Lions Make History: Saint Viator Club Varsity Hockey Claims First-Ever State Championship

The celebration began the moment the final buzzer sounded. Players poured over the boards, gloves and helmets flying, crashing into a jubilant heap of blue, white, and red at center ice. For the Saint Viator Lions, it was a moment years in the making — a first-ever Illinois Scholastic Hockey League Varsity Championship, the crown jewel of a program that has quietly been building into one of the most formidable clubs in the state.

For Captain Ryan Loftus '26, the first person he wanted to find wasn't a teammate. It was a coach.

"After winning, I got to hug each of my coaches who have sacrificed so much for this organization," Loftus said. "The dedication they have shown, the amount of time they have sacrificed in their own personal lives — that's something I don't want to go unseen. Each and every one of them not only taught us lessons on the ice but taught us lessons about being young men and what we need to be successful. Winning that championship for them was special. Even though we did what we did, I think all of us know we will never be able to fully pay them back."

 

Head coach Tim Benz has seen Saint Viator hockey from every angle. In his ninth season with the program — which he joined in March of 2017 as head coach and hockey director — Benz has compiled a varsity record of 323 wins, 141 losses, 21 ties, and 33 overtime losses. He has built the Lions into perennial contenders. But this season, he knew something was different.

"We were the top dog all season," Benz said. "We had 80-plus teams chasing us all season for that top spot. Our guys learned that complacency is the enemy of progress. They had to stay hungry."

What drew Benz to Saint Viator nearly a decade ago was the opportunity to build something from the ground up. He had no prior ties to the school or program but recognized a community with the right ingredients for sustained success.

"After about my third season, what has drawn me back year after year is the culture we have created within our hockey program and the sense of community we have with all our students and Saint Viator," he said. "You simply do not get that at other places. Being one of the smaller schools in the state and competing on an international level is truly something special."

The Lions' approach this season was rooted in one word: speed. 

"Everything we did, we intended to do faster," Benz said. "Our team speed increased tremendously throughout the season, which propelled us throughout the playoffs." 

Benz also credited a heavy investment in analytics — studying which line combinations were most effective, tracking goals for and against, and reviewing film — as a competitive edge. 

"My coaching staff put a lot of time and effort into the film room. There needs to be a lot of credit given to them."

His message to the team heading into the playoffs was characteristically direct. 

"There are going to be big crowds, big moments, lasting memories," he told his players. "Make sure you get your chance to take it all in during warm-ups. But come puck drop, it's just a game. Two hundred by eighty-five feet of ice, boards, and glass. Play the game you've been playing since you were five years old."

The Lions listened.

 

Every championship team has a moment when something shifts — when the potential of a roster crystallizes into genuine belief. For Saint Viator, that moment arrived not in a win, but in a gut-punch loss.

"After our final Prep League trip to Buffalo, we blew a 5–2 third-period lead and lost 6–5 with less than a second remaining," said John Sclafini, the program's Director of Player Advancement and Director of Coaching. "At practice the next day, you could tell something had clicked. The players understood there was no room for error with the playoffs starting that weekend. That week turned out to be our best practices of the season — and that's when I knew we'd be really tough to beat."

Sclafini, who joined the Saint Viator program in the spring of 2021, oversees long-term player development, coaching education, and the overall growth of student-athletes on and off the ice. He describes this year's team as unlike any he has been associated with during his time at the school.

"They were closer, their bonds unbreakable, and their focus squarely on winning," Sclafini said. "We've had good teams in the past, but this one stood apart. With thirteen seniors determined to win and eight underclassmen fully buying into that mindset, they did everything together — there were no cliques, just one team."

Co-captain Tommy Speck '26 pinpoints a different but equally defining stretch. After dropping two games in one week to Glenbrook South — a team the Lions felt they should have beaten — the mood in the locker room shifted noticeably.

"Losing to them twice in one week and dropping the series was a wake-up call," Speck said. "It made all of us take a step back and realize we needed to be better. We worked harder than we had all season, especially in January and February, and it paid off. We ended up winning fifteen of our last seventeen games and got hot at the right time."

 

Ryan Loftus wore the captain's 'C' this season with a weight and intentionality that left an impression on everyone in the program.

"Wearing that C and representing my school and team was unbelievable," Loftus said. "There have been so many great captains in this school's history, and to be able to leave the mark I did on this organization is something I will hold close to my heart forever."

Loftus credits the team's chemistry as the foundation for everything that followed. The senior class set a tone that transcended individual roles and standings. 

"No one was better than the person next to them," he said. "This mindset helped in forming relationships we will all have for the rest of our lives. It was honestly one of the coolest experiences I've ever had, seeing each and every one of us put our egos aside to reach the goal we all had in mind."

That ego-free culture was something Benz identified as essential — and rare. 

"Many guys on our team could have been on the first line or first defensive pairing on any other team in the state," Benz said. "Some of these guys had to adapt and accept their role as role players. They could have easily pouted or complained about the lack of ice time or not scoring goals, but they didn't. They put the team first and did whatever it took to help the team succeed."

Keeping the team grounded in high-pressure situations, Loftus said, was never really a problem — because pressure had been normalized all season long. 

"Keeping the team focused in high-pressure moments was easy. We were forced to be uncomfortable all year by our coaches and trainers. Pressure was something we learned to love, and ultimately it's what helped us win the big games under the biggest and brightest lights."

Speck reinforced this, describing the team's adopted "1-0 mentality." 

"We treated every game like it was the only one that mattered," he said. "It didn't matter if we had just played the night before or had another game coming up. The focus was always on that one game. That mindset helped us stay consistent all season."

 

Sclafini's fingerprints were all over this team's development — particularly in how younger players were prepared and trusted when opportunities arose.

"We balanced it by keeping the standard high for everyone while giving younger players real opportunities to grow in meaningful moments," Sclafini said. "We made sure they were prepared in practice, trusted them in the right situations, and surrounded them with older players who set the tone and held them accountable."

Benz agreed, noting that the team's depth became a genuine strength as the season progressed. When illness hit, and roles needed to shift, players responded. 

"Young guys needed to step up. Guys stepped into the power play or penalty kill that weren't there before. They flourished. This added depth to the team and helped us down the stretch."

For Sclafini, the Saint Viator mission is not a slogan but a lived reality within the program. 

"Saint Viator's mission is lived daily in our hockey program through a culture of faith, accountability, and brotherhood," he said. "We expect our student-athletes to compete at a high level while growing as people of character, service, and family. This commitment to head, heart, player, and family sets the Saint Viator hockey experience apart."

 

No club hockey program runs on coaching alone. Behind the Lions' historic season was an entire community of parents, volunteers, and supporters — coordinated under the leadership of Saint Viator Hockey Club President Tom Speck.

For Speck, the championship is the culmination of a culture-building effort that extends well beyond the rink.

"It starts with the parents buying into the culture we have worked hard to build," Speck said. "Our goal has been to create the best program in the state, and that requires alignment across the entire community. We ask our parents to trust and believe in our coaches, our board, and the Saint Viator Hockey program as a whole."

Speck is deliberate about role clarity within the organization. Coaches handle everything on the ice; the board manages everything off it. For concerns about playing time or development, players are encouraged to speak directly with coaches, while parents are to observe the 24-hour rule before reaching out after games.

The program's community identity is also shaped by a calendar of off-ice events that bring families, players, and the broader school together — from "Pink the Rink" nights to Staff and Teacher Appreciation Night to the program's annual Special Olympics volunteer day each December, which Speck describes as one of the most meaningful days of the entire season.

"Being the best program in the state is not just about winning league or state championships," Speck said. "It's also about building the best hockey community."

The significance of this championship extends beyond the trophy, he added. 

"With a student body of fewer than 800 students, we are now being mentioned alongside programs like New Trier and Loyola — schools with long-standing success in Illinois hockey. One of the most rewarding moments is seeing younger players attend our games and tell their parents they want to one day play at Saint Viator. That's when you know the culture and success on the ice is truly making an impact."

Jason Hogan, Saint Viator Hockey Director, knows how this state championship win strengthens the program and helps Saint Viator attract students.  

“We're a high-visibility program in the area, and often we play games before youth club teams. Because of that, we can engage with players when they're young. While we don't have a feeder program, we do host "prospect skates" throughout the season. Those are very well attended, so it allows players and families to see what our program is all about. Our focus isn't just on the hockey, but on each individual player, so that is a huge draw for many families.”

When asked what advice you would give parents and players who are beginning their hockey experience, Jason reflects, “Enjoy the overall experience. My son, Finn, a senior this year, played four years at Saint Viator, and it goes by quickly. I'll miss every bit of it. Take a step back and think about where your child started and where they ended up, not just on the ice, but as a young adult. I think keeping that perspective is the most important part of the journey.”

 

In the end, it is the small, human moments that define a championship season more than the final score ever could.

For Tommy Speck, it was the final buzzer and a teammate's embrace. 

"When the buzzer went off, I remember hugging one of my best friends, Finn Hogan, and just kind of looking around and taking it all in," he said. "Everyone was going crazy, and it just hit me — we actually did it. Every day, walking into school, you see all the state championship teams on the wall. Realizing that we're now part of that group is just unreal."

For Ryan Loftus, the decision to end his playing career at Saint Viator was an easy one — even as a player with years ahead of him.

"I decided I wanted to end my playing career because I know I will never be able to represent the school I attend and play in front of my classmates again," Loftus said. "I will never be able to play for my coaches' first state and SHL championship. To be able to end my career on such a special high — winning my school's first state championship — is something not a lot of players are able to say. I couldn't have asked for a better ending to the last fourteen years of my life."

Coach Benz, reflecting on what this group gave him, perhaps said it best.

"Iron sharpens iron. We had the best going against the best in practice, day in and day out. That's what made this team."

The trophy, now in the Hall of Fame Hallway at Saint Viator High School — the first of its kind, and, if the culture in Arlington Heights has anything to say about it, not the last.