About Ice Prowler Hockey

The Ice Prowler Hockey Club is a USA Hockey, Mid-American District sanctioned high school club hockey team participating in the Greater Columbus High School Club Hockey League (GCHSCHL). The Ice Prowler players are students residing in the Pickerington Local, Reynoldsburg City, Licking Heights Local (Pataskala), Southwest Licking (Pataskala), Canal Winchester Local and Groveport Madison School districts.

The Ice Prowlers began play in 1998-1999, the first season of the GCHSCHL, as the Pickerington/Reynoldsburg High School Age Ice Hockey Club (P/R Hockey). The GCHSCHL was formed after the success of a high school club hockey tournament sponsored by the Worthington High School Hockey Club in the spring of 1998. The tournament included high school club teams from Worthington, Dublin, Hilliard, Olentangy, St. Charles, Westerville and the Newark Youth Hockey Association. The inaugural GCHSCHL member clubs that fall included Pickerington/Reynoldsburg, Dublin, Hilliard SW, Olentangy, St. Charles, Westerville, and newly formed Gahanna. Worthington had gone varsity at that point rolling out teams for Thomas Worthington High School and Worthington Kilbourne High School, joining Upper Arlington High School as the only three varsity teams in the greater Columbus area.

Pataskala officially joined the P/R Hockey Club for the 1999-2000 season (PRP Hockey), and Canal Winchester officially became the fourth member district before the 2002-2003 season (PRPC Hockey). In 2004-2005, the GCHSCHL granted players from the Groveport Madison school district the opportunity to play for the Ice Prowlers expanding the team's district pool.

Chris Orem served as the team's head coach from the club's inception in 1998 through the 2001-2002 season leading the club to a 50-41-17 record over four seasons. He was joined by assistant coach Steve Sherowski and part time assistant/goaltender coach Bill McKenzie (former OSU & NHL goalie and current OSU broadcaster) through 1998-1999. Tom Hess then joined Orem as an assistant coach after the departure of Sherowski and McKenzie.

In 2002-2003 (the team's 5th season of existence), they were able to win their first GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup Championship under first year head coach Marty Laroche. Marty, a former Merrimack College & Columbus Chill (ECHL) player, took over behind the bench and took the organization to the next level. Laroche brought with him, assistant/goaltender coach Jay C. Catherine and assistant coach Andy Loughnane.

The 2003-2004 season saw continued success for the Prowlers. Coach Marty and coach Jay C. were able to get the players to pick up where they left off. The club was able to win their first ever regular season league title (possessing 1st place in the league from game one) and went on to win their second consecutive GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup Championship.

To start the 2004-2005 season, the club officially changed it's name to Prowler Hockey, but the organization continued with the tradition of winning and excellence that it had shown over it's first 6 seasons. The 2004-2006 Prowlers brought home their second consecutive GCHSCHL regular season title, an appearance in their third consecutive GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup Championship Finals, and represented the GCHSCHL with an appearance in the first ever Buckeye Cup Ohio Club Hockey State Championship Tournament.

Marty and Jay C. remained behind the club's varsity bench for 2005-2006 and were joined at the junior varsity level by former Prowlers Kyle Ahlberg and Andy Shank as the club expanded to include a junior varsity (JV) team participating in the Capital Hockey Conference Junior Varsity league (CHC-JV). Laroche rounded out his resume that season with the team's fourth consecutive trip to the GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup Championship Finals and their second straight trip to the Buckeye Cup Ohio Club Hockey State Championship Tournament.

Laroche took over the reigns of the Prowlers in 2002 and was responsible for building the program into one of the best high school teams in the state of Ohio. Marty led the team to an exceptional 92-33-7 record and developed a standard of excellence for the club in his four seasons at the helm with GCHSCHL Regular Season Championships in 2004 and 2005, representing the GCHSCHL in the first two Buckeye Cup State Championship Tournaments in 2005 and 2006, appearing in four consecutive GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup Finals from 2003 through 2006, and winning back-to-back GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup Championships in 2003 and 2004. In the summer of 2006 Laroche moved on to coach the U16 AAA Ohio Blue Jackets.

Jay C. Catherine took over the reigns of the varsity squad as the head coach for the 2006-2007 season after four years as the assistant/goaltending coach for the club under Laroche. Under coach Jay C., the program had it's most successful season to date posting a 28-3-5 record on the way to winning it's third GCHSCHL regular season championship in four seasons. Catherine brought former Prowler and 2003 GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup Champion Chris Van Ooyen onto the staff as his assistant for the 2006-2007 season and the two led the club to it's fifth straight GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup Final, bringing the Cup back to the Prowlers for an unprecedented third time in five seasons. They led the team to the Semi-Finals of the third annual Buckeye Cup State Championship Tournament after obtaining the tournaments number one seed out of the Preliminary Round.

The Prowler JV squad also experienced their first success under former Prowler and 2003 GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup Champion Andy Shank who took over as head coach at the JV level for 2006-2007. He was joined by 2003 and 2004 GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup Champion and former Prowler captain Ben French as his assistant coach. the two led the JV squad to their first ever CHC-JV Blue Jackets Cup Finals after finishing second in the league's regular season standings.

The Prowlers celebrated their 10th season in 2007-2008. Coach Jay C. brought former Olentangy Braves Head Coach Mike Dorsey on staff as an assistant coach after the departure of Van Ooyen, who moved on to coach the Columbus Capitals U16 AA team. The team did not miss a step winning its 4th GCHSCHL regular season championship in five seasons. They continued to be one of the best teams in the state and represented the GCHSCHL for the forth consecutive year in the forth annual Buckeye Cup State Championship Tournament.

Coach Shank continued to guide the JV squad to success in 2007-2008 as well, as he was joined by former Prowler alternate captain and 2004 Blue Jacket Cup Champion Anthony Kantor. The JV squad won the program's first ever Midwest Thanksgiving High School Hockey Classic Championship and marched onto a 14-1-3 record on the way to their first ever CHC-JV regular season title.

Ice Prowlers Hockey has established strong roots in Ohio high school hockey since 1998, and looks forward to continuing the success in the future at both the club varsity and junior varsity levels. Prowler Hockey, A Tradition of Excellence.

QUICK STATS:

History:	Team Name & Logo
Team Name:	Ice Prowler Hockey
Team Mascot:	Ice Prowlers
Team Colors:	Purple, Black, White & Gray
Home Ice:	Chiller Easton
Designated School Districts (by player residents)	Pickerington Local Schools Reynoldsburg City Schools Licking Heights Local Schools (Pataskala) Southwest Licking Schools (Pataskala) Canal Winchester Local Schools Groveport Madison Schools
Club Varsity League:	Greater Columbus High School Club Hockey League (GCHSCHL)
The other central Ohio teams participating in the GCHSCHL are:
Athens Bobcats Hilliard/Southwest Newark Generals Northeast Storm Olentangy Braves Westerville Warcats
Junior Varsity League:	Capital Hockey Conference Junior Varsity (CHC_JV)
The other central Ohio teams participating in the GCHSCHL are:
Athens Bobcats Dublin (Green) Dublin (White) Gahanna Lincoln Lions Hilliard/Southwest Wildcats Newark Generals Northeast Storm Olentangy Braves PRPC Prowlers St. Charles Cardinals St. Francis DeSales Stallions Troy Bruins Upper Arlington Golden Bears Westerville Warcats Worthington