Ideally, A hockey team will evolve and mature as the season progresses, on and off the ice. So, it has been at Malvern Prep.

After a 3-4 start that included a three-game losing streak the Friars have rebounded to take four of their last six starts. They’ll take a 7-6 record into an APAC matchup with Holy Ghost Prep on Thursday.

With the Friars fielding a young lineup in spots, the role of the veterans on the roster has been important, not only for their on-ice performance but also for how they have embraced their roles as mentors to their younger teammates.

Jeremy Jacobs leads the APAC in scoring but he embraces his role as his team’s captain as much as he does his on-ice accomplishments. Jacobs, a senior says he’s following the path that was forged by those who came before him.

“I’ve got to be there for my underclassmen and teach them,” he said,” “and teach them the way, because I had great senior leadership when I was younger. “I’m just trying to give it all to my underclassmen so they can learn and get better every day. That’s definitely the mentality here, we’ve got to keep that up.”

Jonathan Holt, who, like Jacobs, is a senior, points out that providing support to younger teammates is in keeping with the philosophy of the school.

“When we were younger, we had seniors that taught us the way and brought us under their wing,” he said.

“So I think just learning from them and seeing how they do it and remembering how we felt is our primary focus. Being able to take guys under our wing and just develop a brotherhood. Honestly, our school staple is ‘Develop a brotherhood with Everybody.’ I think within a team setting, it’s even easier to develop that aspect.”

Jacobs points out there are other factors that have contributed to Malvern Prep’s recent success on the ice.

“At the start of the season we didn’t start too hot,” he said, “and we kind of had to change our mindset a little bit, and ever since we changed our mindset and focused on energy, the simple stuff.

“We’ve had guys hurt all year and how, there’s guys starting to come back we’re starting to develop true lines. Our lineup was always mixing and matching, it was and now it’s starting to become more solidified, and the more we have that chemistry, the more we can go out on the ice and produce.”