The Ridgewood High School Athletic Hall Of Fame proudly welcomes Peter McGinley to the 2022 induction class for his accomplishments in boy’s ice hockey. He is the first inductee for this sport at RHS. Peter, a class of 2012 graduate, was a standout for the two times Gold Cup Champion Maroons. During this period, the team enjoyed a remarkable 40-10-5 record. Upon his departure from the program, Peter left behind numerous season and career records. For his career Peter played a total of 102 games recording 79 goals and 78 assists for a total of 157 points averaging 1.54 points a game. His 79 career goals and 157 career points stand today as program records, and his 78 career assists are second. The single standout season for the center skater was his senior campaign, where he totaled 39 goals, and 72 points, season highs that still rank first today. These statistics support the recognition of Peter’s unselfish play. At 5’ 8” and 160 lbs. Peter made up for size with knowledge, skill and love of the game.

Like all great players, Peter had the gift of seeing plays develop before they would happen. Adept at both finishing and feeding his teammates his ice presence and vision were incredible. His knowledge of where to be on the ice without the puck led to his uncanny ability to get lost enabling him to get free of opponents defenses to effectively add to the Maroons offensive capabilities. His versatile and tenacious play led to his selection to numerous all league and county recognitions. In 2012 Peter was named “The Records” North Jersey Player Of The Year.

Peter was just one of 400 players that took part in the famous Boston Showcase Hockey Night in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It has been a showcase for many players who go on to professional careers in the sport. Hockey players from over 20 US states and many Canadian provinces were selected to participate. Peter was selected to play for the Mid-Atlantic squad based on his stellar performance for the North Jersey Avalanche team where he scored 25 goals and 23 assists. After another successful season with Ridgewood High School, Peter went on to continue his education and hockey career post graduate at Avon Old Farm Prep School.

At Avon, Peter was led by legendary coach John Gardner. Coach Gardner commented on how difficult it is to play as a 5th year walk on player. Peter earned his stripes starting out as a third line player. He began to earn the coaches trust with each shift he skated. As he learned and became confident employing Coach Gardner’s system, he began logging many minuets as a penalty killer. His discipline and positioning were highly valued and other players on the team thrived off of his work ethic. Peter quickly became an integral part of the team, helping to lead Old Avon to a winning season of 16-9-4 while tallying 5 goals and 5 assists.

Peter continued his education and hockey career at Providence College where his team competed in the American College Hockey Association Division 2 (ACHA II). At Providence, Peter competed in 75 total games at center while tallying 17 goals and 26 assists in his four years of collegiate competition. He captained the team for three seasons 2014 through 2017.

In 2020 Peter came back to Ridgewood High School, to take a position on the Maroons ice hockey coaching staff.