Fenwick is back in the SHL after 2,060 days away. The last time the Friars competed in the SHL was the 2017-18 season, ending a 4-year run in the league.

The Friars lost their 2023-24 season-opener as the host Stevenson Patriots topped Fenwick 4-1 on September 14 in Buffalo Grove.

“We have a good group this year. On paper, we may not have as much talent as we did last year – we lost five valuable seniors to graduation, one to focus on another sport, and another to AAA – but we return a lot of guys who had a lot of minutes at the varsity level,” said Fenwick head coach Nick Fabbrini. “The vibe around the team feels considerably different than last year as well. We are bought in and understand how we have to play if we want to be successful this year.

“We skate well as a team, have forwards who can make plays both on the rush and down low in the offensive zone. Our defense is getting better at recognizing when they can and should join the play, and I think that will help take our game to another level offensively. We’ve got four seniors on the back end who should feel some urgency and provide some leadership for us to be successful also. 

“My (main) concern going into the season is the number of games we’re going to play; we’re at 57 before playoffs, which is a little higher than I’d like to be at but is the product of playing in two great leagues. We’re obviously hoping to play as many league and state playoff games as possible, so they’re going to add up quickly. But we knew that when we signed up for this.”

The Friars had a combined 27-63-8 regular season record in their four previous run in the SHL, qualifying for the SHL postseason all four years. Their best season was 2016-17, when the Friars finished 11-14-1.

Fabbrini, 37, in his second season (back) on the Fenwick bench, leads his team into a much more talented league than it previously faced. New Trier Green is, of course, the defending state champion and the Trevians’ United Center victory last March came over fellow SHL foe York.

Fabbrini, a Fenwick alum, has formerly coached the Chicago Hawks (squirts and midgets), Fenwick and the University of Illinois.

“We talked about it a lot as a staff and with the players, and we felt like (returning to the SHL) was a move we had to make to get to where we want to be as a program,” he said. “The last four or five state championship (games) have been made up of SHL teams, and that’s where we want to get back to as a program. Glenbrook South had a great team last year, but playing them in the state tournament really highlighted the level we need to play at if we want to compete in March.”

The Titans silenced Fenwick 6-0 last February in the sweet 16 round of the Illinois High School Hockey State Tournament. 

“The coaches and the players are excited for the challenge in the SHL,” Fabbrini said.

It’s a challenge, for sure, every night in SHL action. The Friars, for instance, have a weekend filled with games against New Trier Green, Benet Academy and Saint Ignatius, then Glenbrook North, Glenbrook South and Saint Viator the following weekend.

Fenwick had several key players from last season graduate, including Sean Pondelicek, Tommy Fleming, Cam Corvo and Thomas Kala.

That said, there are numerous key newcomers, such as:

• Sophomore forward Harrison Sramek, from the Blues’ CSDHL team.
• Junior forwards Will Pabst and Charlie Bastedo, both of whom will have “huge roles” for the varsity Friars, Fabbrini said.
• Freshman defensemen James Papp and freshman forward CristianWhite, both of whom “could make an impact right away,” Fabbrini said.

The Fenwick offense will get production from all four lines – and their top two lines are as skilled as any in the state. “Our third and fourth lines have both looked really good at times during practices,” Fabbrini said. “Dominic Fosco, Mikey Curtin, and Michael Verni are going to have great seasons both 5-on-5 and on special teams.

"Johnny Sena has really taken some big steps forward this summer
as well. We’re counting on a handful of guys on our second-, third- and fourth-lines to give us a chance to win consistently. If those guys are playing well, I think we can give teams some problems.”

Fenwick’s defense features four seniors, “who all know how we want to play and all had good summers,” Fabbrini said. “There will be a bit of an adjustment period in learning how to play against SHL teams every night, but they’re a mature group and they want to learn and get better. I think they will all be tough to play against, and guys like Joey Krzak or John Moore could chip in offensively as well. Jonathan Svete is going to play huge minutes in every situation, and Luke Lachance could really take a step forward as a senior. Chris Godellas had a great year last year and got better all summer. We are confident in our group.”

In goal, the Friars feature senior Spencer Lisek and junior Cole Alessi, who split playing time last year and will likely do so at the beginning of this season as well. “Both played some great games last season and had a couple they said they’d like back. Both give us a chance to win every night and am looking forward to their competition this year,” Fabbrini said.

Fenwick’s special teams were strong last season. Their penalty-kill until was successful 86 percent of the time and their powerplay converted about 30 percent of the time. “Special teams can be the reason you win or lose playoff games a lot of the time, so that’s something we will continue to focus on,” he said.

Fabbrini is confident that the Friars will be competitive on a nightly basis but knows it will take hard-work and sacrifice. “Those are things that all winning teams have in common,” he said. “I’m interested to see what the rest of the teams around the league look like, but we like our group and they believe in what we’re doing here. I’d rather have guys who believe and buy-in over more talented players any day of the week. If we can sustain and grow that belief, I think we can be a dangerous team at the end of the year. 

“We need to continue to have good practices because that’s where we really grow as a team. Consistency in terms of effort and consistency in decision-making is what separates teams, in my opinion, and was an issue for us at times last year. If we all show up to play and start on time, I think we can compete.”

Everyone in the SHL is stacked, Fabbrini admits – and no game is a gimme.

“Obviously teams like New Trier and Loyola are always going to be around the top of the league. I watched GBS play York and both teams look like they’re going to be good again. Lake Forest also had an impressive (preseason) in terms of their scores, and I heard a few coaches talking about how good they look. Stevenson isn’t far removed from a state championship and likely will be solid again, even though they’re young. Saint Viator is well-coached and always is actively looking for ways to improve. GBN seems to reload every year and will be one of the teams to beat. Carmel is an old Catholic League rival and will be young and talented as well. There will be no nights off this season. We will take some lumps, but we will better for it in February and March.”

 Fenwick’s players-to-watch include Dominic Fosco and Michael Verni, both of whom are set to have huge years. “From a breakout perspective, Mikey Curtin and Johnny Sena are guys who I think have taken huge steps forward this summer. Demetri Karabatsos has elite speed and an elite shot and will be an x-factor,” Fabbrini said. 

Fenwick’s biggest games this season are, arguably, the battles against Saint Ignatius as they will count in the SHL and Chicago Catholic Hockey League standings.

“Those are three games we absolutely have to win,” he said.

The Fenwick/York battles carry a strong rivalry and friendship connection as many players on both teams have ties to the Blues and Elmhurst area.

Fenwick also faces SHL foes Saint Viator, Carmel and Loyola, all of whom being former CCHL teams. “We would love to be the premier Catholic school for hockey in Chicago,” Fabbrini said.

“We want to win the CCHL regular season title and the Kennedy Cup (championship). We’d obviously like to win the SHL and its playoffs also and want to make a run in the state tournament. None of those goals will be easy to accomplish, but we think we have the right group to be competitive at the end of the year when we are playing for trophies.”

The Friars celebrate 60 years of Fenwick Hockey this season, as is the Chicago Catholic Hockey League. To that, Fenwick is honoring its 1963-63 team by wearing replicas of the jerseys that they wore 60 years ago.