Mantan pemain hoki Pope Francis Preparatory School, Matthew Regan dan Wolfgang Zinger, resmi mengumumkan komitmen mereka untuk bermain di liga junior bersama Cornwall Colts. Keputusan itu diumumkan dalam sebuah upacara di sekolah pada Kamis, 9 Juli 2026, tak lama setelah keduanya membawa tim Cardinals meraih gelar juara negara bagian Divisi I di TD Garden.
Cornwall Colts merupakan tim hoki junior A yang berbasis di Ontario, Kanada, dan telah berkompetisi di Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) sejak 1992. Langkah ini menjadi batu loncatan bagi Regan dan Zinger sebelum melanjutkan karier ke jenjang perguruan tinggi.
"Winning a state championship was like a dream come true," ujar Zinger. "Everything we had been working toward and trying to accomplish together to reach that goal, so it was so sick to play. And the atmosphere at TD Garden made it all worth it, because all of the early-morning workouts at Pope Francis and then going to camp in the summer five times a week made it all worth it."
Zinger menambahkan bahwa bermain di liga junior akan membuka peluang lebih besar untuk masuk perguruan tinggi. "I just want to get a better opportunity for college, so competing in the junior hockey league will help me develop more as a player and a person before I take the next step. There were a couple of spots that reached out to Regan and me, but we were just looking for the best opportunity. It didn't matter if it was in Canada or the United States," katanya.
Sementara itu, Regan yang mencatatkan poin karier ke-100 saat melawan Belmont pada Februari lalu dan meraih Amo Bessone Award sebagai MVP musim ini juga menyampaikan antusiasmenya. "I think it was a really fun year," ujarnya. "The accomplishments come after because we obviously put in all the work to make it all happen, but it was a really fun year because we came up short the previous three years. We were the No. 1 team in the state both years before this until we were No. 7 in the winter. And then we ended up winning this year because we were a strong group, so it feels great."
Regan berharap dapat terus meningkatkan kemampuan fisik dan kecepatan selama membela Cornwall Colts di Ed Lumley Arena. "But overall, my hope is to take (my career) as far as we can. But until then, my hope is to improve my strength, speed, and everything all around just to continue getting better," katanya.
Pelatih Cardinals, Brian Foley, menyatakan kebanggaannya terhadap kedua pemain. "As a coach, I'm really proud of them. And as a school, they are also really proud because these boys have great transcripts. They are also really good students, and now they are making the next step in hockey, which is junior hockey, and we couldn't be more proud of them. In hockey, there's the inner drive, and that's something that the best players have," ujar Foley.
Ia menilai dedikasi dan kerja keras di luar musim menjadi faktor pembeda. "Like some players, you spend a lot of time trying to get them to reach their potential. But the hard work is innate, and they have to buy into that and be disciplined and dedicated to improving themselves as hockey players. And these guys are two examples of that. Like they just work hard during the season, and they continue to work hard in the offseason to improve. And that's the difference with the elite athletes," tuturnya.
Asisten pelatih sekaligus Chief Advancement Officer sekolah, Daniel Fenton, memuji keputusan Regan dan Zinger bertahan selama empat tahun di Pope Francis. "I think they dedicated their time to the school and the ice. We're so proud of their accomplishments, so to be able to celebrate this today was great. I think those guys put the work in and made an informed decision to stay here for four years. And because of that, I think this opportunity popped up for them," ujarnya.
Fenton menambahkan bahwa keduanya kini bergabung dalam jaringan alumni Pope Francis yang berjumlah 50.000 orang. "So not only are they now alumni of Pope Francis, but they are now entering this tremendous network of 50,000 alumni, and they get to celebrate this accomplishment. Who knows what it will bring, but one thing is for sure, they both have a bright future ahead," katanya.
Meski harus berpindah sejauh 322 mil ke Ontario, Regan menegaskan akan tetap memantau perkembangan tim sekolah karena saudara kandung mereka masih bermain di sana. "We'll definitely be stopping by. I think during our Christmas break and other times, so we will be definitely be keeping updated. I mean, we both have brothers on the team (still), so it will be cool to come back and watch some of those games because I never had a doubt the team will remain competitive and good," katanya.
