by Pat McGuire ’14
The Spellacy family have played a vital role in Saint Ignatius Hockey throughout the years. Kevin Spellacy Sr, a member of the class of 1980, was a very talented player in his own right, but has perhaps made an even greater contribution to the Ignatius hockey community as the father of the new wave of Spellacy players in Paddy, Kevin, and Aidan.
For years, the Spellacy family has brought talented players through the Saint Ignatius program with prolific scorers like Kevin Spellacy Sr. ’80 and the legendary Paddy Spellacy ’12. On the 2013-2014 Saint Ignatius Hockey Team, Aidan plays center on the first line and Kevin is a mainstay in a senior-laden defense.
Kevin Spellacy Sr. set many school records in the late 1970s and into 1980, which stood for decades before being broken by his son, Paddy in 2010 and 2011. Spellacy Sr.’s records included 6 goals in one game, and set the Saint Ignatius records for points in a game in that very same game with 8. Kevin Spellacy Sr.’s 8 point game record would be tied by none other than his son in 2011.
Kevin Spellacy Sr. posted a tremendous career as a Saint Ignatius forward, but his career numbers were surpassed by Paddy, arguably the best player in Saint Ignatius history. Paddy Spellacy holds all three career categories for Saint Ignatius: goals, assists, and points. In setting these records, Paddy Spellacy surpassed his father’s 30 year old records, posting 135 goals, 124 assists, and 256 total points in his career as a Wildcat.
Two years ago, Kevin Spellacy ’14 played on the same team with Paddy ’12, and right now Kevin ’14 plays on the same team as Aidan ’16. The current Spellacy pairing, Kevin and Aidan, are hoping for this Wildcat season to continue deep into February and into early March.
Kevin is very optimistic for the team’s prospects his senior year, and hopes to add a state championship ring to the family’s treasure haul.
“It’s amazing to be able to play with my younger brother this year,” Kevin Spellacy Jr. said, “because we feel like we can be contenders for the state championship this year.”
Watch for Kevin and Aidan to finish out this 2013-2014 season of hockey by competing at their highest level in search of Saint Ignatius’ third-ever hockey state championship. Beyond this season, Aidan, only a sophomore, and the Wildcats have a tremendously bright future in the years to come.
