It’s as if he walks on water when Mahopac ice hockey coach Tim Donaghy struts pregame across the frozen pond in his customary flip-flops, oblivious to the freezing temps.
While the rest of us are doubled down in wool socks, warm boots and hoodies, Donaghy slinks toward the bench, unaffected by the elements, essentially unnoticed unless you're checking out his footwear.
The veteran Mahopac hockey coach is hoping the Wolf Pac can glide in under the radar just the same until the time comes to take notice. The Wolf Pac is coming off a solid 2025 season after sending Fox Lane packing in a 6-1 quarterfinal win before third-seeded Mahopac (14-8) met its match in a 9-4 semifinal loss to D-II runner-up Pelham.
Section 1 ice hockey is one tough sport to predict, given the number of players participating in club hockey and those coming and going from year to year. After losing some of last season’s key players to graduation (including leading scorer Alex Wanner, now playing at RIT), the Pac will need returnees to fill the void on the ice and in the locker room.
“We lost strong senior leadership last year, but if this year's players can step up into those roles we can have the same, if not better, success this season,” Donaghy said. “This season’s goal is to win all the games we are expected to win and pull off a few upsets, which will equal a great season.”
If a great season is to come to fruition, the top six forwards will need to fill the nets and play solid two-way hockey, including seniors Ryan Danahy, Joe Minnix and Ronan Beany, plus junior Evan Flood and freshmen Brennan Lundy and Brian Devlin. They are expected to log the bulk of the ice time up front while the blue line features senior D Josh Leviner, sophomore Jacob Minnix and freshmen Ryan Arnold and Lucas Beany.
Those units will need to stand tall despite their youth in front of goalies Liam Robinson, a sophomore, and senior Matthew Conelli.
Key newcomers, or those taking on larger roles, include sophomores Dexter Ielpi and Lukas Gasper and freshman Matty Dinizo.
The Division II Wolf Pac will operate out of League B, where the current favorite is believed to be Byram Hills, along with Pawling, BYSNS, Greeley/JJCR, Carmel, Fox Lane and Cortlandt.
And when the puck drops on the 2026 playoffs on Feb. 19, the section favorite is expected to be Rye. Other D-II opponents will include Byram Hills, Carmel, Fox Lane, Pawling/Our Lady of Lourdes, Pearl River and Pelham.
The D-I and D-II finals are slated for March 1 at Brewster Ice Arena.
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