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.

1998-2002 Seasons
Head Coach Chris Orem
1998-1999 - 10 W - 6 L - 2 T
1999-2000 - 9 W - 17 L - 5 T
2000-2001 - 15 W - 8 L - 6 T
2001-2002 - 16 W - 10 L - 4 T

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.

2002-2006 Seasons
Head Coach Marty Laroche
2002-2003 - 21 W - 5 L - 2 T - GCHSCHL Blue Jacket Cup Champions
2003-2004 - 24 W - 5 L - 2 T - GCHSCHL Regular Season & Blue Jacket Cup Champions
2004-2005 - 28 W - 8 L - 0 T - GCHSCHL Regular Season Champions & Blue Jackets Cup Finalists
2005-2006 - 19 W - 15 L - 3 T - GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup Finalists

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 2004-2005 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.

2006-2008 Seasons
Head Coach Jay C. Catherine
2006-2007 - 28 W - 3 L - 5 T - GCHSCHL Regular Season & Blue Jacket Cup Champions, Buckeye Cup State Final Four
2007-2008 - 22 W - 9 L - 5 T - GCHSCHL Regular Season Champions

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.

Coach Catherine joined the Prowler coaching staff in 2002 under Laroche and took over the reigns as head coach in 2006. Jay C. led the club to an exceptional 50-12-10 record in two season's as the club's head coach, becoming the fastest coach to reach 50 wins with the club and never loosing a GCHSCHL regular season series on the way to bringing home back-to-back GCHSCHL Regular Season Championships in 2007 and 2008. He led the squad to their 3rd GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup Championship and 1st Buckeye Cup State Championship Final Four appearance in 2007 and their 4th consecutive Buckeye Cup State Championship Tournament appearance in 2008. In the summer of 2008 Jay C. moved on to the position of USA Hockey ACE Coordinator for the GCHSCHL and an assistant/goaltending coach role with Team Columbus.

2008-2009 Season
Head Coach Joe Tonello
2008-2009 - 19 W - 12 L - 8 T - GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup Finalists, Buckeye Cup State Finalists/P>

In 2008-2009, the GCHSCHL dropped to 6 member teams when the Olentangy Braves hockey club left the league to join the CHC as the Olentangy High School Braves and Olentangy Orange High School Pioneers. Both schools began to field OSHAA hockey teams in 2008-2009 along with the third school in their district, the Olentangy Liberty High School Patriots who joined the CHC as an OSHAA team in 2007-2008. With the departure of the Braves, the GCHSCHL picked up Bishop Watterson as an exhibition team for the 2008-2009 season.

The 2008-2009 season also saw the start of a new era for Prowler Hockey. Joe Tonello was named the club's varsity head coach and joined the Prowlers with a successful playing and established coaching career. Following the triumphs of the Laroche/Catherine era, Coach Tonello continued the Prowler Hockey "Tradition of Excellence" and provide the pedigree of coaching that the program has come accustom to over it's first ten seasons. Tonello brought with him assistant coach Walt Johnson at the varsity level and Larry Miller to lead the Prowler JV.

In 2008-2009 the varsity club came within two points of it's thrid consecutive GCHSCHL regular season title. The post season saw continued success for the program as well with an unprecedented 6th appearance in the GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup Finals and the club's first ever appearance in the Buckeye Cup State Championship Tournament Finals.

Coach Tonello took over behind the Prowler bench in the summer of 2008. Joe has led the club to an exceptional 19-12-8 record in his first season as the club's head coach, leading them to both the GCHSCHL Blue Jackets Cup and Buckeye Cup State Championship Finals in his first season. Coach Tonello now looks to continue the "Tradition of Excellence" in 2009-2010.

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 Westerville Warcats
Junior Varsity League:	Capital Hockey Conference Junior Varsity (CHC_JV)
The other central Ohio teams participating in the CHC JV League are:
Athens Bobcats Dublin (Green) Dublin (White) Gahanna Lincoln Lions Hilliard/Southwest Wildcats Newark Generals Northeast Storm Olentangy Braves St. Charles Cardinals St. Francis DeSales Stallions Troy Bruins Upper Arlington Golden Bears Westerville Warcats Worthington