SPRINGFIELD, PA--For David and Jesse Monastra, the brotherhood of hockey at Cardinal O’Hara High School is unlike any bond in the Inter County Scholastic Hockey League (ICSHL).
“It’s been fun playing together and it’s a luxury that most people don’t have,” Jesse Monastra said.
In fact, this "luxury" referred to, you could say is a bond that these twin brothers have shared since soon after they could walk. A bond that goes well beyond spending time on the ice.
The boys celebrated senior night last Wednesday, in a 12-0 rout of Archbishop Ryan at Skatium ice hockey rink in Havertown, PA. The evening was filled with laughter and smiles on and off the ice from players, parents, and coaches.
“This has been such an unreal experience,” David Monastra said. “I haven’t gone into anything alone and I always have someone to fall back on through everything.”
The Monastra twins are currently playing out their senior campaign for the Lions. While most hockey players have friendships and brotherhoods on the ice, David and Jesse Monastra have taken that to another level. For more than 17 years, parents Dave and Karen Monastra have watched their sons grow as athletes and into young men.
“It’s been a great experience,” said the boys’ father Dave Monastra. “For them as twin boys to share the ice time together it’s been phenomenal. The number of friends that the boys have made through this experience has been tremendous.”
Monastra had the pleasure of coaching his sons and teaching them the game of hockey. From peewee hockey, now through four years of Philadelphia Catholic League hockey, it has been all hands-on deck. The brothers have spent time playing with the Quakers Youth Ice Hockey Club, the Haverford Hawks and the New Jersey Jaguars.
“The first two years I coached, and it was a great hands-on experience,” Dave Monastra said. “After a while what a dad tells you, it doesn’t have the same impact as a coach. Making the transition to the stands was smooth and I’m glad that we did it after those first two years.”
The twins agree that it has been a great opportunity to play on the same line this season at Cardinal O’Hara. So far in 2021, David and Jesse have played in all six games, scoring three goals total.
“It was certainly easier to adjust because you had someone that you knew doing it with you,” Jessie Monastra said. “We didn’t have to make a new friend right away, so we were able to grow into it.”
Ice hockey has not just taken the Monastra twins across the country, it has also taken them across the world. An exchange program with Finland enabled the brothers to spend two weeks abroad playing the game they love.
“On and off the ice it’s been great discipline and has kept them out of trouble,” said Dave Monastra. “As a father it’s been a great experience to watch them play. To any parents out there who have sons interested in hockey, my biggest piece of advice is to let them do it.”
On May 11, Jesse and David will celebrate their 18th birthday, and legally begin their lives as adults. A month later on June 9, the two will graduate from Cardinal O’Hara.
Despite this being their senior year, the memories of playing together are not done yet.
Not only are the Lions competing for a Philadelphia Catholic League Championship and a bid to this year’s Flyers Cup, the Monastra twins have plans to continue playing hockey at Widener University in the fall of 2021.
Cardinal O' Hara senior brothers (l) Jesse and David Monastra (photo courtesy: Monastra family)
(pictured): Brothers Jesse (L) and David (r) with their father Dave Monastra during a father/son hockey camp in Lake Placid NY. (photo: Monastra family)
David and Jesse pictured with members of the Finnish hockey team they had the opportunity to stay with while playing abroad. (photo: Monastra family)
“I was expecting it to end in high school.” Dave Monastra said. “The opportunity for them to play college hockey at Widener gives me four more years to enjoy this. As a parent, when you realize this could be the last time you see your sons suiting up in those jerseys, it hits you right in the heart. Not many twins have the experience to play the game you love with a brother that you adore.”
David and Jesse plan to major in Business and Financial Planning during their college career at Widener. Currently, their family runs Monastra Financial Group in Springfield PA.
David Monastra holding the Championship Cup in Youth Hockey Game (photo: Monostra family)
Jesse Monastra sharing in the celebration with his brother David holding Championship Cup in Youth Hockey game. (photo: Monastra family)