Winter is here! And with it, the Raiders will be looking to make some history on the ice. Since the pucks first dropped the boys have been off to a fire start. Boro Hockey has been playing at a high level, tallying three wins and zero losses in their first two weeks of play.

Their last game proved to be a tough one, however, the boys did not let up for a minute. The Raiders took to their home ice against rival opponent Ridge and played with lots of intensity, forcing a 4-4 draw. Junior Jude Kurtas achieved an outstanding career milestone with his 100th career goal; a feat that also ties a school record.

Senior Mike Jandoli, entering the final season of his four-year varsity career, was selected as a captain of the team this year.

“I’m loving the energy so far and I hope we can still keep rolling,” Jandoli said.

Along with support from the fans, the Raiders also were joined at the Ridge game by Arjun Jain, a Hillsborough ten-year-old hockey player who is battling Leukemia, who dropped the ceremonial first puck prior to the start of the game.

Jain is a courageous boy who holds dreams of putting the skates on for the varsity team in the future. Jain has been a symbol of moral support and has given the team a positive incentive to play their best. Donations of $2 will be given to Jain’s family for every goal scored by a Raider this season.

Despite losing some talent from the graduating class last year, returning players and some new faces are keeping this year’s lineup formidable. Junior Jason Wolff and senior Matthew Palmer are two key players seeing plenty of time on the ice this season.

Freshman Jason LoRicco also earned the starting goalkeeper spot in his first varsity year. Another freshman, Holden Stack, is playing his first year on the squad as well, but that has not stopped him from being a force on the ice. Stack has started the season well adding to the Raider goal totals.

A combination of hard work and dedication has allowed the team to succeed early on in the Skyland Conference.

Next, on the schedule will be rival Bridgewater-Raritan on Dec. 14. This game will definitely be difficult, but nothing is impossible as shown from the first games played already. The two teams will square off at 3:00 p.m. in Bridgewater.

The promising start the boys are on will hopefully continue for the rest of the season, so show your support and cheer the Raider ice hockey team on this year.