On a Hockey Scholarship

by Mike McPartlin, Headmaster, Bridgedale Academy

Bridgedale Academy grad Josh Lopina has given his verbal commitment to play his Division 1 NCAA hockey at UMass Amherst. 

Josh is an outstanding forward who recently won a USA Hockey National Championship as a member of the Chicago Mission's U16 team. Josh becomes the 13th Bridgedale grad to earn his D1 scholarship, and the first to commit to UMass.

(Click to see all Bridgedale's college commitments.)

Josh, who will compete in junior hockey this season for the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League, was also a High Honors student at Bridgedale.

"Josh has good hockey sense in addition to his strong athletic abilities," says Anders Sorensen, Josh's coach at the Chicago Mission U16s last season. "He possesses a very strong two-way game combined with a great compete level."

"The more competitive the game becomes, the more Josh excels," added Sorensen.

“Josh is an outstanding hockey player,” said Bridgedale Headmaster Mike McPartlin, who coached Josh as a Squirt Major and Peewee Minor. "He's highly skilled and with a very high hockey IQ, a clever, savvy player with a great determination to succeed. He's a winner."

Josh is also an outstanding student, having earned academic High Honors every trimester at Bridgedale.

"Josh was actually Bridgedale's very first student, and I sometimes kid him about that. But the truth is that Josh is an outstanding young man who excels academically and athletically, and who always comports himself well and respectfully,” added McPartlin. “I have no doubt he will do extremely well both in Lincoln and at UMass Amherst.”

Congratulations to Josh (and his parents Bill and Pam) on his commitment to UMass Amherst.

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Bridgedale Academy is now accepting applications for the 2018-19 School Year. 

Bridgedale Academy is an all-boys school for athletes, a prep school for serious youth hockey players. We will offer grades 5 through 8 in the 2018-19 school year. In addition to our winning combination of sports and academics, we focus on leadership training. We use a classical academic curriculum and our graduates go on to attend some of the most prestigious high schools in the midwest, including Lake Forest Academy, Culver Military Academy, Shattuck St. Mary’s, Northwood School, Benet Academy, Fenwick Prep, St. Ignatius Prep, Marmion Academy, Latin School and Providence Catholic. We pride ourselves on being the top youth hockey prep school in the nation. Thirteen (13) of our former or current students have already received their NCAA Division 1 college hockey commitments. Three (3) of our former students competed for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. Two (2) will begin their college playing careers in 2018-19 at Notre Dame. Several other Bridgedale grads will be playing junior hockey, including in the OHL, the USHL and the NAHL.