Back on the ice and ready to compete, Orange Lutheran hockey kicks off their season this month and will field nearly 70 players across three teams.
 
After ending last season with a heartbreaking double overtime loss in the CAHA championship game, the Lancers D1 team is looking to regain the top spot in the state. This year's roster includes 10 returners, including junior goaltender Kasen Mainberger, junior forward Atticus Knudsen and seniors Kefir Changwalker and Aiden Zakaria. The squad is also adding some key pieces in junior Jayden Dean and senior Tyler Rush.
 
"We have some big pieces coming in, as well as pieces coming back, so it will be exciting to see who steps into those roles for us," says OLu hockey head coach Ryan Frost.
 
A new aspect of OLu's hockey program this year is that all players will participate in the Lancer Ice Academy, where student athletes are able to combine the school's academic excellence with elite hockey training. This includes not only the D1 roster, but the D3 and JV teams as well, and as a result, Frost is already seeing increased development in the younger Lancer players.
 
"Over the summer, we had a summer academy that every freshman and incoming sophomore took part in, and this year our JV team especially has started head and shoulders over where we were last year, development-wise," says Frost.
 
The program is also seeing an increase in talented female players on the rosters this year, including sophomores Jessica Hoggatt, Haylee Mata and Addison Mendez.
 
The puck drops this week as the Lancers D1 team faces off on September 14 against Cathedral Catholic at San Diego Ice Arena. The D3 and JV squads both get their start on September 20 against Inland Empire at Great Park Ice in Irvine.
 
This year's 2025 USA Hockey High School National Championships will be hosted in OLu's backyard at Anaheim Ice and Great Park Ice, so the D1 team has their sights set on a CAHA championship and a Nationals bid.
 
Frost and the coaching staff see not only the D1 team in a strong position to meet this goal, but they also feel the D3 and JV teams are poised to win titles of their own in the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League (ADHSHL).
 
"The culture of the group is very positive this year," says Frost. "I love that the D1 team has constant success, and I want to see a JV championship…and a D3 championship. I want to see them all have success."