by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

Now 3 Years in a Row: Bridgedale Grad National Champ!

Bridgedale grad Tanner Hartman and his Hobart Statesmen teammates beat defending champion Adrian College last Sunday to win the NCAA Division 3 National Championship.

This makes it three years in a row that a Bridgedale grad has hoisted an NCAA Hockey Championship trophy.

Last year Denver University teammates Sean Behrens and Jack Devine won the Division 1 Championship.

The prior year, Bridgedale grad Josh Lopina won the D1 Championship  with UMass.

Hobart's National Championship, its first ever, caps off a tremendous season in which they also won the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) title, only the second time they'd accomplished that feat.

Tanner had an exceptional season for the Statesmen, playing a regular at forward, finishing 6th on the team in scoring (7G and 12A - 19 Pts),  and making the NEHC All-Rookie team.

During the season, when we noted the impact he was having at Hobart, we didn't mention how well he was doing academically. But that too is impressive. "I'm so proud of the fine young man he's become," says Tanner's dad Craig. "He's carrying a 4.15 GPA and made the Dean's List."

Student-athletes did themselves proud

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

On the evening of Thursday, March 9th, Bridgedale Academy hosted its inaugural Bridgedale Showcase. The brainchild of the Bridgedale Parents Association, this event featured:

Huge Part of his Team's Success

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

Bridgedale Academy grad Nathan Santos was recently honored as an AHAI high school hockey All-State selection. The Neuqua Valley standout senior defenseman was earlier selected as an Illinois West All-Conference All-Star as well.

Mental Toughness and Determination

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

Bridgedale Academy grad Tanner Hartman is making an impact as a freshman on the Hobart Statesmen Men's Hockey Team at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York.

The Statesmen have been ranked #1 in the USCHO D3 hockey poll, a position they've held for 5 consecutive weeks. Their 11-0-0 record reflects their lofty status and Tanner is presently 4th in scoring on the team.

Tanner attended Bridgedale from 6th through 8th grades and for the last two years has competed for the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs of the National Collegiate Development Conference of the US Premier Hockey League, where he earned Player of the Game honors in the league's All-Star Game. Prior to juniors he competed for the Chicago Fury, where he was an alternate captain on their U18 team.

A native of Chicago, IL, and younger brother of Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman, Tanner's three years at Bridgedale proved to be something of a turning point for him, this according to his mom Kim Hartman.

"Tanner's time at Bridgedale was super valuable for him," says Kim. "He blossomed in many ways, not only athletically and academically of course, but also as a young man. Bridgedale allowed him to grow and mature at his own pace. He learned to take responsibility for himself, and he got tougher. And that made him so much more confident. It changed his life."

On a Hockey Scholarship

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

We are proud to congratulate Bridgedale Academy grad Gabe Perreault for his recent commitment to attend and play his NCAA D1 college hockey at Boston College.

Gabe becomes the first Bridgedale grad to commit to BC, a perennial Hockey East powerhouse.

A resident of Hinsdale, IL, and son of former NHL forward (and present Bridgedale on-ice instructor) Yanic Perreault, Gabe attended Bridgedale for three years while competing for the Chicago Mission '05 birth year teams. He is now in his second season as a member of USA Hockey's National Team Development Program (NTDP).

While competing for the NTDP U17s during the 2021-22 season, mostly in games in the super-competitive United States Hockey League (USHL) Tier 1 junior league, Gabe scored 18 goals and 32 assists for 50 points in 51 games, making him the team's leading scorer. He also played 7 games last season for the NTDP U18s, tallying 3 assists in those games.

In his 18 games played so far this season with the NTDP U18s, Gabe has accumulated 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points, a nearly 2 points per game clip and is presently 2nd in team scoring. In an early season game, he scored 2 goals, including the game winner, in his team's 5-3 win over the University of Notre Dame.

Gabe also had 4 goals and 5 assists in four games in helping the NTDP U18's to their recent championship at the prestigious Five Nations Cup. 

On a Hockey Scholarship

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

We are proud to congratulate Bridgedale Academy grad Davis Burnside as he begins his freshman campaign with the Ohio State University.

Davis joins Cam Thiesing, older brother of Bridgedale grad Therien Thiesing, on this year's OSU squad.

Davis hails from LaGrange, IL, and attended Bridgedale while competing for the Chicago Mission '03 birth year teams. He is one of just a handful of Bridgedale student-athletes to win Bridgedale's prestigious Ductu per Agone ("Leadership through Athletics") award for the entire school year more than once, accomplishing the feat in both the 7th and 8th grades.

For the last three seasons, Davis played in the United States Hockey League. He had stints with the Tri-City Storm and Des Moines before finishing up with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, helping them to a 2nd place regular season finish in the USHL's Eastern Conference last season.

Davis also served as a captain for USA Hockey's Under-17 Select Team at the 2019 Five Nations Tournament in Fussen, Germany, winning a Silver Medal.

On a Hockey Scholarship

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

We are proud to congratulate Bridgedale Academy grad Tyler Haskins as he begins his freshman year with defending NCAA National Champion Denver University.

Tyler joins fellow Bridgedale grads Sean Behrens and Jack Devine, now both sophomores with DU's powerhouse program.

Originally from Rochester, MN, Tyler attended Bridgedale while competing for the Chicago Mission '03 birth year teams. 

For the last two seasons, Tyler played in the United States Hockey League. He tallied 45 points (20g/25a) in 52 games for the Madison Capitals during the 2021-22 season, helping lead them to the USHL's Clark Cup finals.

He also played for USA Hockey's Under-17 Select Team at the 2019 Five Nations Tournament in Fussen, Germany, winning a Silver Medal.

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

Nine Bridgedale Grads and Counting

Bridgedale Academy grads Zakary Karpa and Jack Devine were recently selected in the 2022 National Hockey League Draft.

This makes it nine (9) Bridgedale grads drafted over the last five NHL drafts.

Zakary was selected in the Sixth Round (#191 Overall) by the New York Rangers, and Jack in the Seventh Round (#221 Overall) by the Florida Panthers.

Zakary, after playing two seasons with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program (NTDP) and another in the USHL with Omaha and Des Moines, played last season with the Harvard Crimson of the ECAC.

Jack, after two seasons with the NTDP, played last season with Denver University, capping off an outstanding freshman season with DU's ninth all-time National Championship.

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

Mrs. Kuhl's Speech at Year-End Awards Ceremony!

At the conclusion of each Bridgedale Academy school year, our graduating 8th graders take center stage. In addition to announcing where they will attend high school and presenting their moms with a rose, each boy recites from memory a speech or poem.

Each year the boys do a wonderful job with their recitations, no small feat considering that, in addition to our entire student body and teaching staff being there, parents, grandparents and siblings are also in attendance. This year we had more than 200 attendees.

One reason the boys do so well is Mrs. Janene Kuhl, who has taught the English Language Arts to Bridgedale's 8th graders since our founding in 2013 and who prepares the boys so well for their public speaking engagement.

This year after the boys had once again nailed their recitations, Mrs. Kuhl gave her own speech, using the acronym STEAL to talk about the life lessons that can be learned from the novels and short stories the boys read each year in her class.

Her stirring speech received a thunderous ovation. You can read it here, or by clicking this blog article's title above to continue reading.

Illinois Wins America's Showcase - St. Louis

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

We are proud to congratulate Bridgedale Academy grad Nick Delaney and his Illinois Showcase Team Black teammates for their championship at the prestigious America's Showcase in St. Louis.

The tournament is an opportunity for the top high school players in Illinois to compete against teams from all over and be scouted by colleges and junior teams.

Nick, a right-shooting forward, led the tournament in scoring with 7 goals and 12 assists for 19 points in six games.