Photo courtesy of the Nogowski family.
Cinnaminson High School student Andrew Nogowski is finishing up his junior year at the school before embarking on an adventure that most student-athletes would love to have.
Nogowski will play for a junior hockey team in Canada beginning late this summer through March. He will then return home to complete his senior year at Cinnaminson.
“Every kid that plays youth hockey dreams of playing at a higher level,” Andrew’s father and coach Don Nogowski said.
“When Andrew was 10 he talked about wanting to play juniors in Canada. It is highly unusual for kids from around here to go up to Canada.It was ironic that he was able to get this opportunity that he always wanted.”
Andrew will be working towards his diploma while in Canada, taking online classes while playing. There is a full-time teacher and the players will also provide community service.
Andrew will also work at the local radio station while playing for the Whalers because of his interest in journalism as a career after hockey.
He has played for the Cinnaminson Middle School and Cinnaminson High School club ice hockey teams as a goalie during his career.
“It really wasn’t something I thought of,” Andrew said. “I was a regular player the first two years of my career. The goalie on my team one year went to go play for another team so I gave it a try.”
He helped the high school club team reach the league finals this season, falling in the championship game to Mainland in a shootout.
“It’s been fantastic playing for Cinnaminson,” Andrew said. “We’ve been pretty successful the past couple of years. Unfortunately we lost in a shootout to Mainland this year.”
Andrew will be a member of the Niagara Whalers, which is a Tier II Junior ‘A’ team that plays in the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL). The Whalers compete as members of the South Division within the GMHL.
The team is relatively new, playing their first season in the GMHL in 2014-2015. The team is located in Port Colborne, Ontario and plays at the Vale Health & Wellness Center.
Port Colborne is 30 miles west of Buffalo, New York and is on the north shore of Lake Erie.
The Whalers have finished their first two seasons in the GMHL with winning records and advanced for the first time to the division semifinals in 2015-2016.
The team is made up of players ranging in age from 16-21 from all over the world.
Andrew has to report for training camp by August 31 and will begin training in September. The season will run from the middle of September to March, with the playoffs concluding in the middle of March.
Andrew has been coached by his father not only on the high school club team, but also as a member of the Philly Firebirds in the Elite Prospects League.
“Andrew loved ice hockey as a sport as a spectator, but the most important things for us was the social aspect and personality and maturity development part of it,” Don said.
“We didn’t expect it to lead beyond high school, but we’re happy that it did. Andrew has been fortunate to play with some good players. He worked hard and gave himself a chance to develop into a good player. He went to PJ Diana, a local goalie coach, to train.”
Don will be entering his third year as head coach of the Cinnaminson High School club team this coming fall season.
Andrew started ice skating around 6 or 7. He took up ice hockey around the age of 9 and hopes the opportunity he is getting shows younger kids how rewarding hard work can be for those who put in the time and energy.
“In my opinion, this shows younger kids that if you put a lot of hard work in, you will be rewarded greatly,” Andrew said.
Junior hockey in Canada is a big deal as the teams in the league are the local hockey teams. There’s no pro team in the area. The community adopts the team and a lot of locals come to the games. It’s the highest form of hockey in the area.
“No matter what he does the rest of his life, this is an experience that few kids get,” Don said.
Andrew’s goal is to win a national championship at the Division I level.
“It’s my dream to go play ice hockey at an NCAA Division I school somewhere and win a national championship,” Andrew said
Most freshman in DI hockey players average around 19 or 20 years old because they have to play two years of junior hockey prior to going to the DI level in the United States.
“I hope to be a better hockey player, but more importantly I hope to be a better person,” Andrew said of his trip. “I want to be more mature and more responsible when I come back home in March.”
Andrew will live with a local family while in Canada for the GMHL season.
“I’m going to miss the guys a lot. I will miss them dearly,” Andrew said of his Cinnaminson club teammates. “I’ve played with some of them most of my life. They’re pretty much family to me.”
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