Seven Excellent Seasons: Since Ameya Chaudhari showed up to Cumberland Valley, the hockey club has not been the same

The CPIHL Justin Yingling Memorial Award is defined by three main attributes – outstanding dedication, performance, and commitment to excellence – each of which Cumberland Valley Eagles Ice Hockey Club Head Coach Matt Fitzgerald says senior Ameya Chaudhari possesses well.

“Ameya is far more than just a talented player, he is a great human being who exemplifies both high character and work ethic,” Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald has been coaching Chaudhari for seven seasons, and each season he sees this kid mature more and more. He is someone who is already well above the curve in many aspects, but he continues to fly ahead of it each and every day.

When it comes to “outstanding dedication,” Fitzgerald has seen this from the get-go with Chaudhari. Fitzgerald started as a volunteer hockey coach, assisting his father with the middle school hockey team.

Being that it is the Cumberland Valley School District, the middle school team was unsurprisingly comprised of many high-level hockey players. Many of the kids had been skating since they were 5 and 6 years old, but Chaudhari was the complete opposite.

“Anytime I spoke to my father, he couldn’t help but boast about this hard-working young man, who, though was new to the game, never let anything stand in his way of giving his best effort,” Fitzgerald said. “This young man was then-12-year-old Ameya Chaudhari. I would come to learn that this 12-year-old was simply setting the tone for what to expect over the next seven years of working together. In coaching, talent and ability is a dime a dozen, and to varying degrees can be taught.”

Things that cannot be taught, however, are selflessness and leadership, along with hard work, grit and determination. All of which Chaudhari possesses.

He also possesses integrity on and off the ice, and this is something Fitzgerald has really always appreciated about Chaudhari. Plus, no matter how well or not he or the team would be doing, Chaudhari always has a smile on his face. His positive attitude was a nice change of pace to have in the locker room, as his teammates all know Chaudhari was the voice of reason.

He is also the guy that gives maximum effort each and every day. He does it in the classroom, in practice and during games, and people notice his intensity and his “outstanding dedication.”

People also notice Chaudhari’s “performance.” He might not stuff the stat sheet every game, but his performance is still noteworthy. When he is on the ice, he makes an impact, and when he is on the bench, he still makes an impact.

“Many young men and women within our club hope to make the Varsity team each year, and because of this, not everyone is able to achieve that goal each year,” Fitzgerald said. “This was the case for Ameya for three consecutive seasons. I’ve seen many young men in his position lose focus or choose to blame others along the way, and, in fairness, that’s not an uncommon reaction when someone doesn’t get their way. Ameya however, saw this as an opportunity to work harder and work to improve himself as a player every night.”

And he did just that. He rarely missed a practice or a game for either JV or Varsity the past three seasons, and Chaudhari’s dedication and perseverance has been noticed.

He is also that aforementioned selfless hockey player, as he has constantly looked for ways to help his teammates before himself. Chaudhari has never been shy to step in and help push teammates to the next level, even if it came at the expense of playing time for himself.

“Ameya would always look to have open dialogues with both me and my coaching staff about what he could work on to get better as a hockey player,” Fitzgerald added.

Chaudhari has never been afraid to work hard or ask what can be improved, and he has transformed into an excellent player because of this.

He has transformed into an excellent hockey player as well because of his “commitment to excellence.” Even when the team is struggling, Chaudhari keeps pushing through and working hard. He has remained focused on the betterment of himself, as well as the betterment of his teammates, and the coaching staff described the morale on the bench and in the locker room during both wins and losses as that of a Stanley Cup winning atmosphere.

And they all know that it is because of Chaudhari.

“Through four years, Ameya has continuously taken advantage of every opportunity and made the most of them for not only himself, but those around him as well,” Fitzgerald said. His teammates adore him, and when you have a player within your team who, no matter how many times he may be knocked down, dusts himself off and gets back in the fight, it sends shockwaves through your bench.”

That is the level of intensity and the amount of impact Chaudhari has made throughout his short hockey career, and his coaching staff recognizes him as a great player and an even better human being with a wonderful future ahead of him. They nominated him for the Yingling Award for a reason, and he was also named a finalist for a reason.