This is a building season, and a promising one. The 2025-2026 Central Indiana Knights are a growing, balanced team – a team with a chance at a strong postseason and one that can compete with many of the state’s top teams. There’s work to be done, but there’s potential. “The team’s playing well,” Knights Head Coach Rob Pozzebon said. The Knights, a hockey team made up of players from multiple Central Indiana high schools including Cathedral – and a traditionally a strong program that competes for state titles – began ’25-’26 in competitive fashion. They were 13-14-1 through early January, growing and improving as postseason play approached. “We’re playing pretty well,” Pozzebon said. “It has been pretty good. We actually play really well against good teams and play just OK against mediocre teams. “Some of our best games this year have been against the top teams in the other part of the state.” The Knights, featuring Cathedral players on both their A and B teams, are a balanced group with seven seniors, seven juniors and seven sophomores. The underclasses are strong and talented, making for a bright present and future. “We have great balance,” Pozzebon said. “We struggle a little bit with senior-heavy teams we play against, but for the most part, if a team has the same sort of makeup as us, we play well. We’re a good step-up team and a good team against even opponents.” Pozzebon said while the Knights figure to perhaps be stronger in 2026-2027, the current version is a strong team that scores consistently and is improving consistently – with a chance at a strong finish to the regular season and postseason. Cathedral players on the Knights’ A team include: *Senior Daniel Michael, an alternate captain who Pozzebon called a “solid player” who leads by example. “He’s having a really good season,” Pozzebon said. “He’s one of our leaders – great kid, good hustle and does a lot of the gritty work.” *Sophomore forward Noah Hiott. “He’s a scorer,” Pozzebon said. “He has been playing well as of late.” *Sophomore defenseman Quinn Ridgeway, a strong defensive player with what Pozzebon called a “wicked” slap shot. “He’s having a really good season,” Pozzebon said. “He’s playing extremely well. He has become a good leader on the team. He’s strong. He works hard and plays hard. He has potential to be a very high-end defenseman for us for the next couple of years.” Cathedral players on the B team include junior forward Cash Miramonti, freshman forward Ben Kruter, freshman forward Ethan Farrar, freshman defender Mary Webb and freshman forward Max Webb. Indiana high school hockey places teams in classes for the postseason based on how teams fare during the regular season, with the strongest teams placed in Class 4A. Pozzebon said the Knights are a consistent 2A team this season with potential for 3A. “The difference between us and the teams that are a couple of notches above us is very minimal,” Pozzebon said. “I think we’re a 3A team. I think that’s where we’ll end up.” Hiott was among multiple Knights players with more than 10 goals as of early January, with the Knights working through the midseason to match their offense by improving defensively. “I personally like to play a really heavy defensive style game, but we've got good balance this year,” Pozzebon said. “We just have a good balance of goal scorers on the team. Team defense has been a little bit of a struggle. We just can't quite find our groove. “We have gotten better and we are working at some of those defensive systems. It’s something we continue to work on all the time. It has not been as good as I'd like it to be, but it's getting there. Some of that is just having a young team. Having seven sophomores makes it challenging to play against teams that are senior-junior heavy.” The Knights approach the postseason with what Pozzebon called a “great group” with strong camaraderie as they improved and build for the short- and long-term future. “The chemistry in the locker room has been as good as any of the teams that we've coached,” Pozzebon said. “They're very together as a group. They're very cohesive. They get along very well. There's good leadership both from the captains and the non-captains. “It has been a treat with the locker room this year. It has been pretty good.”