Photo courtesy of Joseph Lawrence

Freshman goalie Joseph Lawrence prepares for a shot in a game against Richard Montgomery on January 11, 2019. The Ice Cats won the game 5-3 with Lawrence saving 38 of the 41 shots in the game.

After the WJ Ice Cats lost star goalie Grace Campbell, who transferred to Shattuck St. Mary’s boarding school to further her hockey career, uncertainty surrounded the goalie position going into the season. With the starting position up for grabs, freshman Joseph Lawrence came out on top and has since been a key contributor to the Ice Cats, who are in great position for making the playoffs.

“It was a great surprise for me [to get the starting job]. I’m very honored to be on the team and fortunate to have great teammates,” Lawrence said.

As the new starting goalie, Lawrence has a lot of pressure on him to perform to the highest degree. Since Lawrence is a freshman, who has new coaches and teammates, it is hard to live up to the high expectations. However, Lawrence has performed excellently so far with a save percentage of .848 and a solid 4.66 goals allowed per game. Lawrence has kept the Ice Cats in contention for almost every game, averaging 23.5 saves per game which is among the highest in the league. Lawrence credits his success to his teammates.

“This team pushes me to become better. We have faced great competition in teams like BCC, Wooton, and Churchill. No matter what happens in the game, the team always has my back and that really motivates me to give it my all when out on the ice,” Lawrence said.

This motivation has made Lawrence a key contributor in leading the Ice Cats to a 7-6 record on the season. Lawrence’s breakout game came against Richard Montgomery on January 11; the Ice Cats won this game 5-3 behind Lawrence’s great performance. Lawrence had an astonishing 38 saves on 41 shots, and this .927 save percentage would put him among the elites at even the professional level.

With this win, the Ice Cats cemented their playoff status by holding off fifth place Richard Montgomery to secure the fourth and final playoff spot, all thanks to Lawrence’s breakout performance.  Lawrence is looking to continue his performance from this game and become a real leader for the Ice Cats going forward.

“Hopefully we can win a state championship in these next four years and after high school I’m hoping that I can play juniors or college to continue my career in hockey,” Lawrence said.

You can see Lawrence and the Ice Cats in action against Quince Orchard on Friday, February 8 at 10:20 p.m. at Rockville Ice Arena, where the Ice Cats look to close out their regular season with a win.