Interview with Liam Lascelle who broke three Cornwall Colts Jr. A records

Cornwall Ontario – Last month Liam Lascelle was recognized for becoming the Cornwall Colts franchise leader in wins, saves, and games played as a goaltender. With his junior career coming to an end soon, Liam Lascelle is pleased to have left his mark.

“Being in the league full time for the past three years, it feels good to have left a bit of a mark. My junior career is coming to an end within the next couple months, so this will definitely be something I can look back on and be proud of myself for,” Liam Lascelle replied.

So far this season Liam Lascelle has 21 wins, two shut-outs, a 2.97 GAA, and a 0.920 SV%. These are impressive stats for the amount of rubber he has seen over the course of the season. This includes a 41 save performance last week when the Cornwall Colts upset The Jr. Senators 2-1 in Ottawa.

“Got to be a little lucky to be good, and the hockey gods were on my side that night. I got a couple of good bounces, and the guys in front of me had some big blocks and cleared some crucial rebounds which really helped,” Liam Lascelle said.

What was Liam Lascelle’s biggest accomplishment as a Cornwall Colts player?

“Probably between my first win and also last seasons winning streak. I won my first game when I was 16 years old, and we won 2-1 in a shootout. As well as last season, when we went on a streak of 25 wins, 2 loses, and 3 overtime losses,” Liam Lascelle reminisced.

What was it like playing that first Jr. A hockey game at the age of 16, winning it in a shootout, and being named the games first star?

“To say I was nervous was a bit of an understatement, one of the goalies got hurt and the other was suspended so I got the nod. They scored on their 4th shot of the game, and it was kind of a weak goal, so I’m sure many thought it was going to be a long night, but once I got more comfortable in the net and got rid of the nerves the game slowed down and I felt a lot better,” Liam Lascelle said.

When Liam Lascelle was 16 years old, he was a student athlete at the Ontario Hockey Academy, a school run by his parents Giles and Kim Lascelle. Hockey runs in the Lascelle family. His father Giles Lascelle played college hockey at Concordia University in Canada, and he also played professionally in Olofstrom, Sweden. His oldest sister Kayla Lascelle is an NCAA Div 3 National Champion with Norwich University, while his second oldest sister Jenna Lascelle played four seasons of NCAA Div I at the University of New Hampshire, and his younger sister Tia is currently a student athlete at OHA.

According to Liam Lascelle, his time at the Ontario Hockey Academy was well spent. It helped prepare him for Jr. A hockey, like it helped prepare his older sisters for NCAA hockey.

“Our team in Minor Midget finished last place. However, the following season in Major Midget we finished first. Which just goes to show the improvement OHA had on me. With the help of my coaches and parents, OHA helped me to make my Junior A goal reachable,” Liam Lascelle explained.

However, Liam Lascelle faced adversity before playing Junior A full-time. He was sent down to play Junior B. He stuck with the game, earned a spot with the Cornwall Colts, and now holds three Colts Jr. A franchise records. His tenacity and patience payed off.

“Getting sent down from Jr.A to Jr. B was disappointing. I even considered quitting hockey and going to school. However, I continued to work hard and waited for my next opportunity to play Jr. A. Playing Jr. B definitely helped the transition from midget to junior hockey,” Liam Lascelle recalled.

Now both school and a higher level of hockey are just around the corner for Liam Lascelle. He is eyeing an opportunity to play NCAA next season.

“I plan on playing NCAA next year, I have been trying to narrow down schools. My goal is to play as many NCAA games as possible, they only play about 30 regular season games, so I will continue to work hard so I can get as much playing time as possible,” Liam Lascelle concluded.

For more information on the Ontario Hockey Academy or the Cornwall Colts visit their respective websites.