About the CHC
(November 2007) - Founded in 2003, the Capital Hockey Conference (CHC) is celebrating its 5th season in 2007-08, and welcoming its 10th member, the Olentangy Liberty Patriots. The conference will also be broken down into two divisions (see Standings) for the first time. The divisions are named the "Blue" and "Jackets" divisions in honor of the Columbus NHL team's ongoing support to the league.
A constant in the CHC is the fierce competition among its members. Conference
highlights include:
- the Upper Arlington Golden Bears again reaching the state Final Four in 2007 for the 2nd consecutive season;
- an upset win by 3rd year program Dublin Jerome again in 2007 to capture the end-of-season Blue Jackets Cup;
- the addition in summer 2007 of Olentangy Liberty, a strong contender in all sports, to the Conference;
- continued dominance by Upper Arlington of the regular season (3 of 4 titles) and the Dublin Jerome and Dublin Coffman teams in the Blue Jackets Cup (two titles each)
The Conference now consists of 10 Columbus-area schools: Dublin Coffman, Dublin Jerome, Dublin Scioto, Gahanna Lincoln, Olentangy Liberty, St. Francis DeSales, St. Charles, Thomas Worthington, Upper Arlington and Worthington Kilbourne. The Conference is an outgrowth of the Southwest Ohio High School Hockey League (SWOHSHL), which continues to thrive in the Greater Dayton/Cincinnati area.
With the addition of a 10th team, the format of the post-season Blue Jackets Cup has also been altered. The top four (4) teams in each division will face off in a crossover format, with the 1st place team in one division playing the 4th place team in the other, while the 2nd and 3rd place teams similarly cross over.
Our History
Historically, Upper Arlington is the Conference's oldest OHSAA team, becoming a varsity sport in 1978. In the mid-1990's, programs began at Thomas Worthington and Worthington Kilbourne (1998), followed shortly thereafter by St. Charles (1999).
In fall 2002, the SWOHSHL experienced rapid growth with the addition of Dublin Coffman, Dublin Scioto, and Gahanna Lincoln. As a result of having 7 teams, those schools banded together to leave SWOHSHL and form the CHC in 2003. The CHC then added Dublin Jerome in 2004, St. Francis DeSales in 2006 and Olentangy Liberty in 2007.
The Conference has also been part of an OHSAA shift to Columbus, the home of the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets. Originally, Columbus-based teams were sent to their regional tournament at Bowling Green or Toledo. The tournament then moved to Troy, Ohio. Finally, in 2006, the Regional Tournament was moved to the Blue Jackets' practice facility, the Dispatch Ice Haus in Columbus and remains there. The Ice Haus is also the site of the annual Blue Jackets Cup Tournament.
The highlight to date of the Regional Tournament's move to Columbus was the 2006 final between Upper Arlington and Dublin Coffman, played before an SRO overflow crowd.
The Conference and its teams have a rich history of success. Upper Arlington is generally considered an annual state contender. In 2003, Thomas Worthington made a Final Four appearance, led by Andrew Stowe and Kyle Storm. The Conference has also seen great individual talent, including Mitch Staloch (Worthington Kilbourne), Upper Arlington's John Moser (ACHA -- Kent State) and Andy Grindley, Dublin Scioto's Ray Finnegan (Lacrosse -- Bellarmine University), and Dublin Coffman's Matt Kirstein (ACHA -- Penn State).
The CHC also has great depth in coaching, as head coaches Jay Graham (Upper Arlington), Perry Pooley (Dublin Coffman) and Ray Aho (St. Charles) played NCAA Division I hockey for The Ohio State University; Jack Hoogeveen (Olentangy Liberty) played for Bowling Green University; and Pat Murphy (Dublin Jerome) played at Hamilton College and professionally in Europe.
With the addition of Olentangy Liberty in 2007, the Conference now plays an unbalanced schedule. Each team plays 13 Conference games, playing its four division opponents twice and teams in the other division once.
Past Champions
| Season | Regular Season | Blue Jackets Cup |
|---|---|---|
| 2003-04 | Upper Arlington | Dublin Coffman |
| 2004-05 | Dublin Coffman | Dublin Coffman |
| 2005-06 | Upper Arlington | Dublin Jerome |
| 2006-07 | Upper Arlington | Dublin Jerome |
Contacts
Inquiries should be directed as follows:
| Name/Role | Phone | |
|---|---|---|
|
Commissioner Adam Smith (Scheduling, Treasury) |
614-223-8800 | asmith@kaynelaw.com |
|
Commissioner Greg Kirstein (Referees, OHSAA/CBJ Liason) |
614-246-4052 | gkirstein@bluejackets.com |
|
Assistant Commissioner Scott Sharkey (Website, Treasury) |
614-313-6063 | ssharkey@lanshark.com |
|
Assistant Commissioner Gary Wilkins (Head Referee) |
614-599-9760 | gwilkinsCHC@colsicerefs.com |
|
JV Commissioner Art Roehrenbeck (JV Scheduling) |
N/A | aroehrenbeck@rrohio.com |
|
JD Kershaw (ex-officio) (CBJ Director of Marketing) |
614-246-4159 | jdkershaw@bluejackets.com |
|
Joel Siegman (Blue Jackets Cup Director) |
614-246-4158 | jsiegman@bluejackets.com |
