Athletic Director's Blog

We received this note from the father of Charlie Campbell ‘23, upon reflection of his son’s 4-year experience at LFA. Up and Downs of academic rigor -  Up and Downs of Hockey and being a Goalie -  Struggle living close to home and still boarding -  My wife and I are convinced Charlie came to LFA as a naive freshman, scared and dependent. Charlie is leaving LFA as a leader, alternate captain, volleyball player, choir participant, fantastic senior year academics .........and above all a man who now understands how to contribute to society and be a leader of a team. We could not have asked for a better experience (except the last game in goal!) I remember Coach Poska telling Charlie last year " You want to prove that's your net to protect ". Charlie walked out and said to me " it’s my team to protect. "    

  The Prep team usually ends their season by Presidents’ weekend but this year North Dakota University, which is a college hockey powerhouse, invited us to be part of a showcase to end the season in their building. The building, the Ralph Engelstad Arena, ” is incredible and nicer than most NHL rinks and locker rooms. This showcase put us against the top team in the country plus two academies. The top Prince Edward Island hockey academy and the top Alberta academy. Each game was designed like a college game with 3-20 min periods. Going into this, I did it as a thank you to an incredible group of kids that have represented LFA throughout Canada, US, and in the community. Honestly, I did not like our chances to come out of this with a win but once again my team rose above expectations. Game 1 was against Mount Academy from PEI. The guys played an incredible game and battled to the end with a 3-3 tie. Noah Houle , Cole Matthews and Tommy Enrietto scored the goals while Charlie Camp...

In February, the Prep team travelled to Windsor Canada for 2 games against an old rival A21. Afterwards I found out that they will no longer have a program as a hockey academy but will be moving to a well-respected Catholic School with boarding in Windsor and hopeful to join theq ame 1 the guys came out very fast but very timid and played a perimeter game that was all puck possession and no determination. For 2 periods we had 22 shots and no grade A. A21 on the other hand came ready to play and drove the net every chance and took a 2-0 lead into the 3rd period. After a few changes to the lines and a different approach, the game shifted when Trevor Stewart made a diving play to send Tommy Enrietto in on a breakaway to make it 2-1. The next shift Ryan Costin made it 2-2 on assists by Tommy Enrietto and Tyler Gearman . 12 seconds after that David Keene scored the game winner with the assist to Justin Ahern . Trevor Stewart closed out the scoring to end the game with a 4-2 win. Charlie...

Now in its 17th year, LFA Hockey Camps have been busier than ever and continue to be at maximum capacity with just under 700 participants this year!

 Flashback March 2020 - Boys Prep Hockey Video

  Feb. 13, 2022 – MPHL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS The Prep team entered this year’s playoffs as the #3 seed and squared off against Shady Side in the first game. Shady Side opened the scoring on the first shift and controlled the first 3 minutes before Ben Snyderman tied the game on a great shot from the blue line. From that moment on the LFA was in complete control. Goals by Mathieu Fehr, Ryan Costin, Ryan Nutt, Masen Culley and Aidan Stubbings with 2 paced LFA to a 7-2 win. Charlie Campbell stopped 27 out of 29 shots for the win. That win put us against defending Champion Ridley College. The game was very fast, physical and big-time goalies on both ends. LFA took the lead on a Mathieu Fehr goal and held that lead until the 2-minute mark when Tommy Enrietto scored on a breakaway to make it 2-0. Owen Hardy then scored an empty net goal before Ridley broke the shutout and the score ended 3-1. Ian Vandenberg made 39 saves for the win. Unfortunately, this win proved costly and we lost Jayson H...

The Prep team hosted A21 from Windsor, Canada this weekend and played two very good hockey games. On Friday night the game was back and forth with both teams playing a good brand of hockey. LFA opened the scoring on a great stretch pass from Jayson Harrison to Owen Hardy for a breakaway goal. Chris Moelenpah made the score 2-1 before A21 tied it halfway through the 2nd period. The game remained tied until the second overtime when Tommy Enrietto scored the winner on a faceoff win by Will Soloway . Charlie Campbell stopped 26 shots for the win. The second game took place this afternoon at 3 pm at LFA. Once again it was a very good game between two very equal teams. A21 came out with two goals in the first 6 minutes and put us on our heels. The team didn't panic and slowly chipped away with goals by Mathieu Fehr and Tyler Gearman. The game stayed tied until  Tommy Enrietto stole the puck from the A21 defenseman and went 5 hole to give LFA a 3-2 lead and...

The Prep team travelled to Plymouth, Michigan from January 27-29 to play in the Detroit Catholic Central Showcase. Game 1 was against the 2nd Ranked Brother Rice. LFA started off strong with nice passing play from Luke Hampel to John Greer to James Delia who scored on a breakaway. Brother Rice answered right back on the next shift to tie the game and the 1st period ended all tied at 1. The 2nd period was one that I hope never happens again but it was the difference in the way the guys played this weekend. Three minutes into the period, LFA took a 5-minute major for cross-checking and then 1 minute later took a tripping penalty. One minute after that LFA took another cross-checking 5-minute major and then an interference penalty that put the team down 5 on 3 for almost 8 straight minutes . The penalty killers did an amazing job blocking shots and Charlie Campbell made 2 big saves to kill the entire shorthanded time. When the last penalty ended, Tommy Enrietto broke the puck out and hit ...

  January 23 - The Prep team started back up at home with 2 games Saturday and one Sunday morning when LFA hosted the MPHL US teams. Game 1 against Shady Side saw a dominant start plus 3 goals called back in the 1st 2 periods. The team had a 3-0 lead after 2 periods but 3 mistakes in 8 minutes allowed Shady Side to come back and tie it up before Will Soloway scored in overtime for the 4-3 win . Tommy Enrietto, Mathieu Fehr and Soloway scored the other 3 goals and Ian Vandenberg stopped 18 shots for the win. Later that night against St Francis, the guys played their best game of the year and came away with a 6-1 victory behind 16 saves from Charlie Campbell. Bradley Ma scored his 1st career goal and James Delia, Owen Hardy, Soloway, Fehr and Enrietto scored the goals. This morning the guys got taught a valuable lesson on why sports at this level requires everyone on the team to come ready to compete. Gilmour was too difficult to handle as an older team that has a considerable...

  After 28 days without skating... Boys Prep hockey jumped on the ice Wednesday and then took the trip to Gilmour Academy to play 4 league games. Game 1 was a game that, as a former goalie, gave me nightmares. Both teams were flying but LFA had a little too much firepower and handed A21 their only loss of the weekend with a 9-5 win. Charlie Campbell got the win in net stopping 15-20 shots. Will Soloway had the hat trick while Aidan Stubbings, Owen Hardy, Mason Culley, Mathieu Fehr, Asher Goduco and Tommy Enrietto rounded out the scoring. Game 2 the next morning the team kept it rolling with Ian Vandenberg picking up another shutout in the league with 22 saves and a 5-0 win. James Delia scored a big shorthanded goal and Fehr and Hardy each had 2 goals. Game 3 the players hit a wall and had no legs to get the job done and fell 4-1 to Shady Side. Tommy Enrietto had the lone goal and Charlie Campbell stopped 17-20 shots. Sunday morning the kids jumped back on the ice for game 4 aga...

Darrin Madeley  - I am a former NHL player and Division I, two time 1st Team All-American and 1992 College Player of the Year.  I started working at LFA in 2005 after coaching the USA National Team Development Program (NTDP) where I was part of four World Championships where Team USA won two Golds and one Silver. Prior to retiring, I played for the Ottawa Senators and the San Jose Sharks of the NHL and Detroit Vipers of the IHL.  I also played in Europe with TPS Turku (Finnish Elite League) and Rosenheim (German Elite League). I earned a bachelor’s degree in physical and health education from Lake Superior State University and a teaching certificate (K–12) from Saginaw Valley State University where I graduated Cum Laude. I coach the Prep Hockey and Softball Teams at the Academy. I live on campus with my wife Jennifer and we have two LFA graduates Jenna ’11 and Tyler ’14.

The Prep Hockey team at Lake Forest Academy provides its athletes with an opportunity to develop as individuals while preparing them for the next level of hockey after high school. The players are challenged to achieve academic success alongside improvement on the ice both as individuals and as a unit. The team practices five days a week or so beginning in the fall through playoffs in February. The amount of time that the team spends together forges strong bonds among the players. One of the team’s captains, Will Soloway , said his favorite part about being on Prep this year has “definitely been how close our team is.” He commented how the team is “all very committed” and how “this feels like one of the closest groups I’ve been a part of in my entire hockey career.”  Lake Forest Academy is a member of the Midwest Prep Hockey League, or “MPHL”, with LFA being the only team in Illinois. The other schools in the MPHL are located in Vermont, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Canada. League game...

There are times as a coach that you know you were dealt a really good hand and these past two years Andrew Poska, Tyler Madeley and I have been given players that understand adversity, loyalty, and character. Last year they stayed loyal but forgot how to play the game of ice hockey the way it needs to be played. When you spend the year scrimmaging against your friends, you lose the intensity and grit that comes with the game. These first four months have been up and down due to understanding the game as well as teams cancelling or not being able to travel the first 6 weeks. This weekend saw it all come together while overcoming even more adversity. The team travelled to St. Catherine’s Ontario Canada for 3 games. Defending MPHL Champions Ridley for 2 and Ontario Hockey Academy for 1 game. The trip started with a 13.5 hr ordeal where the kids got to Buffalo at 130am and crossed the border the next morning. After checking in and then lunch and a quick nap, the kids faced off against Ridl...

The Prep team kicked off the MPHL season in Vermont on October 29th and it was beyond what the expectations were going in. On Friday morning, the team squared off with St. Francis out of Buffalo and the adrenaline kicked in quickly. Masen Culley and Mathieu Fehr had 2 goals each and Will Soloway, Ben Snyderman and Owen Hardy had the others. Ian Vandenberg stopped all 21 shots for a 7-0 win. The next stop was Gilmour Academy. The boys played a very nervous 1st period and trailed 2-0. The second period saw a much different team and Scott Daniel scored to make it 2-1. The Caxy’s carried the play all period but could not score on 16 shots and then an unfortunate bounce made it 3-1 Gilmour after 2. Gilmour started the 3rd with a 5 on 3 and converted on a great pass to make it 4-1. That’s when the game turned and for the next 14 minutes the Caxy’s dominated play and came back to make it 4-3 but that’s as close as we got and lost 5-3. Charlie Campbell stopped 27 of 32 shots and Tommy Enrietto...

  9 effective teaching methods for coaches U nderstanding your passion for the sport first . Setting the stage for teaching . The importance of  why Fundamentals first, then complex . Use the whole-part method . Effective motivation . The hoopla of success . Model what you preach . Encourage crossover athletes . Source Coach & A.D. (coachad.com) LINK TO ARTICLE