![\"Resler](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lebobeat.com\/staging\/1488\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/thumbnail_resler-high-school-game.webp?resize=800%2C514&ssl=1\")
In just five months, Resler\u2019s work paid off. He was cleared to return to the ice, just in time for his Hornets U16AA team\u2019s two must-win games to close the regular season. The Hornets won both, qualifying for the District Championships. They won Districts. That victory sent them to the State Championships. They won States. And the State title earned them a spot in the USA Hockey Tier II National Tournament, where the team placed third and Resler finished as the tournament\u2019s second-highest point-earner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because of his performance, Resler was selected to the National All-Star Team\u2014an outstanding achievement for any player, let alone one who wasn\u2019t supposed to be back in the lineup at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo see a kid go from a season-ending injury to the national all-tournament team is remarkable\u2026 love watching Graham play,\u201d Hornets head coach Scot Lehman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Resler had reached his goal. He came back better than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a true high for me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the high didn\u2019t last. Continued pain and scar tissue required a second knee surgery in May 2025. Both surgeries were performed by Mt. Lebanon resident and graduate Dr. Bob Schilken, an orthopedic sports-medicine specialist whom the Resler family credits for exceptional care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the second surgery involved less pain and a shorter recovery, Resler knew his hockey future might change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThrough hockey I have experienced my greatest accomplishments, as well as my greatest disappointments, and they usually follow one another,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now a high school senior, Resler has hung up his Hornets jersey to focus his final year on varsity hockey\u2014where he is averaging nearly a point per game\u2014and his future plans. He is deciding which college to attend next fall and intends to major in finance, hoping to pursue a career in the investment industry, possibly overseas. He also plans to continue playing hockey at some level and is grateful for what the injury taught him about hard work and perseverance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe I\u2019ll continue to surprise myself on the ice, or perhaps my love for investments will flourish and I\u2019ll make a million dollars,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully both happen, but I know whatever the result, it\u2019s going to be up to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To catch Resler and the Mt. Lebanon High School varsity hockey team as they make their run at the PIHL playoffs, visit
lebohockey.com for the game schedule. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
How one shift changed this hockey player\u2019s life<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":35116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"nfd_image_url":"","nfd_onboarding_generated":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-high-school"],"yoast_head":"\n