Central Catholic Vikings Hockey Club

For nearly 100 years, Central Catholic High School (CCHS), a college preparatory school for boys in Pittsburgh, PA, has been guided by the educational principals of St. The school strives to provide a challenging, relevant, and diverse program of studies and extracurricular activities in an environment that fosters a life of faith and learning and develops leaders rooted in the Gospel values of in

tegrity, respect, service, justice, and peace. Seeking always to exemplify the Central Catholic promise, "to inspire boys to become Men of Faith, Scholarship and Service," the Central Catholic Vikings Hockey Club has been an integral part of the local hockey community since 1972. After the inaugural 1972-1973 season wherein one hockey team played for the school, the sport quickly took hold and the program fielded two or three teams, thereafter. Approaching its 50th season, whether on or off the ice, Vikings players, alumni and coaches have strived for excellence, not only for themselves, but for those around them. CCVHC annually fields four hockey teams. Three Vikings hockey teams -- Varsity, Junior Varsity-1, and Middle School/Bantam -- currently participate at the highest levels of competition for each group offered by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League (PIHL). The Vikings Varsity team participates in the AAA classification, whereas the Junior Varsity and Middle School/Bantam teams each participate at the "Tier 1" level. Pursuant to PIHL's rules that prohibit members from having two teams at the same level, CCVHC's JV-2 team participates at "Tier II." With 13 PIHL section championships, 4 WPIHL (the predecessor to PIHL) titles, and Penguins Cup and finalists awards under its belt, the Vikings have also been invited to back-to-back bids for the USA Hockey High School National Championship tournament. Part of what every Central Catholic hockey player learns is commitment and balance. As recognized by former president Pat Veltri, "Commitment, as defined in the dictionary, [is] 'an agreement to pledge to do something in the future.' Nothing better describes a hockey player .. and, especially, a Central Catholic hockey player. From balancing a college preparatory academic schedule to Sunday night practices to being active in the community, the Central Catholic hockey player must be committed to everything he does and doing it to the best of his ability to achieve the ultimate goal."