The 2021-22 Livingston High School Ice Hockey team started its season at 9-0, one of the best starts in the program’s long history. Playing in the very competitive New Jersey Interscholastic Ice Hockey League’s (NJIIHL) McInnis Division, the team’s current record stands at 11-1.The Lancers are ranked number 11 in the state in a category encompassing both public and private schools, and are number two among just public schools in the state. With recent wins over 15th-ranked Middletown South, 12th-ranked Westfield, and ninthranked Morris Knolls, the Lancers look to join the top ten ice hockey rankings and become the number one public school in the state.The Lancers’ strong defensive group, led by seniors Jace Dockx and Andrew Qian, junior Brett Conklin, and sophomore Ryan Zales, has limited their opponents to an average under 20 shots per game. Goalies Zack Turbin and Justinas Sanders have combined for a stingy 1.3 goalsagainst average. The Lancers have outshot their opponents, 346-229 in the first 12 games.The offensive unit has been led by seniors Austin Vecchio, Danny Grossbard, and Spencer Solomon; junior Dillon Schultz; sophomores Zack Silva and Shalva Samchkuashvili; and freshmen Egor Tarasyuk.Head coach Dave Conklin credits the Lancers’ success to their strong work ethic, team chemistry, and their ability to play within a system. “The success we are having this year is not just a result of the past few months of practice,” Conklin said. “These players worked hard all year. They committed to a rigorous off-season weight training, speed, and agility program. They work hard, are willing to sacrifice and pay the price for success. We play an aggressive style of hockey that wears teams down. We pride ourselves on being the hardest working team.”Forwards Reed Plotnick, Ayan Chaudhuri, and Sean Chen, and defensemen Alex Selvin and Mitchell Friedman have helped bolster a solid Lancer roster. Anthony Cassese is coming back from injury.The Lancers’ next home game is Saturday, January 8, at Codey Arena. Game time is 5:45 p.m.
