Loyola Maroon skates into the AHL playoff quarterfinals as the No. 1 seed, with the best-of-three playoff series against Saint Ignatius Maroon starting Saturday, February 22 in Lincolnwood.

 

The Ramblers are one of the hottest teams in the state, winners of 13 of their last 14 league games.

 

“We’ve had a lot of success the last two years on Maroon, making the AHL championship game last year, winning the regular season and getting the No. 1 seed this year. At the same time, we’re looking to get over the hump this year and win the league playoffs after losing to New Trier White last year,” said junior defenseman Petey Winslow, who shoots right-handed.

 

Winslow, 16, who lives in Winnetka, formerly played for the Wilmette Jr. Trevians and Winnetka Warriors. He is a two-time all-academic honoree from the AHL.

 

His on-ice approach is simple: make life difficult for opposing forwards.

 

“I skate well, have good quickness and see the ice well. I can skate myself out of trouble and am always looking to make a good outlet pass to get us out of our zone and flip the ice,” Winslow said. “I also love playing on the penalty kill; there’s not much better than frustrating your opponent’s powerplay and how that can change the momentum of a game.”

 

He finished the AHL season with 3 goals and 7 assists in 26 games, including a short-handed tally against Stevenson.

 

Petey’s biggest fan is his sister, Kate, 20, who graduated last June from New Trier High School – to a standing ovation from her classmates. Kate is now in New Trier’s Transition Program – and an inspiration to Petey and so many others.

 

Kate has cerebral palsy. She had brain bleeding at birth and spent the first 75 days of her life in the hospital. She endured major surgery at six weeks to enable her to breathe on her own, and her parents were told that Kate would have trouble eating and walking on her own, let alone riding a bike. Yet she has done all those things and more.

 

“Kate always has a smile on her face; she has an infectious laugh and loves connecting people; she has a more active social life than anyone in our family,” Petey said. “Kate uses an iPad to communicate, yet despite her limitations is an inspiration in how much she enjoys life. She’s also our biggest fan, and no one gets more outraged when a call goes against us or one of my teammates takes a dirty hit.

 

“Kate is the funniest person I know and I love making her laugh. She also is a tremendous inspiration and the toughest person I know. Seeing everything she has overcome to live the life she is living is incredible. Whenever I’m dealing with a challenge – whether it’s a tough test at school or athletically – I think about what Kate has been able to accomplish despite all the doctors’ warnings. Kate continues to teach everyone in our world about resilience and compassion and I am so lucky to be a part of her life.”

 

Petey and his family have been involved with Misericordia on Chicago’s north side for 15 years, including volunteering at its bakery and more. He has been on its junior board since he was in the eighth-grade, helping with holiday parties and more. “My favorite is the Halloween party where we create a haunted house and do a costume parade with the residents throughout campus,” he said.

 

Misericordia provides care and support for children and adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities.

 

“It has been so cool to see (the Misericordia) community, where special needs people thrive. My brothers and I call Misericordia ‘Kate’s Future College,’” Winslow said. “When my sister was in elementary school, there was only one other child in her grade with special needs, so it was Kate and her friend Rebecca for eight years. It has been awesome to see how a community with people like Kate can flourish in such a loving environment. 

 

“I have a lot of great memories (around Misericordia), but my absolute favorite involves my bantam major Wilmette Hockey team. My mom got a call and a request to help set up a Christmas party for 1,200 guests at Misericordia the next day. Several parents said to my mom over the course of that season, ‘If Misericordia ever needs help, please ask my son.’ So, she recruited my hockey team, and we set up place settings for 1,200 people. Several residents helped us and they by far were more organized and knew how to set a table better than we did. We were there for five hours and felt so accomplished. It really is an amazing place.”

 

Winslow has, for the past few years, been a volunteer counselor at Camp SOAR (Special Outdoor Adaptive Recreation), an overnight summer camp for children with developmental and intellectual disabilities, ages 7-19. The week-long, overnight camp in Lake Geneva unites campers who otherwise would not have the opportunity to have a typical camp experience without the volunteers. Winslow loves the experience. “We do everything that a typical overnight camp would do, including no sleep in the cabins,” he said.

 

“My summer job last year was as a counselor at Keshet in Skokie, which is a day camp for the special needs community.” He will do that again this summer.

 

“This past summer at Camp Keshet, we went on field trips across the Chicago area, (including to) the Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, a Chicago Dogs (baseball) game and more. These were all incredible experiences, and it felt so rewarding to work with these kids,” Winslow said.

 

Winslow also is involved with Special Gifts Theater, a program that pairs mentors with children and young adults with disabilities to put on a play. Last year, they produced High School Musical and this year it’s Alice in Wonderland at Loyola Academy’s theatre, March 1-2.

 

“My buddy is one of the funniest people I know, and he never fails to put a smile on my face. He is a sophomore at New Trier, loves basketball and always has a joke for me,” Winslow said.

 

“Loyola Hockey has been incredibly supportive of Misericordia and the special needs community. Cooper Nelson, one of the Loyola Gold captains, has organized events where the Loyola teams assisted in the bakery at Misericordia, and put together events like floor hockey at Loyola for special-needs students, including my sister and many of her classmates. Last year, Misericordia needed help with a Special Olympics track and field meet and several of my teammates jumped at the chance to cheer on the athletes. I really feel the support of Loyola in general and the hockey program in particular - my teammates are always quick to greet my sister with a big smile after games and love how supportive she is at games, especially when she pounds on the glass.”

 

 

Slapshots With … Loyola Maroon defenseman Petey Winslow

Jersey Number: 68

Influential: “Almost too many to count. Coach Aidan Finegan and Coach Joshua Dempsey have been huge influences, particularly as I transitioned back to defense this year. They’ve reinforced the importance of positioning and making the right play/pass. Coach Aidan always makes sure that no one is going to be better conditioned than us. My bantam coaches Jeff Rozanski, Tim Benz and Lenny Munson also have been big influences. And D.J. LaVarre too; he was my very first mite coach.”

Most Memorable Games This Season, So Far: A shootout win over Saint Viator in January and the games against New Trier White, mostly because “I know so many of those players from growing up and past teams I’ve played on,” he said.

Adding Up: He is a math tutor at Mathnasium for elementary kids. “Whether it is tutoring kids or working with the special-needs community, I need patience and understanding; building those skills helps me so much in life and on the ice. On the ice, those skills help me slow things down and not force plays that aren’t there, and they help me be a supportive teammate when we’re going through tough stretches in games.”

Hobbies: Playing pickleball and poker

Favorite NHL Team: Chicago Blackhawks

Favorite NHL Player: Sidney Crosby

Favorite Sports-themed Movie: Miracle

Favorite TV Show: The Office

Motivational Song: Stronger by Kanye West

Favorite Pre-game Meal: Steak

Favorite app: Netflix

Celebrity You’d Like To Meet: Travis Scott

Best Hockey Tip: “Deep breath and stay calm on the point.” – Loyola Maroon assistant coach Joshua Dempsey

Best High School Uniform (other than Loyola): Glenbrook South alternates