Photo Credit:  Bri Sotera 

The 2023-24 Eastern Hockey League season has officially come to a close.

It was another year of firsts as the Pennsylvania Huntsmen became members of the Eastern Hockey League (EHL), to go along with their already established EHL Premier Team. Despite the Huntsmen not capturing a title, it was still a great and memorable season in Exton, Pennsylvania. It was the first season with two teams skating out of Power Play Rinks. In spite of it being another challenge, General Manager Zach Overholtzer wanted to continue building the Huntsmen program. “In one sense you are doubling the workload that it takes to run an organization, and in another sense, you already have a lot of the structure in place. We built our Premier Team from the ground up in 2022-23 and then jumped right into building an EHL team less than 12 months later. Having a great staff to work with was key. (Head Coaches) Matt Reid and Blaise Kilroy pour everything they have into this organization every day. Having two teams creates a lot of opportunities for players. It also forces them to hold themselves more accountable. We saw a lot of movement of younger players getting a chance in the EHL.”

The EHL Team had a roller coaster season. There were ups and downs, but they ended on a tough stretch and missed the playoffs by a few points. The Huntsmen always competed despite where they were in the standings, opponents didn't consider them as ‘an easy win’. It is not easy to be immediately successful in a league that has been around for over 10 years. The main goal of junior hockey is to promote your players and help them get to the next level. The EHL is the leader in advancing players to the NCAA DII-III among junior hockey leagues in the country. In year one, the Huntsmen have five players heading to the NCAA. Ryan Bartlett, and Andrew Blanchard are heading to SUNY Potsdam. Aidan Parker committed to Misericordia. Alex Erlain will suit up for Nazareth College, and Captain Hunter Hoffman committed to Saint Anselm College (Dll  NE-10).

The Premier Team had a great season in their second year in the EHL Premier. They finished 3rd overall in the league. They reached the division finals again but were unable to advance to the Frozen Finals. The Huntsmen were one of the youngest teams in the Premier and they shined. Brock Burrell earned Top Defenseman Prospect honors from the league. Other young talented players for the Huntsmen were Nick Smith, Auge Cisar, Charlie Allen and Tristan Fallon. Returning players Luca Palachick and Anthony LoGiurato had successful sophomore seasons with the Huntsmen. “These guys are dogs,” said Overholtzer. “Age isn’t a factor with our EHLP team, they just work. Then they reap the benefits of their commitment to themselves and their teammates. You can’t play at the level you are at; you have to play your game at the level you want to get to.”

Now things shift into offseason mode. Tryouts are around the corner and the EHL is having combines throughout the summer. The Huntsmen look to continue to grow when they hit the ice to start year two for the EHL, and three for EHL Premier. “Our retention has been great,” said Overholtzer. “Having so many guys that know our style of play and are proud to play for the Huntsmen puts us miles ahead of where we started this year. We know guys are already hitting the gym hard and we have been in constant communication with them this offseason. You can expect both teams are going to hard to play against.”

For more info about Huntsmen tryouts and league combines visit:

Pahuntsmen.com and easternhockeyleague.org

By: Joe Sindoni

Staff Writer

Play by Play Announcer