The Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League (NVSHL) is a non-affiliated

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

comprising

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson (academic), Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interde ...

s from the

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is a widespread region radiating westward and southward from Washington, D.C. Wit ...

Area including

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

Prince William County Prince William County is located on the Potomac River in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 482,204, making it Virginia's second-most populous county. Its county seat is the independent city of Manassas ...

Loudoun County Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. Loudoun County's seat is Leesburg. Loudoun C ...

Arlington County Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

, Stafford County,

Fauquier County Fauquier is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,972. The county seat is Warrenton. Fauquier County is in Northern Virginia and is a part of the Washington metropolitan area. History In 160 ...

, and the cities of Manassas and

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

. The NVSHL staff and

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

includes a combination of

coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

parents A parent is a caregiver of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is the caretaker of a child (where "child" refers to offspring, not necessarily age). A ''biological parent'' is a person whose gamete resulted in a child, a male t ...

, team representatives,

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

, and

rink Rink may refer to: * Ice rink, a surface of ice used for ice skating ** Figure skating rink, an ice rink designed for figure skating ** Ice hockey rink, an ice rink designed for ice hockey ** Speed skating rink, an ice rink designed for speed ska ...

supervisors. There are also many members who are not affiliated with and particular team or organization. The current league executive director is Grey Bullen, and its assistant executive director is Jeff Nygaard. Bullen joined the league after Bud Sterling served the same capacity for the previous two seasons. Prior to that, the league was headed by Nygaard, who brought the league from being a part of the MSHL to its own entity, the NVSHL. Teams play a ten-game

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...

, followed by a multi-round

single elimination A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

playoff The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

to determine the league

champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

. In the end, the league winner will have played either 13 or 14 games, depending on whether they received a bye in the first round.

History

The NVSHL was created in response to a growing number of varsity-level teams in Northern Virginia. Until the inaugural 2001-02 season, teams from Northern Virginia competed in the similar

Maryland Scholastic Hockey League League information The Maryland Student Hockey League is an association of over 50 school-based teams located in Maryland and the District of Columbia. It is a registered 501(c)3 corporation and a member of the Potomac Valley Amateur Hockey Asso ...

. The inaugural season consisted of two conferences of 12 varsity and provisional varsity ( Tier-I) teams each, as well as a

junior varsity Junior varsity (often called "JV") players are the members of a team who are not the main players in a competition (such as any football, basketball, or baseball game), usually at the high school level–– and formerly at the collegiate level� ...

( Tier-II) league. Since that season, the league has expanded to include 22 varsity, five provisional varsity, and nine junior varsity teams in the 2005-06 season. The 2005-2006 season saw the change of Tier-II to Junior Varsity to more closely reflect the standard of traditional high school sports. Additionally, the league attempts to structure the divisions within the Varsity classification to closely reflect the "Districts" used by the Virginia High School League. NVSHL teams are not officially recognized as varsity school sports by the

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United Stat ...

. Only one team,

Osbourn High School Osbourn High School is a public school for grades 9–12 located in Manassas, Virginia, United States and the sole high school of the Manassas City Public Schools system. History Osbourn High School history goes back to 1890 when it was named ...

, has been officially recognized by its local school board,

Manassas City Public Schools Manassas City Public Schools is a school division that serves the city of Manassas, Virginia, United States. Administration Superintendent The superintendent of Manassas City Public Schools is Kevin Newman. He became superintendent on July 2 ...

. In 2012, the NVSHL introduced the middle school division to provide younger players with an opportunity to play in the NVSHL.

Teams

Teams are divided into three levels: varsity, provisional varsity, and junior varsity. Varsity teams are further divided into five divisions. Four of these divisions include only varsity teams composed of players from a single

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

, and are divided by geographical area. These divisions are the Concorde (North) Division, Liberty (East) Division, Cardinal (South) Division, and the Dulles (West) Division. In addition, the fifth division is reserved for all provisional varsity teams (those consisting of players from more than one school). The provisional division includes teams from all geographical areas. Provisional teams may not qualify for season-ending playoffs, but do compete in regular season games versus other varsity teams. The games count toward each team's record equally with that of a game played between two varsity teams or two provisional teams. This is a matter of controversy, however, because a talented provisional team may

spoil Spoil or spoils: *Plunder taken from an enemy or victim *Material (such as rock, earth or other overburden) removed during: **excavation **mining **dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons f ...

a varsity team's chance to qualify for the league playoffs by defeating them or putting the varsity team at a statistical disadvantage for the purposes of

tiebreaker In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests. General operation In matches In some situations, the tiebreaker may consi ...

s. Junior varsity teams play in the junior varsity division, and do not compete in regular games versus varsity or provisional varsity teams. There is no distinction between junior varsity teams composed of players from single or multiple schools. There currently aren't playoffs for junior varsity teams. The last time playoffs were held came in 2003-04, when Forest Park defeated Paul VI. The champion is determined by season record. In years past, there have been playoffs for the junior varsity division. This division was formerly known as the Nygaard Division, named after the first executive director of the NVSHL. The teams are realigned each season through

promotion and relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

Norris Division

Broad Run Spartans

Chantilly Chantilly may refer to: Places France *Chantilly, Oise, a city located in the Oise department **US Chantilly, a football club *Château de Chantilly, a historic château located in the town of Chantilly United States * Chantilly, Missou ...

Chargers
Flint Hill Huskies

Lake Braddock Lake Braddock is a reservoir in the community of Burke in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Lake Braddock is created by an impoundment on a tributary stream of Pohick Creek, itself a tributary of the Potomac River. In 1969, the Fairfax Cou ...

Bruins
Oakton Cougars

Smythe Division

Bishop Ireton Cardinals
Briar Woods Falcons

Heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physical c ...

Captains/Pride

Rock Ridge ISO 9660 (also known as ECMA-119) is a file system for optical disc media. Being sold by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) the file system is considered an international technical standard. Since the specification is ava ...

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

Phoenix/Rams
Stone Bridge Bulldogs

Patrick Division

Battlefield A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...

Bobcats
Kettle Run Cougars
Osbourn Park Yellow Jackets

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

Pioneers

Woodbridge Woodbridge may refer to: Places Australia *Woodbridge, Western Australia formerly called ''West Midland'' *Woodbridge, Tasmania Canada *Woodbridge, Ontario England *Woodbridge, Suffolk, the location of ** Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency ...

Vikings

Adams Division

Bishop O'Connell Knights

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

Warhawks

Langley Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfor ...

Saxons

McLean MacLean, also spelt Maclean and McLean, is a Goidelic languages, Gaelic surname Mac Gille Eathain, or, Mac Giolla Eóin in Irish language, Irish Gaelic), Eóin being a Gaelic form of Johannes (John (given name), John). The clan surname is an A ...

Highlanders
South Lakes Seahawks
Yorktown Patriots

Junior Varsity

Bishop O'Connell Knights
Centreville/ Fairfax Wildcats/Rebels

Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

/ Potomac Falls Titans/Panthers
Fauquier Falcons

Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...

Eagles

Herndon Herndon may refer to: People * Herndon (surname), an American surname * Herndon Davis (1901–1962), American artist, journalist, illustrator, and painter Places in the United States Communities * Herndon, California, an unincorporated commun ...

/ John Champe Hornets/Knights

Warhawks

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

Highlanders/Colonials
Oakton/

Cougars/Chargers
Osbourn Park/

Yellow Jackets/Pioneers

Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

Panthers
Stone Bridge/ Broad Run Bulldogs/Spartans

Tuscarora Tuscarora may refer to the following: First nations and Native American people and culture * Tuscarora people **''Federal Power Commission v. Tuscarora Indian Nation'' (1960) * Tuscarora language, an Iroquoian language of the Tuscarora people * ...

Loudoun Valley The Loudoun Valley is a small, but historically significant valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains located in Loudoun County in Northern Virginia in the United States. Geography The lush and fertile valley lies between Catoctin Mountain and the B ...

Huskies/Vikings
Westfield Dogs

Woodgrove Woodgrove is a historic home located near Round Hill, Loudoun County, Virginia. The original section of the house was built around 1785, with a rear ell added around 1840, and an addition with a new main entrance in about 1910. All sections are ...

Clarke County Clarke County may refer to: ;Places *One of five counties in the United States: **Clarke County, Alabama **Clarke County, Georgia **Clarke County, Iowa **Clarke County, Mississippi **Clarke County, Virginia Clarke County is a county in the Com ...

Wolverines/Eagles

Middle School Division

Alexandria (Alexandria)
Arlington Admirals (Arlington)
Arlington Knights (Arlington)
Battlefield (Prince William)
Briar Woods (Loudoun)
Broad Run (Loudoun)
Eastern Loudoun County (Loudoun)
Fauquier Bulldogs (Fauquier County)
Freedom/John Champe (Loudoun)
Heritage (Loudoun)
Lake Braddock (Fairfax)
Mary Ellen Henderson (Falls Church)
McLean/Great Falls (Fairfax)
Osbourn Park (Prince William)
Patriot (Prince William)
Riverside (Loudoun)
Stone Bridge (Loudoun)
Sully (Fairfax)
Western Loudoun County HC (Loudoun)

Past champions

NVSHL Varsity (Capitals Cup) Champions

2022-2023 -

2021-2022 -

2020-2021 -

2019-2020 -

2018-2019 -

2017-2018 - Bishop O'Connell
2016-2017 - Stone Bridge
2015-2016 - Stone Bridge
2014-2015 - Stone Bridge
2013-2014 - Briar Woods
2012-2013 - Briar Woods
2011-2012 - Stone Bridge
2010-2011 - Stone Bridge
2009-2010 -

2008-2009 - Bishop O'Connell
2007-2008 - Stone Bridge
2006-2007 - Osbourn Park
2005-2006 -

2004-2005 - North Stafford/

Robinson Robinson may refer to: People and names * Robinson (name) Fictional characters * Robinson Crusoe, the main character, and title of a novel by Daniel Defoe, published in 1719 Geography * Robinson projection, a map projection used since the 1960 ...

(Co-Champions)
2003-2004 - North Stafford
2002-2003 - Stone Bridge
2001-2002 - Stone Bridge

Records

Career

Goals A goal is an objective that a person or a system plans or intends to achieve. Goal may also refer to: Sport * Goal (sports), a method of scoring in many sports, or the physical structure or area where scoring occurs ** Goals, the goal frame in ...

: (96) John Litscher - 2011/12-2013/14 - Battlefield
Assists: (71) * Cade Groton - 2012/13-2015/16 - Stone Bridge * Nicky Grose - 2009/10-2012/13 - Fairfax Points: (142) John Litscher - 2011/12-2013/14 - Battlefield

Hat tricks A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

: (17) John Litscher - 2011/12-2013/14 - Battlefield

Penalty minutes A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for an infringement of the rules. Most penalties are enforced by sending the offending player to a penalty box for a set number of minutes. During the penalty the player may not participate in play. Penaltie ...

: (178) Kyle Ward-Dahl - 2001/02-2004/05 - Oakton

Goals against average Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on s ...

: (1.50) Robbie Kunka - 2001/02-2004/05 - Langley
Saves: (713) Nick Bottorff - 2001/02-2004/05 - Centreville

Save percentage Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various goal-scoring sports that track saves as a statistic. In ice hockey and lacrosse, it is a statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal ...

: (.937) Chris Felinski - 2003 - Loudoun County

Shutouts In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

: (3) * Robert Kunka - 2001/02-2004/05 - Langley * Austin Walrabenstein - 2007/08 Wins: (15) Daryl Anthony - 2001/02-2003/04 - Robinson
Record: (14-2) Bryan Lynch - 2001/02-2003/04 - Stone Bridge

Single Season

: (38) John Litscher - 2013-14 - Battlefield
Assists: (33) Cade Groton - 2015-16 - Stonebridge
Points: (55) John Litscher - 2011-12 - Battlefield/Patriot

: (65) Miles Miller - 2012-13 - Potomac Falls/Heritage

: (.80) Chris Wingo - 2006-07 - Langley
Saves: (438) Nick Bottorff - 2004-05 - Centreville
Save pct.: (.952) Chris Wingo - 2006-07 - Langley

: (5) Chris Wingo - 2006-07 - Langley
Wins: (10) Dominic Mezappesa - 2001-02 - Broad Run

Single Game

: (11) Cameron Smith - vs. Centervillle/Fairfax - Yorktown - Dec 7, 2012
Assists: (7) Steven Csutoros - vs. Osbourn - Osbourn Park
Points: (11) * Owen Morgan - vs. Loudoun County/John Champe - Chantilly - Nov 15, 2019 * Cameron Smith - vs. Centervillle/Fairfax - Yorktown - Dec 7, 2012 * John Litscher - vs. Herndon/West Springfield - Battlefield - Jan 20, 2012 * Brad Surdham - vs. Oakton - West Springfield - Jan 18, 2006

External links

The Northern Virginia Hockey LeagueThe Maryland Scholastic Hockey LeagueUnited States High School Hockey Online
High school sports conferences and leagues in the United States Ice hockey in Virginia 2001 establishments in Virginia Sports leagues established in 2001