The RedHawks 2025-2026 hockey season has officially come to a close, and it was a season filled with growing pains, electric moments, and heartfelt goodbyes.
Marist started off the season on the right foot, dominating St. Rita 8-1. However the celebration wouldn’t last long, as the RedHawks would lose back to back games against Marmion and Benet respectively.
The team then faced Notre Dame twice, losing the first matchup 5-6 but picking up their second win 8-5 in the next. The momentum would carry over, as they would beat Fenwick 4-3 on their home ice.
Battling adversity and coming back strong after losses has been a key theme throughout the season for the RedHawks. The team is able to overcome hardship through their strength as a cohesive unit.
“Our biggest strength was how close we were as a team. We worked hard, trusted each other, even though most games didn’t go our way,” said senior Aidan McDonnell.
“Marist is a family… the people I’ve known since my freshmen year and my sophomore year. We’re all really close,” said senior Frankie Levato.
That sense of family would be heavily tested, as the RedHawks would lose their next four games. One of the main issues being the chemistry temporarily worsening.
“The biggest weaknesses I’d say are communication and passing. We need to talk more and tell people where we are,” said Levato.
Marist would bounce back with a dominant 6-3 win over Brother Rice. They would struggle again however, losing their next six games, and not picking up a win for a month. Their losing streak would be snapped with a 6-1 win over St. Rita.
“At times we struggled with consistency and starting games off strong.We’d have good stretches, but we didn’t always play a full game the way we needed to,” said McDonnell.
The team would often turn to McDonnell during hardship, and he had to step up and lead the team through the rough waters.
“Being a leader means setting the tone everyday, whether its in practice or games. Its about staying positive, holding guys accountable, and being someone teammates can rely on when things get tough,” said McDonnell.
As the season comes to a close, the seniors reflect on their favorite moments from the season. This includes Frankie Levato, who scored his first goal at Marist.
“You know it was quite a moment, I got a pass in the middle of the ice. I didn’t think it was going to go in after missing so many nets but it went in finally and Charlie Stalzer jumped off the bench and hugged me. I think everyone was waiting for it,” said Levato.
“My favorite part was being in the locker room with my teammates after games or representing Marist every time we stepped on the ice,” said McDonnell.
