Georgetown University may officially be a hockey school. Despite recognizing Georgetown for its standout basketball and lacrosse programs, many people fail to acknowledge one of the best and most promising programs at this school: Georgetown men’s club hockey. A team full of experience and potential, the Hoyas have much to be proud of at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, posting a final record of 21-5 and reaching the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship tournament.
The Hoyas came out of the gates sizzling at the outset of the season. Something was in the air as the team hit the road to face off against the University of Virginia (UVA) Cavaliers (17-3-1-0) in their opener, ultimately closing the match with a 9-4 victory. The key win included contributions from many faces, including graduate forward Phil Pikus, who had a 4-point game. Additionally, first-year forward Jack Allieri and first-year defenseman Connor Lee emerged in the spotlight by combining for 4 goals and 5 points in the victory.
The Hoyas’ dominance over UVA spurred a 6-game win streak as Georgetown proceeded to overcome Loyola University Maryland (2-6-0-0), University of Delaware (17-7-2-0), Stevenson University (9-14-0-0) and George Washington University (GWU) (7-10-0-0) twice in their next five matchups. This hot start arose from every corner of the team, as skaters at every position excelled. The Hoyas’ dynamic goalkeepers senior captain Mark Peracchia and junior Matt Choi enabled the rest of the team to thrive throughout the season.The two were reminiscent of the 2022-23 Boston Bruins with Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark in the way they thrived splitting games, setting the tone for the rest of the team.
The Hoyas dropped their first two games of 2025 to Towson University (5-23-2-0) and Delaware, slightly thwarting their momentum. Despite the hiccup, the Hoyas bounced back with a win over James Madison University (JMU) (6-11-0-0) before trekking up to Philadelphia for three road games. After solid wins over University of Pennsylvania (6-14-0-0) and St. Joseph’s University (12-9-1-0), the Hoyas utterly embarrassed Princeton University (1-11-0-0) with a lopsided 15-1 victory. The clean sweep served as a nice midseason boost for the Hoyas as they forged into the tail end of the season.
At the ACC fall showcase tournament, the Hoyas continued their overall success, picking up two wins over Stevenson and JMU and only dropping one game to West Virginia University (11-10-2-0), a recently dominant program in ACC hockey. Following the showcase, the Hoyas proceeded to successfully sweep GWU, a crosstown rival, acquiring their third win of the season over the Revolutionaries.
For the playoffs, the Hoyas hiked out to Winston-Salem, N.C. Starting off the playoffs with a face-off against the University of North Carolina, Charlotte (UNCC) (5-10-0-0), the Hoyas played phenomenally, winning 5-0 in a defensive masterpiece. Next up was Wake Forest University (10-8-0-0), the hometown team. After a gritty regulation period ending in a 2-2 tie, the Demon Deacons tucked one away to seal the game in overtime, resulting in a 3-2 defeat for the Hoyas and ending a highly successful season.
Choi said he believes the team will retain a plethora of talent next season despite not taking home the championship this year.
“It’s disappointing to not come out on top, but the boys gave it a good bid this year,” Choi told The Hoya. “Lots of talent on this team. I’m definitely excited for next year.”
Allieri said the future of the team remains bright due to a strong team culture.
“We fought. This team had a lot of heart, and that’s a culture built by the seniors. That culture doesn’t simply go away with a new season,” Allieri told The Hoya. “Our future is very bright.”
Allieri focuses on a major pillar for the team: heart. Throughout the season — full of ups and a couple downs, many goals and perhaps a few too many penalties — the Hoyas always had heart, and that’s something coaches cannot teach.
