Liam Lecauchois ‘24 defends Wheaton West player in an away game on Oct. 16.

The LT hockey club began its season with a game against Warriors Hockey Club, on Friday, Sept. 29. After the Warriors scored from a penalty shot in the final two minutes of the game, LT lost 5-4. Despite the tough first match, LT won their next two season games that weekend against Oswego and Lincoln-Way. 

“Hockey’s a tough game,” head varsity coach Benjamin Engle said. “It’s physical, it’s mental. There are a lot of strategies and gameplay that go into it. I want to make sure that all the boys are able to stay positive and stay on track as a team.”

Since hockey is a club sport, it does not follow the typical high school schedule, Engle said. The season spans roughly seven months, beginning in September and ending in March. 

“It’s a long season, so the goal is to stay healthy,” he said. “We’ve already had some injuries and there’s been some sickness going around. We want to make sure we can play through those adversities and make sure everyone is solid and playing at their full potential.”

Prior to the official season, the team played a series of four showcase games, including one against Hinsdale Central that ended with an 8-1 win. Results from last year combined with the success of preseason games led to LT beginning the season ranked 15th in state.

“Everything feels fluid and is clicking together very well,” Brody Stauber ‘24 said. “Especially being so early in the season, there’s a lot of room to grow and get better.”

The varsity group practices on Mondays at 9 p.m. and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. at the Willowbrook Ice Arena. Additionally, the team participates in off-ice training at the Local Workout in La Grange on Thursdays where they work on weight training and calisthenics with a trainer. 

“It’d be nice to be more affiliated with the school and get earlier ice times,” Stauber said. “Since it’s a club sport, you kind of feel disjoint from LT, and you feel like you’re just getting the LT name.” 

After a strong start to the season, Stauber and Engle are hoping for more student support from the school.

“We want to be a part of the school and a part of LT culture,” Engle said. “We have a really good team this year so we want the student body to come out and support that.”

The hockey team will be competing in an out-of-state tournament in Minneapolis on Nov. 3-5. Their next home game is against the Spartans Hockey Club on Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Willowbrook Ice Arena.