In 2008, a generous act by Ray Ferry, who donated early Saturday morning ice, set the stage for a remarkable journey. Wil Younger and Kevin Kowal, inspired by their sons (Cooper and Kalvin), began teaching them to skate. Ray and Josh McCoy soon joined, and the group expanded from two new skaters to twelve. Every Saturday, they practiced, played games, and ended with an obstacle course. This informal group rapidly evolved, giving birth to the Regency Elementary Program (REP) within a few months. The REP, with its 48 skaters, was a resounding success. Many of the skaters were eventually sent to other programs to play in-house or travel hockey.
It took only a short time until players and parents from the original REP wanted to have teams at Regency.
Ray, Wil, Josh, and Kevin established the tier 2 Regency (Central Penn) Panthers youth hockey program in 2010-11. They founded the club using what would become the principles of the ADM. The group had hoped to start with twenty to twenty-four players to support two limited travel teams (8u and 10u). They dramatically underestimated the level of interest; in the inaugural season, they supported five teams (6u, 8u, 10u minor, 10u major, and 12u) playing an independent limited travel schedule.
Our journey to becoming a full-time member of the Delaware Valley Hockey League is a testament to our club’s dedication to youth hockey, growth, and success. Following our inaugural season, we petitioned the League to become a probationary member, with the aim of full membership in 2012. After a successful 2011-12 season, the Panthers were voted into the League as a full-time member of the DVHL, with full voting and playing rights. This achievement marked a significant milestone in our club’s history, underscoring our commitment to excellence and our players’ hard work.
With the successful entry into the DVHL, the club continued to grow. In its first season as a full member of the League, the 2013-14 12U team became the first team in the club to advance to the post-season and the first team to win 20 regular-season games.
In 2014-15, the club rebranded from the Regency Panthers (Pro Blue, Navy, and White as the primary colors) to the Central Penn Panthers (Red, White, and Navy) to mirror their older brothers in the JR club.
The club continued to grow steadily in membership until the end of the 2015 season. Membership went from 10 teams to one. The one remaining team was Younger’s 2016-17 16U team; that season, the team became the first team in club history to win the DVHL Regular Season and Playoff Championships.
2017-18 began the organization’s rebuilding. There were many regrowing pains, but the regrowth was consistent with the original growth. Most of the teams were comprised of players from the First Steps program (previously known as the Regency Elementary Program). The club grew by one team in 17-18, supporting 10u and 18u.
2018-19 proved to be a big step forward for the club, which expanded to six teams (6U, 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U, and 18U)—it was also the first time in club history that the Panthers had multiple Playoff qualifiers (8U in the EAHL, 10U, and 18U).
The 2019-20 season was the reconnection of ages in the club. In partnership with Matt Doyle (then with the York Devils), we could ice a 16U team with a few ex-Devils, giving everyone a place to play. Once again, the club had teams at all supported tier 2 ages and nine total teams (6U, two at 8U, two at 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, and 18U). The 14U team and 18U teams qualified for the Playoffs, each falling just short of the Championships.
2020-21 was another full roster of teams; with multiple playoff teams including 10A and 10UB, along with 12UA. Both the 10UA National and 12U A National teams won their Playoff Championships. 12UA National completed an undefeated regular season.
2021-22 was a great season. The majority of Panthers competed in both the DVHL and EJEPL with varying levels of success. In the DVHL (the Primary League), both the 10UA and B teams qualified for the DVHL Playoffs, as did the 18UA, which went on to win the DVHL and become the first CPP team to qualify for the AAHA District Championship.
2022-23 was another year of success building, with multiple teams qualifying for playoffs in both the DVHL and the EJEPL. The 12UB team, 14UAA, 16A, and 18UAA qualified for the DVHL playoffs—the 14s won the Finals, and the 18s lost in the Championship. For the first time, the club had multiple teams (14UAA, 16UA, 18UAA) qualify for the AAHA District Playoffs.
The 2023-24 season was another that proved to have a club historical significance. Every record-keeping team finished with a winning record and qualified for the DVHL Playoffs. 10U finished the regular season in first place; 12UB finished the regular season in first place, won the playoffs, and won the club’s first AAHA District title; 12UAA finished the regular season in second place; 14UA National finished the regular season in first place, won the playoffs, and qualified for AAHA playoffs; 18UA finished the regular season in first place, and 18UAA finished the regular season in second place.