The Xavier H.S., Manhattan, varsity ice hockey team won its third consecutive CHSHL ‘B’ division championship Feb. 20 with a 2-1 overtime road win over Archbishop Stepinac H.S., White Plains, N.Y. The Knights swept the championship series following a 7-5 victory the previous night.

Xavier’s team is comprised of some players with ties to the Brooklyn Diocese. Senior captains and Rockaway natives George Clark, Brian Ostrander, Thomas Laible, and Matthew Erhard led this year’s team.

Other local players aiding the team’s success were Hudson Abel (Sacred Hearts-St. Stephen, Carroll Gardens); Liam and Matthew Baker (St. Cecilia’s, Greenpoint); James D’Ambrosio, Kevin Erhard, Luke Erhard, Noah Nicholson and Thomas Rogers (all St. Frances de Sales, Belle Harbor); Peter Gurl (Immaculate Heart of Mary, Windsor Terrace); James Owen (St. Anselm, Bay Ridge); Matthew Owen and Matthew O’Malley (Our Lady of Angels, Bay Ridge); Albert Kulikowski (St. Margaret, Middle Village); and Julian Reiss (St. Francis Xavier, Manhattan).

The Knights, the ‘B’ division’s top-seeded team, posted a 17-1 league record (20-1 overall) and was led by an attacking offense and tight defense, limiting opponents to 40 goals on the season.