Better Together: OJR/Phoenixville captures PAC championship, 7-2 over St. Joseph’s Prep

WEST CHESTER >> Three years ago, the hockey programs at Owen J. Roberts and Phoenixville High Schools decided to merge into one for the coming season. The idea was to continue putting a team on the ice, while attempting to rebuild the programs in both high schools.

“When we came together, we were both programs in disarray,” said OJR coach Chris Gratton. “This was something the league was gracious enough to allow us to do in order to rebuild.”
Thursday night, the experiment officially became a success.

The Wildcats jumped on St. Joseph’s Prep early and never looked back, claiming a 7-2 victory and the newfound program’s first PAC championship.

OJR ends its season with a record of 13-5, but more importantly they go out with the validation that only a trophy can offer.

“For me, it is (validation),” said coach Gratton. “The chemistry, the camaraderie, the leadership we have from everyone — seniors on down to the freshmen — they’re friends now, on and off the ice.”

Senior captain Kevin Hatten and junior Bobby Batten each scored a pair of goals for the victors, with freshman Dylan Gratton adding a goal and two assists.

(Yes, the champs’ top-three scorers are named Hatten, Batten, and Gratton, a fact not lost on their teammates or fans.)

Due to their status as a combined team from more than one school, OJR/Phoenixville is ineligible for the Flyers Cup. Their exclusion allowed them to focus solely on the PAC slate throughout the season. They didn’t disappoint, finishing with a 11-1 record in conference (including playoffs.)

“We’re neighboring school districts, so we know one another,” said Batten, one of the Phoenixville students on the team. “It was easy to come together as one team, and just go out there and do the best we can.”

Their best was plenty on Thursday. Connor Booth drew first blood for the Wildcats just 1:22 into the game, converting a Prep turnover, followed by the “Batten/Hatten” duo registering tallies of their own minutes later. First was Batten on a wrister at 4:17, followed by Hatten picking the top right corner 42 seconds later. Less than five minutes into the game, the Wildcats led 3-0.

Owen Moke broke the ice for Prep with three minutes left in the period, but Hatten’s second of the period came with only 10 seconds left to give OJR back their three-goal advantage, and perhaps more importantly stop any Prep momentum going into intermission.

“We wanted to jump on top, push the pace,” said Hatten. “We know we have a solid defense, so if we got out on them early, we wouldn’t give them a chance [to come back.]”

The plan worked to perfection, with Batten joining Hatten with two goals on the night, registering his second score 3:45 into the second period. Gratton followed only 20 seconds later, making the score 6-1 and chasing St. Joseph’s goaltender Michael Buchanan.

For Hatten, it was hard to imagine a better way to wrap up his high school career.“There are no words, when you accomplish your goals,” he said. “This was our goal from the beginning, as a team, we just wanted to win. If I can put the puck in the net, great… but the bottom line is getting the win.”

Johnny Kettelle added a late goal to complete the scoring for the Wildcats, while Mark Stahl would add one for the Hawks with 18 seconds to play.

OJR’s stellar defensive effort was led by goaltender Max Hunt’s 23 saves on the evening.

“I know I can rely on my defense,” said Hunt, “and those guys up front, they provided scoring — non-stop.”

St. Joseph’s Prep ends their inaugural PAC season with a record of 11-6-0-1. It’s unknown whether the program will continue to compete in the PAC in 2018-2019.

But the big was whether this success push each district to field its own team in the future — or would the champions returns as one team?

“I would hope so (to return as one team),” said coach Gratton. “We want to keep building on the success we’ve had.”