Bitter Rivals Deerfield & Highland Park Kick Off The Series On Nov. 8

The annual Chicago Blackhawks Rivalry Series will spotlight five high school hockey games this season from five different leagues – and eight of the 10 teams have never participated.

Kicking off the Blackhawks Rivalry Series on November 8 at the Glacier Ice Arena in Vernon Hills is, without question, one of the most bitter rivalries in Illinois: Deerfield battles Highland Park.

“Deerfield (versus) Highland Park is a matchup that has always had our eye; they have had continued interest in the Rivalry Series initiative,” said Andy Pape, coordinator, amateur hockey programs for the Chicago Blackhawks. “When both teams sent in applications for the second year in a row, we were excited for the opportunity to highlight this rivalry. From the highlights we have seen and word-of-mouth (from) previous years, we are super excited to kick off the Rivalry Series with these two schools.”

Deerfield vs. Highland Park has long been a war waged on the night before Thanksgiving in Vernon Hills. Due to scheduling conflicts, the Rivalry Series crew was unavailable on that Wednesday in November.

The Rivalry Series heads west in December, as the DuPage Stars battle Lyons Township on December 20 at Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge.

“It was important to get more teams involved this year. Each matchup has an interesting background or opportunity to create an electric atmosphere that will produce competitive hockey and draw attention to the participating clubs,” Pape said. “There is a ton of great high school hockey around the state; our goal is to showcase as much of that as possible. We believe the best way to achieve this is by picking one matchup from each of the major leagues in Illinois. This season, we will highlight a matchup from the Scholastic League, Chicago Catholic Hockey League, Illinois West, Illinois North-Central and Metro Girls.

In future years, the Rivalry Series may include the Lincoln Land Prep League, too.

“As interest in the Rivalry Series grows, more teams want to get involved,” Pape said. “By using one matchup per league as a general guideline, we can revisit great traditional matchups while also including new teams.

“Initiatives like the Rivalry Series are essential to the continued growth of high school hockey. We will keep pushing forward as long as we are able to collaborate with teams, leagues and schools to combine their community with Blackhawks resources.  If we can do that, we will achieve our goal of creating memorable experiences for the players, families and fans of the school.”

Pape, 23, lives in Park Ridge and is a 2019 graduate of Maine South High School and was a two-year varsity defenseman for co-op Maine Township. After interning with the Blackhawks in 2022, Pape is now in his second year full-time with the team.

“We are really excited for the Rivalry Series slate we have scheduled,” said Pape, who noted that, to be selected for a Rivalry Series game, a club representative must fill out an application – and they then are evaluated on factors, including strength of the rivalry, frequency of each team’s past participation, team’s success, league representation and the geographical relationship between the teams being considered.

“We also take into consideration if there are any special opportunities/enhancements that make matchups more desirable or valuable in a given year.”

Case in point:  the Mount Carmel vs. St. Rita game on January 9, 2025, at Morgan Park Ice Arena in Chicago.

“Mount Carmel and St Rita are two historic teams in the Catholic League, and Mount Carmel has never participated in the Rivalry Series,” Pape said. “While this matchup is new to the Rivalry Series, these teams have a long history that includes rivalries in other sports, especially football. Both clubs plan to bring the hype around their football rivalries to the ice rink.”

This January game will feature a former Blackhawks star who once skated for Mount Carmel and ultimately landed in the Hockey Hall of Fame: Chris Chelios.

“Things lined up nicely this year when Mount Carmel applied, and our team quickly put together the connection of former Caravan alum Chris Chelios. Since the Blackhawks retired Chelios’ jersey last season, this is a perfect opportunity for a full-circle moment for both Chelios and Mount Carmel,” Pape said. “His role at the game is still being (finalized), but we will be collaborating with both Mount Carmel and St. Rita to ensure it is a special night for the players, families, fans and, of course, Chelios.”

 Days after the Catholic League battle, the spotlight shifts north to the Scholastic Hockey League, when Lake Forest plays host to Carmel Catholic on January 12, 2025, at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse in Lake Forest.

“Their proximity will help draw attention to the matchup, making it a great choice,” Pape said. “With the NHL Winter Classic taking place at Wrigley Field on New Year’s Eve, Lake Forest’s access to the outdoor rink at the Winter Club of Lake Forest has created the potential for additional storytelling. We love the idea of mimicking the NHL event at the high school level and the opportunities it creates. While the Lake Forest vs Carmel Catholic game is currently scheduled indoors at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, we are (considering) moving this game outdoors.”

Metro Girls is featured in the Rivalry series when Fenwick plays host to the Burlington Grizzlies on January 25, 2025, at Ridgeland Commons in Oak Park.

“The goal of the Rivalry Series is to bring a Blackhawks gameday experience to the home teams’ rink,” Pape said. “To do this, (games feature) a Blackhawks prize table that includes a prize wheel, raffles and giveaways of fan-favorite items. We bring Tommy Hawk, a Blackhawks DJ, Blackhawks in-arena hosts Genna Rose/Jon Hansen, and partner with J&M Media to broadcast the game live on You Tube. A Blackhawks photographer and videographer capture content of each matchup. Finally, we work with the teams to enhance the experience by including pre-game ceremonies like starting lineup announcements, ceremonial puck drops, national anthem performance and a second intermission game that involves select fans.

“We understand that there are significant, competitive rivalries around Illinois that will always be worth highlighting. We must balance the value of recognizing those matchups with making the experience accessible. We believe our new guideline of including only one matchup from each league allows us the ability to include the ‘no-brainer’ matchups, while also providing the opportunity to bring new matchups into the mix.”

In addition to the Blackhawks Rivalry Series, the Blackhawks will host the annual Illinois High School State Championships on March 16, 2025, at the United Center. The Blackhawks also will host the High School All-State games at Fifth Third Arena for the second year in a row, as well as the Illinois West vs. North-Central all-conference game and a Metro Girls Jamboree.

Plus, the Blackhawks run the JOG ACHA College Prospect Showcase May 2-4, an opportunity for high school players to compete in front of 50-60 ACHA college coaches from across the country. Finally, the Blackhawks will host Big Strides, the all-girls camp in the summer that exposes female high school-aged hockey players to opportunities on and off the ice for women in sports.

“High school hockey is one of the pillars of the Blackhawks Amateur Hockey Department. Starting at the grassroots level, our mission is to get more kids involved in hockey and build passion for the sport. Using the Blackhawks brand to amplify high school hockey helps drive that passion,” said Pape, who certainly knows of the excitement locally that is high school hockey.

“Hockey has always been a passion of mine. I loved my time playing at Maine, so to be able to help amplify the sport at the high school level has been a blast. When I was first introduced to the Blackhawks business operations, I was pleased to see the efforts being made to grow high school hockey, and I have enjoyed being able to bring my own ideas to the table. (Ultimately), I want to help create memorable experiences for the players and their families, making improvements and additions that I wish I would have seen when playing. The fact that I can do this with an organization that I grew up following is amazing.

“When I played high school hockey, the fan support was incredible. Oakton Ice Arena was always packed and there was a great sense of community attached to being involved in the sport. Being able to connect the sport you love with your school experience is what makes high school hockey so special.”

Here is the 2024-25 schedule for the Chicago Blackhawks Rivalry Series:

Deerfield vs. Highland Park
November 8, 2024, at the Glacier Ice Arena in Vernon Hills

DuPage Stars vs. Lyons Township
December 20, 2024, at Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge

Mount Carmel vs. St. Rita
January 9, 2025, at Morgan Park Ice Arena in Chicago

Lake Forest vs. Carmel Catholic
January 12, 2025, at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse in Lake Forest

Fenwick vs. Burlington Grizzlies (Girls)
January 25, 2025, at Paul Hruby Arena (Ridgeland Commons) in Oak Park

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