May 8, 2019
Contact:
Brian Klanow - Hockey Academy Director
248-706-4200 - bklanow@stmarysprep.com
Bob Pyles - Headmaster, St. Mary’s Preparatory
248-683-0531 - bpyles@stmarysprep.com
George Porritt - Athletic Director, St. Mary’s Preparatory
248-683-0536 - gporritt@stmarysprep.com
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Prep to Begin Academy Hockey Program
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Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (OLSM) Preparatory (Oakland County Michigan, USA) announced the launch of The Orchard Lake Hockey Academy, a program that will combine elite international hockey with the long-established excellence of the Roman Catholic, college-preparatory education that has been offered at St. Mary’s since 1885. The Academy will join the Midwest Prep League at the 18-U level and will begin national competition during the 2020-2021 academic year.
The Midwest Prep Hockey League (MPHL), founded in 2000, consists of both U.S. and Canadian teams and was created to offer colleges academically prepared student athletes that will succeed at the college hockey level. All league members compete in both MPHL play and the international arena.
St. Mary’s Prep has an enrollment of 475 young men. Student-athletes competing in the Hockey Academy will be fully enrolled as part of the regular OLSM student body.
“This is a great opportunity for young men from around the world to come to St. Mary’s to join our Orchard Lake family,” said Headmaster Bob Pyles. “Our mission is to give families the certainty that their sons will not only get the best hockey instruction, but that they will be in a faith-filled environment with a long track record of preparing men for college and life.”
Under the direction of Head Coach Brian Klanow, St. Mary’s Prep will continue to offer its traditional Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) ice hockey program as a member of the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League (MIHL). Klanow, with 18 years of experience at OLSM, will also serve as Executive Director of the new Hockey Academy. Interviews are underway to hire an Academy coach, and Klanow expects the process to be completed early this summer.
“This changes nothing for our current St. Mary’s teams (Varsity, JV Red and JV White),” said Klanow. “The Academy will be in addition to our existing program. We are blessed to have a beautiful, state-of-the-art on-campus ice arena as well as excellent on-campus housing in our dorm for boarding students. The Academy program will maximize these resources and help bring new students to St. Mary’s Prep. It’s a win-win for all Orchard Lake students – current and those to come.”
Student-athletes competing as part of the Academy team will not be eligible to compete in other MHSAA sports, as outlined in the bylaws of The MHSAA for member schools here in Michigan.
Reverend Mirosław Król, Chancellor of the Orchard Lake Schools (OLS) is excited to reinforce the OLS international identity. “We were founded 134 years ago with a strong focus on serving Polish immigrants in the United States,” said Rev. Król. “Our whole history has been about welcoming people to our campus to celebrate faith and growth and preparing them for greater things. The Academy solidifies that tradition. I am hoping to bring some great young men to our school as a part of this new program!”
Contact Prep Headmaster Mr. Bob Pyles BPyles@OrchardLakeSchools.com or Hockey Academy Director Mr. Brian Klanow BKlanow@OrchardLakeSchools.com for more information about this program.
Interested families are invited to reach out to Prep Admissions Director Mrs. Candace Castiglione CCastiglione@StMarysPrep.com for enrollment information.
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