Although Lancer Hockey lost some key players on both the offensive and defensive ends this year, junior captain Patrick Murphy said fortunately the majority of the teams lost key players too, and the team expects to show a strong season compared to their competitors.
“The whole league has gotten worse with most of every team’s key players leaving or graduating, so I think we will have a much better record like 14-4. We are expecting to make it to the semifinals at JFK,” Murphy said.
The boys went 11-7 last year and are looking to improve their record even after losing 10 seniors. Last year in the playoffs, they lost to Concord 7-1, but this game clearly did not reflect how the majority of the season went.
“We started off playing well but after they scored 2 goals early in the second period to make it 3-1, and we just started playing terrible. Also, their team was very good last year, and they ended up going to the championship and losing,” junior captain Anthony Federico said.
Although last season ended poorly, senior captain Jared Tuccolo believes that his team could be extremely competitive this year.
“Saying we will make it all the way is pretty generic, but I really think we have a chance to do some special things this year and put together a solid run,” Tuccolo said.
The team will be on the younger side this year, but there are some young treats to watch out for.
“I think getting Patrick Cohen and Nick Pitarys back from injuries will be huge,” Tuccolo said. “They weren’t around that long last year and there are a couple freshman that are turning heads at tryouts. Teams haven’t been made yet but there are a couple that definitely could make an impact this year.”
The boys are eager to get back on the ice and show the rest of the league they mean business.
“I think the fact it’s my last year playing for my school will definitely motivate me to put the most effort into the season I plan to leave everything on the ice this year I’m gonna give it my all,” Tuccolo said.
