Lake Forest Scouts Hockey Junior Varsity Team celebrating American Hockey Association state championship

Chicago Tribune

15-04-2025

March 16 may have been an ordinary day for most people, but for the Lake Forest Scouts Hockey Junior Varsity Gold team, it was a day of triumph. As on that Sunday afternoon, they captured a state championship.
The JV Gold Scouts won the American Hockey Association (AHAI) title with a 2-0 win over rival Providence Catholic, the first title for the team since 1988.
'The group we had this year made history because we can say we are among those who played in the state championship and we were able to accomplish that,' JV Gold Coach Mike McCann said.
In terms of hockey, the Lake Forest Scouts have been in existence since 1975, featuring both varsity and junior varsity teams. While not a formal part of the Lake Forest High School athletic department, the JV team is composed of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who attend LFHS.
During the regular season, the Scouts compete in the Scholastic Hockey League. Ahead of the first puck drop, optimism abounded for the 2024-25 campaign.
'Going into the season, I thought we had a very good team,' noted captain Carter Savage.
The Scouts had a 25-5 regular season record with forward Aidan Carruthers leading the team with 32 goals.
During the SHL playoffs, the Scouts lost the first game in a best-of-three series against York, but then came back to win the next two..
McCann viewed that series as a turning point.
'Going in and winning those games, it was a light at the end of the tunnel. It was going to be gravy from there on out,' he said. 'That was a big momentum boost.'
While the Scouts came up short against Loyola in the SHL championship game, positive energy remained when the AHAI tournament began. (The SHL and AHAI are separate from one another.)
Starting the AHAI tournament as a #5 seed, the Scouts used the sting of an upset loss early in the 2024 playoffs as motivation.
'Being a captain, I wanted to put a charge into the team and make a big push because of what happened last year,' Savage said.
They skated to wins over St. Viator and York to make the semifinals, where they took on Loyola. That game remained scoreless through regulation, but an overtime goal by forward Bobby Rolek put the Scouts into the championship against Providence Catholic.
Playing at the United Center, the Scouts grabbed a quick 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Carruthers and forward Callum Eggers. That was all freshman goaltender Jude Mobile needed as he was on his way to a shutout and earning the game's MVP honors.
'He was absolutely phenomenal. He made great saves. He had played great in the games prior to that as well,' McCann said. 'So it wasn't a shock that he was doing extremely well.'
Mobile, whose favorite player growing up was Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford, remembered his mindset ahead of the action.
'I didn't think too much about the significance of the game,' he said. 'I didn't want to get too nervous. I just wanted to play like it was any other game. It kind of worked out for me.'
As the seconds dwindled down in the third period, McCann gazed occasionally at the large scoreboard hanging from the United Center rafters.
'It was one of those moments where we were looking up at the last minute, where we had a really good feeling about it,' he recalled.
He was also looking into the crowd, noticing the many people often donned in blue and gold, whose children played for the team in the past. Now they came to the Chicago to support the current squad.
'They made the trip with their son's jersey,' he said. 'That was pretty special.'
When the final horn sounded, it was time for a party on the ice and then hoisting the trophy in the locker room. After the trip back north, there was a celebratory dinner at a Lake Forest restaurant for the players, friends and families.
'It means a lot,' Savage said. 'Being able to take another championship home for the Scouts.'
On April 2, the Scouts returned to the United Center, posing for pictures on the ice. They stayed to watch the Blackhawks play the Colorado Avalanche and received a salute from the organization on the scoreboard during the first intermission.
One person not returning to the United Center was McCann, but he had a good reason as his wife delivered the couple's second child on April 1.
Trying to get adjusted to his schedule at home, McCann remains very happy with the new addition at home and the new addition to the history of the Scouts.
'It is a community success, it is not just about one year,' he said. 'It is a long buildup to the process that they appreciated.'