Varsity Hockey

THE PROGRAM 

The St. Sebastian’s Hockey Program has a rich tradition dating back to the opening of the school in 1941. The program consists of five teams, with practices taking place for all teams in our campus rink, the Henry T. Lane Rink, named in honor of Henry Lane ’49, who served St. Sebastian’s for over 40 years – starting as the Varsity Hockey coach before becoming the Athletic Director. There are locker rooms for each team as well as shower facilities. The Varsity team is coached by Sean McCann, Jed Doherty ’86, and Corey Ronan ’14. At the sub-varsity levels there are no cuts, and all who would like to play are encouraged to do so. 

THE VARSITY TEAM 

Our Varsity team plays in the Keller Division of the Independent School League (ISL), which includes Belmont Hill, Governor’s Academy, Lawrence Academy, Milton Academy, Nobles, Thayer, and Tabor Academy. Since entering the league in 1976, the Arrows have won league championships five times, with the most recent being a three-year stretch from 2001-2003. During that span, two New England Division One championships were also won, and in the third year the team went to overtime in the final, just missing out on an unprecedented three straight New England championships. The league schedule consists of 14 games. There are six non-league games, in addition to hosting an annual Christmas tournament as well as participating in the St. Sebastian’s – Nobles New Year’s Showcase. 

The Arrows also play for the Travis Roy Cup, started by St. Sebastian’s to benefit the Travis Roy Fund, against Tabor Academy. Another annual game is the Kevin Mutch Cup. Kevin Mutch was a 1980 graduate of St. Sebastian’s who captained the Murphy Cup Championship Team in 1980 and went on to star at Boston University. Kevin returned to St. Sebastian’s to help fellow alumni Dan Williams ’64 and Jack Doherty ’62 coach the Varsity team during their ISL title run in 1991–92. He was tragically killed in September 1992.The proceeds from the game are donated each year by St. Sebastian’s to a local charity. 

AFTER ST. SEBASTIAN'S 

For years, our former players have gone on to enjoy tremendous success at the collegiate level and beyond. In recent years, players have gone on to play at Boston College, Yale, Williams, Boston University, Princeton, UConn, Harvard, Northeastern, West Point, Bowdoin, Colby, Babson, Middlebury, Trinity, and Tufts. Several former Arrows have gone on to earn All-America and All-Conference honors in college.  

At the professional level, there are two former Arrows currently playing in the National Hockey League, Brian Boyle ’03 with the Florida Panthers and Noah Hanifin ’15 with the Calgary Flames. In addition, Danny O’Regan ‘12 is currently playing in the American Hockey League with the Hartford Wolfpack and Sean Sullivan ’03 is playing in the German Elite League. Former Arrow player and coach Mike Grier is now an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils. Albie O’Connell ’05 is also in the coaching ranks as the head coach at his alma mater, Boston University.  

NHL scouts are no strangers to St. Sebastian’s, as 26 former Arrows have been selected in the Entry Draft. The 2003 Draft saw the Arrows tie a record for most picks from one high school or prep school, with four players selected. Brian Boyle was selected in the first round by the L.A. Kings, marking the first time a school has produced first round picks in consecutive years, with Mike Morris having been selected by the San Jose Sharks in the 2002 Draft. Kenny Roche (Rangers), Kevin Regan (Bruins), and Sean Sullivan (Coyotes) were the other players chosen in 2003. The most recent Arrows pick was Drew Commesso, taken in the 2nd round of the 2020 draft by the Chicago Blackhawks.