On Friday, November 29th, the Jesuit Dallas Hockey team competed in the annual Dallas Thanksgiving Tournament, consisting of in-state and out-of-state talent. The Rangers initially found some trouble in the early round-robin games but managed to secure a spot in the semi-final game and, eventually, the championship game.
Game 1: PSD Stars (Colorado)
The Rangers began the weekend with a rocky start, losing 6 to 0 in their opening game against the PSD Stars. Overall, the PSD stars took control of the game, recording 35 shots to Jesuit’s 15 shots throughout the game. Also, the Rangers struggled due to penalties. Jesuit Dallas recorded five penalties, leading to three powerplay goals by the PSD Stars throughout the game.
Game 2: Prosper
The Rangers came just up short against Prosper in their second game of the Thanksgiving tournament, losing 2 to 1. Overall, the Rangers controlled the game with 57 shots but could only find the back of the net once; Prosper only recorded 14 shots but found two goals during the first and second periods. Senior Andrew Thiesen ’25 found the back of the net for the Rangers’ lone goal, assisted by Rex Garrick ’26 and Brandon Peppard ’25.
Game 3: Odessa
After the first two losses of the tournament, the Jesuit Dallas Rangers rallied to find their first tournament win against Odessa. The Rangers started off fast, leading 4 to 1 at the end of the second period. Even with Jesuit’s secure lead, Odessa continued to persevere and scored four goals in the final period but fell short of the Rangers. Jesuit Dallas won 6 to 5 in this tightly contested game.
“I think we bonded well as a team. A few of our younger guys really stepped up and played well to replace our injured and out of town players. Overall, I think we learned a lot and we’re all really excited about what we have for the rest of the season.” – Captain Conor Parro ’25
The Rangers recorded a total of 43 shots, and Odessa recorded 29 shots. Jesuit Dallas scorers and assists include Thomas Fino ’25 (Brandon Peppard ’25, Conor Parro ’25), Tyler Woods ’25 (Allen Zhang ’26, Ewan Randles ’25), Patrick Breen ’27 (Theodore Knickerbocker ’28), Brandon Peppard ’25 (Allen Zhang ’26), Victor Laos ’26, and Allen Zhang ’26.
Semi-final: Prosper
Moving into the Semi-finals, the Rangers faced Prosper, a team they previously dominated in the tournament but fell short due to a stellar performance by the Prosper goalie. Yet again, the Rangers dominated the game, recording 42 shots against the Prosper goalie, while Prosper only recorded 19 shots on net. The Rangers buried four goals and won with a total score of 4 to 1.
Jesuit Dallas scorers include Wade Bryan ’26 (Allen Zhang ’26, Ewan Randles ’25), Allen Zhang ’26 (Everett Sahadevan ’25, Owen Deloach ’26), Rex Garrick ’26 (Wade Bryan ’26, Danny Myung ’25), and Nathan Morris ’27 (Andrew Thiesen ’25, Thomas Strand ’27).
Championship: PSD Stars (Colorado)
Entering the Championship game, the Jesuit Rangers hoped to find some revenge for their initial 6 to 1 loss against the PSD Stars. Unfortunately, once the PSD Stars found their first goal, they could take control of the game. The Rangers lost 8 to 1 in the contest with a lone goal scorer: Andrew Thiesen ’25.
“The tournament was a great chance to build some chemistry and find some things we need to work on as a team. I thought we did well overall, but we need to imporve our game to be as competitive as possible entering states and hopefully nationals.” – Ewan Randles ’25
While the tournament did not conclude as the Rangers had hoped, it compared the PSD Stars and Jesuit Dallas. As we move closer to the state tournament and nationals, the games against the PSD Stars have provided the Jesuit Dallas Varsity hockey team with the opportunity to see where and how they can improve moving into important season games and future tournaments in Denver and South Bend. Skilled teams such as the PSD Stars are the standard for successful teams in the USA Hockey National Championships, and this tournament will help the Rangers prepare for the challenges ahead.
Stay tuned to the Jesuit Roundup for future game recaps and news!
