De Smet's Biehl named MVP in Challenge Cup championship game

De Smet Jesuit senior Gavin Biehl began his hockey career in the desert.

Biehl, a goaltender, was named the MVP in the Mid States Club Hockey Association’s Challenge Cup championship game. The Spartans scored a 2-0 victory over Chaminade to earn their third consecutive championship.  

“I actually started off by playing roller hockey because when I was 8 years old, we were living in a desert town in California called Ridgecrest, not too far from Death Valley,” Biehl said. “There were no ice rinks anywhere close. When I got my first pair of rollerblades my parents also got me a set of foam goalie pads because I was obsessed with NHL goalie gear, especially as a huge fan of Brian Elliott when he was playing for the Blues.

“It was just kind of my thing, and I didn’t have an interest in playing forward, so it just stuck.”

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Biehl lives in Wentzville.

While his parents are both from the area, Biehl was born in the coastal town in Oxnard, California. His father, Jonathan, was stationed at Naval Air Station Point Mugu as a Navy fighter pilot.

“I have moved eight times as a military brat, living all over the country. After my dad retired from the Navy, we moved back here to Missouri in 2020,” Biehl said.

However, Biehl was on the move shortly afterward.

“I attended Mount St. Charles Hockey Academy in Woonsocket, Rhode Island during my sophomore and junior year of high school because I was given the opportunity and was eager to go after my goal of playing hockey at the next level,” Biehl said. “So, I decided to leave home.”

Before Biehl went to Mount St. Charles, he played here in St. Louis. He was a member of the AAA Blues for his U13 and U14 seasons.

Playing in Rhode Island helped him become a better goalie. He was playing in about half of the games before he was injuried.

Biehl tore his groin muscle in his sophomore year during the middle of the season. It took him a month to recover. The same injury re-occurred in his junior year, which meant missing some games.

“I improved a lot as a goalie during my time there, maintaining a solid save percentage and I was beginning to be contacted by a few Division 1 colleges,” Biehl said. “My team was ranked fourth in the nation sophomore year, and we made a good run in nationals. We won the New England District championship and a few smaller tournaments.”

It was a rigorous experience for him.

“The hockey there was intense, practicing every day, sometimes at 7 a.m. if we had to,” Biehl said. “Many of my teammates have gone on to play at the next level. I also have teammates from there who are committed to some notable colleges like Boston University, University of Minnesota and Arizona State.

“The hockey up there was definitely on a different level to Mid States, but our games had no audience, so Mid States games are certainly more fun and entertaining despite a drop off of skill.”

However, it all began to take a toll on Biehl.

“After my last season at Mount, I was getting burnt out from the heavy load of hockey and honestly lost my passion to play juniors or in college,” Biehl said. “I’ve always taken my academics seriously and knew I wanted to have a different career that didn’t have anything to do with hockey.

“My move back here to St. Louis was driven from a shift of my long-term goal and career vision.”

He decided to attend De Smet. Several of his former teammates with the AAA Blues were enrolled in the school.

“De Smet was appealing because they are a very well-rounded school with good academics, sports and school community,” Biehl said. “Most of my former teammates from AAA Blues were at De Smet so it seemed like a no-brainer.”

Coach Anthony Cappelletti welcomed him to the team.

“When he reached out this past spring I was surprised,” Cappelletti said. “I knew of him from his youth hockey days in St. Louis but did not expect him to reach out to me.

“When I saw him for the first time on the ice since he was 12 years old, I could see the talent right away. He’s very confident in his crease and playing the puck out of the crease.

“He is a great high school goaltender because he has faced shots from players all around the country at the highest levels. The way he mentally prepares and gets his routine before a game is a way all goalies should do it.”

Biehl went 7-1-1 in the regular season. He recorded a 1.71 goals against average. He posted a .938 save percentage. On Senior Night, the Spartans defeated Vianney.

His play was outstanding, Cappelletti said.

“He had only one loss all season. In that loss he stood on his head and it was not his fault,” Cappelletti said. “He and his teammates were eager to secure a third consecutive title for the program.”

“Going into the playoffs I was very confident in our team's ability to win when something so important was on the line,” Biehl said. “We thought our biggest worry would be Vianney, but they were knocked out by Chaminade who we swept in the regular season, so that was a relief.”

The Spartans met Chaminade. Biehl stopped 22 shots by the Red Devils to record a shutout in the game.

“Chaminade had a good chance to score in the second with a breakaway followed by a rebound, but I was luckily able to get my pad down in time,” Biehl said. “If they scored that, it could have shifted the course of the game. Besides that, they had a few good opportunities, but our defense was playing solid, especially Augie Eisenbeis and Joey Buzzetta, who had to push through while playing exhausted.”

Cappelletti said Biehl’s best two saves were the first shot in the first shift of the game and the last shot against the shift before De Smet scored an empty net goal.

“He had just a calming effect on our team because we knew if we made a mistake in front of him he would be back there to save us,” Cappelletti said.

Winning the title was the perfect ending to his senior season, Biehl said.

“When it was over I was thinking that it seriously couldn’t have been a better ending to my youth hockey career. A state title, a shutout and an MVP award. There’s nothing more I could ask for.”

Naming Biehl as the MVP was the right call, Cappelletti said.

“He was deserving of being the MVP for the game. When you get a shutout in a state championship game, it is more than deserved,” Cappelletti said. 

Biehl was pleased to earn the MVP accolade.

“I think it’s a great honor,” Biehl said. “I was very glad to have received it, but all it means to me is that I have an amazing team playing in front of me and it could’ve easily have been given to someone else.

“I had such a great experience playing this season. Definitely, it was the most fun season with a great group of guys and a great senior class and school who supports you and shows up. Coming in as a transfer I felt very welcomed and the guys here are my family.”

Now, Biehl has to decide about his future.

He has been appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy.

“It’s one of the biggest honors I have ever received and is a huge commitment and sacrifice,” Biehl said. “Going to Annapolis has been a secret goal I’ve had since freshman year, but something I have worked towards and is where my future career will lead.”

He plans to study economics or engineering. However, at the academy you are not assigned a major until the second year there.

“I am walking into the Navy with an open mind in what I want to do, but I have naval aviation in my blood through my father who flew F-18 Super Hornets for 20 years,” Biehl said.

Biehl also has another choice. He has received the Navy ROTC four-year scholarship to the University of Texas.

“I am still considering that option,” Biehl said. “I haven’t made an official decision yet.”

Whatever he decides, Cappelletti said Biehl will do well.

“He is a phenomenal student, teammate and human being,” Cappelletti said. “He is going to be successful at whatever he does.”