Mtn. Lakes-Boonton ice hockey surging

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There’s nothing better than scoring the game-winning goal or coming up with 32 saves on Senior Night, especially when your high school career is nearing the end.

Anthony MacLaren and Cody Roller, seniors, of course, accomplished those amazing feats for the Mountain Lakes-Boonton ice hockey team in a 5-4 overtime win against High Point on Wednesday, January 14.

MacLaren registered the decisive score off a rebound with four minutes remaining in OT.

“The game was tied 4-4 and we had a rush in the offensive zone,” MacLaren explained. “My teammate shot the puck and hit the post of the net. The puck rebounded which left me a great opportunity to shoot the puck and score the game-winning goal.”

Making the moment extra special was the presence of MacLaren’s younger brother, James, and the reaction of his teammates.

“Scoring the game-winning goal was an amazing feeling, especially because it was Senior Night,” Anthony said. “My brother was on the ice with me when I scored the goal. Being able to celebrate with my brother and my teammates was priceless.”

Roller has proven to be a reliable goalie and didn’t let the pressure get to him.

“To be a goalie you need to always remain calm, even in the most intense moments,” Roller said. “For me, my most nervous moments are the first five to eight minutes of the game, as my main priority is to save the first shot that I face. Typically once I make a few saves, I get in the zone and making other saves is very routine for me.

“When I get loads of shots within a short time period, I feel more confident as I am constantly moving and staying in the flow of the game. My mindset whenever I face a shot is to make myself as big as possible. My goal is to make the shooter feel like they have nowhere to shoot, and that also makes me take up more of the net so that I can have a higher chance of making the save.”

A hockey player since middle school, Roller became a goalie as a freshman when the combined squad didn’t have one. Ever since volunteering, he has “worked hard to get better every day and give my team a good chance to win every game.”

What stands out are the memories he’s made and the camaraderie.

“I will remember my time playing high school ice hockey as a four-year period of growth and making many good memories with teammates,” he said. “I will always have the memories made with teammates, especially my six other friends from Boonton who I play with, and particularly Anthony MacLaren, who joined this team with me four seasons ago.”

As for the High Point game, Roller liked skating out for the pregame ceremony and seeing familiar faces among the spectators. Of course, watching MacLaren scoring the decisive goal was a highlight, too.