For nearly 100 years, Central Catholic High School has been guided by the educational principals of St. John Baptist de La Salle. The school strives to provide a challenging, relevant, and diverse program of studies and extracurricular activities in an environment that fosters a life of faith and learning and develops leaders rooted in the Gospel values of integrity, respect, service, justice, and peace. Seeking always to exemplify the Central Catholic promise, "to inspire boys to become Men of Faith, Scholarship and Service," the Central Catholic Vikings Hockey Club has been an integral part of the local hockey community since 1972. Now celebrating its 51st season, Vikings players, alumni and coaches have continually strived for excellence, not only for themselves, but for those around them.
Central Catholic High School, a college preparatory school for boys, is guided by the educational principles of St. John Baptist de La Salle. The school strives to provide a challenging, relevant and diverse program of studies and extracurricular activities in an environment that fosters a life of faith and learning that develops leaders rooted in the Gospel values of integrity, respect, service, justice, and peace
The Vikings are proud to be a part of the The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League, Ltd, a non-profit organization operating competitive interscholastic hockey programs for the benefit of youth in Pennsylvania and adjacent areas.
The Vikings are partnering with TenBand.TV to broadcast Central Catholic Hockey games. The network broadcasts coverage for the PIHL 2024-2025 High School Hockey Regular Season and Playoffs Held from October 2024 through March 2025.
Central Catholic High School announces the hiring of Anthony Raco as the next head coach of our ice hockey program.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Central Catholic athletic community. Central Catholic has a respected tradition among its school, students, faculty, and athletics, and I aspire to continue upholding that tradition. I have been around high school hockey for nearly two decades and have always respected Central Catholic’s hockey program, and I am honored to be a part of it. We will work towards being one of the best hockey programs in Western Pennsylvania while helping to develop life skills for our athletes."
-Anthony Raco
Head Coach
Central Catholic Ice Hockey
Anthony Raco, Central Catholic Hockey Head Coach
The Central Catholic Vikings Hockey end-of-season banquet was held at The Longue Vue Club on April 13th, 2024.
Attended by nearly 200 players, families and friends, the club was also honored to welcome Central Catholic High School Assistant Principal of Student Affairs James Donahue.
During the course of the evening, the coaches also honored a number of players for their academic and athletic accomplishments during the course of the season.
The club also recognized its 11 graduating seniors, one of the largest graduating classes in the club's 51 year history. The evening was full of laughs and tears as coaches and fellow players said goodbye and best wishes to this wonderful group of young men.
Also at the banquet, the club honored the memory of former Vikings Team Captain ('91) Paul J. Sciullo who was killed in the line of duty in 2009, with a pledge of over $3,000 -- resulting from fundraising through the course of the season -- for the Paul J. Sciullo Scholarship Fund for the children of first responders.
For a complete collection of photos by Simply Sisters Photography from the end-of-season banquet, CLICK HERE.
Be a part of Central Catholic Hockey!
SAVE THE DATE! Tryouts start on May 7th and continue on May 9th, 13th, and 16th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at Alpha Ice Complex .
Vikings Varsity Hockey is part of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League - PIHL AAA Division. We play against the likes of North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, Baldwin, Cathedral Prep, Upper St. Clair, Bethel Park, Pine Richland, Canon McMillan, and Mt. Lebanon. The varsity squad qualified for the Penguins Cup Playoffs for the past three seasons and our junior varsity team held the Tier 1 PIHL 2022-2023 Championship.
Teams regularly practice one to two times per week in a 20 game varsity season. We field teams from the varsity level down to middle school.
All rising Central Catholic High School 9th - 12th graders are eligible.
Click HERE to register.
While the tryout dates have been set, the format will be determined at a later date. Now that the season has concluded, Central's Athletic Department has begun the search and plans to have a head varsity coach in place by the tryout dates. Coach James Eller was named interim head coach at the beginning of the 2023 - 24 season.
Please direct any tryout or coaching questions to: hockey@centralcatholichs.com
See you on the ice!
The Vikings Hockey Class of 2024 (Photo by: Simply Sisters Photography)
Players, families, friends, and underclassmen honored the 11 members of the Class of 2024 at Senior Night festivities on February 8, 2024 at Alpha Ice Complex. Special guests included Brother Mark Engelmeyer with the opening prayer, Central Catholic President Matthew Stoessel, Principal Kevin Sheridan, Assistant Principal James Donahue, Assistant Principal Karen Kolenik, and Athletic Director Rick Capretta.
Eleven seniors make up the 51st Central Catholic Vikings Hockey graduating class. The February 8, 2024 senior night recognized these exceptional young men and talented hockey players. They add maturity, strength, and leadership to Vikings Hockey, made up of nearly 70 other players and underclassmen over four teams.
"I am humbled and blessed to have had the opportunity to be a part of your high school journeys," said Vikings Head Coach James Eller, "I am excited to see that the future brings for each of you. Stay focused, stay passionate, and remember the attention to details."
The senior night events were held at Alpha Ice Complex (USA Rink) in Harmarville, PA. The 6 pm senior recognition ceremony was followed at 7:00pm by Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League (PIHL) varsity AAA matchup against the Canon McMIllan Big Macs. The Vikes came out on top with a final score of 6 - 3.
The 11 graduating seniors are: Nathan Cox (C), Josh Moline(A), Anthony D'Orazio, Christian Zavacky, Evan Benscoter (A), Douglas Berthold, Jake Ochwat, Aaron Williams, A.J. Morgano, Nic Jesso, Adam Sarkis (A).
Good Luck to the 51st Central Catholic Vikings Hockey class ... the CCHS Class of 2024!
Thank you to Gateway Engineers for sponsoring the evening.
WATCH Viking Productions student led LIVE broadcast featuring the Central Catholic Vikings Hockey Team on YouTube for Senior Night 2024!
The official senior night photos were taken by Simply Sisters Photography. To see all of the photos from that evening and to order, go to click here.
To order digital files, please click here.
The official Central Catholic Vikings Hockey banner hangs in the lobby of the Alpha Ice Complex in Harmarville, Pennsylvania - home of Vikings Hockey
It was a Catholics vs. Catholics battle to kick off Catholic Schools Week. This High School Hockey Showcase featured your Central Catholic Vikings versus the North Catholic Trojans. It was a back and forth, high energy game that ended in dramatic fashion when our own Anthony D’Orazio netted an overtime goal to win it.
(story shared with permission from North Catholic Athletics. Alex Brown / NC Athletics)
Cranberry Twp, PA - There are rivals, and then there is Central Catholic. Since 1939 North Catholic has had no greater adversary than the Central Catholic Vikings. From the gridiron to the mound, and yes, the rink, no matchup would rise to the top of the calendar more than the Central Catholic game. Over the last two decades, the frequency of these matchups has greatly decreased, but the animosity has never dissipated. And on the 28th of January, the antipathy will be renewed once again, as for the first time since 2022, the Central Catholic Vikings will face off against the North Catholic Trojans, and they will do so under the roof of the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.
When these two clubs last met on the 2nd of February 2022, it was one of the most electrifying North Catholic sporting events of recent memory. It took place at the newly furnished Hunt Armory, where both teams got into a firefight that went back and forth until it was settled in overtime by Senior defenseman Mario Smith, who joined fellow Senior Tay Melis on a 2-on-1, where he put it home on the blocker side to win it for the Trojans in an OT thriller.
Now, the next riveting chapter between these two squads is about to be written; here's a look at how each team is doing so far this season:
The Triple-A Vikings are 7-7 on the season but are coming into this matchup playing some of their best hockey of the year thus far. They are riding a 3-game winning streak, most recently winning overtime against the defending Triple-A champs, Peters Township. They are led by a strong selection of 14 upperclassman forwards, all looking for redemption from their loss two seasons ago.
For North Catholic, the Trojans are continuing their meteoric rise in the Single A standings, winning 7 in a row and 9 of their last 10, which brings them to an 11-3-0-1 record on the season. That's good enough for 2nd place in the Varsity A Gold Division. They are led by their dynamic first line of Beckett Dunn, Ryan Berry, and Anthony Neely, who have combined for 35 of their 73 goals this season. This North Catholic team is as deep as any Trojans team in years. They can roll three lines of forwards that can play against any team's top line in the league, and their defenders have been rock solid, minimizing quality scoring chances while playing aggressively on the offensive end. Not to mention that the Trojans' goaltending has been some of the best in Single A, as they have given up the 3rd least goals in their division and hold 2nd best save percentage.
There's the tale of the tape between these two historic schools, as they finally meet again on January 28th as the nightcap of a 3-part gameday event. The festivities will kick off with the North Catholic Middle School Team taking on Central Catholic's middle school squad at 3:30, followed by the North and Central Catholic JV Teams facing off at 5:00. It all leads up to the main event at 6:30, where both Varsity teams will suit up to reignite this showcase series.
Tickets for the showcase are available online. Adult tickets are $5 and students are free. To purchase your tickets, click here.
All games of the showcase will be carried LIVE on the North Catholic Sports Network. You can watch online or on your smart TV by downloading the Boxcast app and searching North Catholic High School.
We look forward to seeing you there to watch it with us!
Central Catholic versus North Catholic. It's more than a rivalry. It's tradition.
It was all for Paul.
Vikings Hockey alumni, old friends, fellow police officers, and family members gathered at the Hunt Armory Thursday night, December 22, 2023 for Annual Paul J. Sciullo Memorial Alumni Game.
Thank you to the Pittsburgh Icemen (a hockey team made up of Pittsburgh Police officers and public safety personnel from Pittsburgh and the surrounding area) for giving our old-time alumni players a great battle on the ice. A big thank you also goes out to all of the young alumni for one of the biggest turnouts ever!
We were honored to welcome Paul’s dad and friends to the evening’s festivities and proud to donate all proceeds to the Sciullo Scholarship Fund for children of first responders at Central Catholic High School.
Paul, the captain of the ‘91 Central Catholic Vikings varsity team, was tragically killed in the line of duty as a Pittsburgh Police officer in April 2009. We will always remember him.
Thank you to the Pittsburgh Penguins for their generous sponsorship of the evening’s festivities and supporting the Sciullo Fund and Pittsburgh first responders.
We are excited to announce that the 2023 Paul J. Sciullo Memorial Alumni Game returns on Thursday, December 21st, 2023 at The Hunt Armory!
Join us for a special night of hockey, friendship, and some good old-fashioned Vikings spirit in honor and remembrance of Paul, former Vikings Hockey captain and Pittsburgh Police officer lost in the line if duty.
The night kicks off with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police team, the Pittsburgh Icemen, taking on the Central Catholic Vikings Hockey Club Alumni Team. After that, two Vikings Alumni teams battle it out on the ice.
Register to play HERE.
All proceeds benefit the Paul J. Sciullo Scholarship for first responders at Central Catholic High School. For more information on how to donate, please visit:
www.centralcatholichs.com/pages/give
Under "donation designation", select "endowment", and choose Paul J. Sciullo II Memorial Fund.
We can’t wait to all of our former players back on the ice!
Head Coach James Eller, captains Nathan Cox and Josh Moline on set at VNN
Central Catholic's official news network, Viking News Network, featured Head Coach James Eller, varsity captain Nathan Cox, and co-captain Josh Moline on Thursday, November 2, 2023. This broadcast comes just ahead of a big rivalry game against North Allegheny. The Tigers are tied with the Vikings at the top of the rankings in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League (PIHL).
Rewatch the LIVE BROADCAST of Central Catholic vs. North Allegheny here. Just type Central Catholic in the search bar.
Thank you to The Pittsburgh Penguins, Franklin Nova, and Gateway Engineers for your support all season long!
Also, a special thank you to our 23-24 Vikings Yearbook sponsors:
West Penn Police Recreation League
Excel Signworks
Capezzuto's Pizza
and all of the small businesses and Vikings family and friends for your generosity!
Thank you to the Pittsburgh Penguins for their support of Central Catholic Hockey!
Thank you Franklin Nova for your support of Central Catholic Hockey!