The U.S. Hockey Report has named Loomis Chaffee senior goal keeper Danny Tirone as the Prep School Player of the Year.

Danny saved 93.3 percent of the shots he faced this winter, played nearly every minute of every game, and helped the varsity team mount its best record since 1995. The U.S. Hockey Report, which covers amateur hockey, credits Danny with helping to spark a major turnaround in the LC boys hockey program, which rose from a 2-23-0 season last year to a 13-11-1 record this year.

"With the jump from two to 13 wins, and more good young players heading toward Loomis, the future of the program suddenly looks very bright. With all that in mind, we feel secure in saying that no single player in prep school hockey meant more to his team in 2012–13 than Danny Tirone,” the publication wrote in announcing its choice on Thursday.

Danny, of Trumbull, Conn., came to Loomis as a junior. His junior hockey season was challenging, however, due to a game-limiting injury. He played just eight games in the net, and the Pelicans’ season record that year reflected his absence between the pipes.

In his senior season, Danny was back at 100 percent, and the LC team made a statement right from the get-go, winning the first three games and setting itself up for a terrific season. After a dip during the second week in December, the team headed to the annual Avon Christmas Tournament, where the squad faced a tough draw, opening up against Kent and Gunnery. With Danny in net, though, the Pelicans were ready for the call, tying Kent 3-3 and losing a close 3-2 decision to Gunnery. The team began to realize it could skate with the best, and in the following weeks the young Loomis squad reeled off four straight wins. 
During that run, (the last two games at the Avon Tournament, and the team’s first two games in January), Danny allowed only one goal per game in wins over St. Paul’s, Trinity-Pawling, Kent, and Deerfield. In that span, Danny stopped 122 of 126 shots, posting a .968 save average (96.8 percent) and a 1.00 goals-against average.

In early January, LC’s record stood at 7-3-1, and Loomis Chaffee made it first-ever appearance in the U.S. Hockey Report Prep Poll.

Things leveled out a bit after that as Loomis’ young, skilled players found it a little harder to sneak up on teams toward the end of the season. “Tirone, however, was a constant, playing in all but 87 minutes of the Pelicans’ games and finishing the season with a .933 save percentage," U.S. Hockey Report noted.