Junior defender Griffin Remick lays a perfect check on the helpless opposition. (courtesy Griffin Remick)

LM Boys Ice Hockey has come hungry for victory this season. This marks the beginning of the 32nd year of LM Ice Hockey Club’s existence; impressively the LM Ice Hockey Club has grown from one varsity high school team to a seven-team club. The Aces are coached by William Williams with the help of assistant coaches Dan Pike, Craig Levin, and Joe Dubrow. The Aces are also led by junior captain Mo Grimes, who is backed up by the team’s leaders, junior Evan Goldstein, a tough and fast junior defender, scrappy junior forward Aaron Bowen, relentless junior defender Griffin Remick, sophomore points leader Will Levin, and top goal scorer senior RJ Nester. The boys’ biggest goal this year is to improve upon last year’s record of 11-7. Last season they managed to average over five goals a game while allowing fewer than four. They will look to improve in both these categories this season.

Another goal of the Aces is to finish with a higher ranking than last year, which was third in the tri-county division. When asked about the season, Grimes said, “we are playing better than I have seen before. Crisp passes, hard shots, and fast skating. With all of this combined, there is no doubt in my mind that we will get a lot of wins.”

Although it is still early in the season, the Aces have already managed to knock off Plymouth Whitemarsh, which at the time was the top team in the tri-county B division. They also recently defeated their division rivals, Harriton. Sophomore goalie Ian Yenal racked up his first shutout of the season, Bowen had three assists, and Goldstein and Levin had two goals apiece in the Aces’ decisive 7-0 victory. After the game, Goldstein optimistically commented, “we’ve had a couple of strong games and the team is really starting to play as a solid unit.” The team has really looked sharp in all aspects of the game; whether it’s skating fast, or getting back on defense, the Aces are always hustling. They have also tied Philadelphia Area Charter High School (PACHS) and Upper Darby, and lost to Pope John Paul II by a score of 2-1. With many more wins sure to come, the boys still get to face division leader Upper Darby and rival Harriton two more times each this season.

This year’s team is smaller than most of the teams in the league size-wise, but “they make up for it with speed, finesse, and tough defensive play” said Williams. Since the team has only six upperclassmen, they’re in the process of transition and growth. The boys’ seem to have a lot of bright spots for the future, with talented freshmen Noah Goldstein, Evan Wolf, Jake Margolis, and Tony Stedaford. Unlike in past years, the Aces have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs, which come around in March. Making the playoffs is their most important goal for the season. Overall this is a very exciting time for LM Ice Hockey. The coach and team hope that a lot of people come out to see what this team is really all about. The Aces have a lot of big games left, as they play Plymouth Whitemarsh twice this month, including on December 23, and Harriton on February 9 and 24. Fans who attend these games should witness exciting hockey, no matter the score.