies have a unique opportunity to redefine themselves. Seventeen seniors graduated last season, and many of them have been replaced by current sophomores and juniors. “Everything about our club has changed,” said senior Sammy Chand. “It’s a completely different culture.”
As a team captain, Chand has been helping to mentor his younger teammates. Chand said he’s taking extra care of the team to ensure that they stay out of trouble after the team was embroiled in off-the-ice controversies last year. “I’m trying to set a good example of what it means to be not only a good hockey player, but a good person,” said Chand.
As a club sport, OPRF hockey competes with several regional travel teams for top talent. Many high school hockey players and parents believe that travel programs are the best way to showcase talent to potential college or professional scouts.
However, Murphy is skeptical of this idea, noting that plenty of opportunities exist for his players to move up to the next level. “Our coaching staff is ready and willing to build bridges for our student athletes,” he said. “A very important part of the OPRF program is the development of self advocacy in recruitment.”
This year, Murphy has recruited three players from travel teams. Among them is junior Griffin Wesley, who left Chicago Bulldogs, a hockey club in the city, in mid-October to play for OPRF. So far, he reflects that choosing to play for the Huskies has been a good decision. “We get along really well together, which was not how it was on my last team,” Wesley said.
On the ice, this year’s team has had mixed results. At press time, the Huskies have won six games, lost 14, and have tied one contest. In Illinois West league play, OPRF has won four games and lost eight, though one of their losses came in overtime. For league standings, a regulation win is counted as three points, and a loss as zero. An overtime win is worth two points, and an overtime loss counts for one.
OPRF currently ranks 13th out of 16 teams in the league. Per the league’s playoff format, the Huskies need to be in the top 11 by Thanksgiving to remain in contention for the playoffs.
Recently, the team achieved a victory, winning the Gopher State Outdoor Veterans Cup, a tournament held in the Minneapolis area from Nov. 3 to 5. Both the varsity and JV squads made the trip, and both won their respective divisions, which each consisted of three other teams. The team’s experiences in Minnesota were indicative of their revived chemistry this year. The team jumped into a cold lake together after a win. “It was a really good bonding moment,” said Wesley. “We had a really good time.”
OPRF still has many more games to play this season. One highlight of the season still to come is the Paul Hruby Cup series against Fenwick, the first game of which will be on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont. In addition, the team will have several more home games at the Ridgeland Common Recreation Complex.
