Four Hawks To Represent St. Joe's Club Men's Ice Hockey At ACCHL European All-Star Event

Representing the Hawks at the inaugural ACCHL European All-Star event are senior defenseman Kohry Long and sophomore forward Kyle Gross, along with head coach JT Tarantino '19 and general manager Hugh Walsh '85.

A native of West Chester, Pennsylvania, Gross has been playing his entire life as he grew up competing for Team Philadelphia and West Chester East High School, before joining the Hawks as a freshman in 2022-23. Honored and grateful for the opportunity, Gross is eager for the opportunity to represent the Hawks overseas.

"It means a lot to be able to represent my team, as well as my University, on an international level," said Gross. "It's a great opportunity to go overseas and play against international competition, and I am definitely looking forward to it."

A 2019 graduate of Saint Joseph's University, Tarantino transitioned from a talented, four-year student-athlete and team captain, to head coach of the Hawks' program beginning in March of 2022. Now in his second full season, Tarantino is thrilled about the opportunity to serve as a member of the ACCHL European All-Star coaching staff.

"It's an honor and a privilege to represent St Joe's as a part of the ACCHL All Star team coaching staff. I came to St. Joe's as a student in 2015, and played all four years for our hockey program in the ACCHL. To go from St. Joe's player, to an assistant coach, to the program's head coach, and now represent our program and league in an international competition is something I never would have imagined in my Villager dorm room in 2015," said Tarantino. "It's an honor for Kohry and Kyle to represent our program on the international stage. Hawk hockey has been around for 53 years, and I do not believe we have ever sent our players overseas to compete against European competition. Kohry and Kyle are both integral parts of our team, both from an on-ice and off-ice perspective. They both deserve the recognition and I know they will represent our program and our university well."

Synonymous with Saint Joseph's hockey, Walsh has helped grow the Hawks' program for decades as a student-athlete, coach, and now as general manager. Helping assist the creation of this year's ACCHL European All-Star Team, Walsh is excited for the opportunity and the experiences that lay ahead for the Hawks.

"Having been a player in the 1980s, coached for 18 years, and now a GM for the last six years, I am dedicated to the SJU Ice Hockey Team, and have always loved my time involved. Getting to share this with JT, who I coached, and Kohry and Kyle is awesome" said Walsh. "Kohry and Kyle will represent SJU and the hockey team in a great way. They will get to meet players from other teams and will be able to share experiences with our team. It's great that in future ACCHL games against the other teams, they will know guys and will catch up with each other before or after a game; and who knows, even during the game."

The ACCHL All-Star Team begins competition on January 3.

This news article originally appeared on sjuhawks.com.