On the eve of Thanksgiving, all eyes in the town of Lake Forest will be drawn to the Madhouse on Sheridan, the Lake Forest College Hockey Arena. There, two teams will throw down in front of plenty of spectators ready to see some thrilling hockey. That’s right–Pucks and Poms is on the horizon, and this year after all the pre-game festivities settle, the Lake Forest Scouts Blue and Gold varsity teams will take on New Trier and Cary Grove respectively. These games will surely be something you don’t want to miss.

The Lake Forest Scouts Varsity Dance team will make their way to LFC to participate in events prior to puck drop, and will cheer on the hockey teams during their games. Also in attendance will be some teachers from Lake Forest High School who will participate in a charity “Shoot the Puck” contest with the Poms captains in between the two games. $500 will be donated to the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA) for every shootout participant that makes a goal. Furthermore, Scouts alumni will also pack the stands for this slate of games. The festivities are, of course, a big part of the night, but the main event between Lake Forest and New Trier is the biggest draw.

If you don’t already know, New Trier has the best hockey team in the IHSHL. Currently ranked first in the champions conference at (7-3-1), players such as Joseph Duris, Dylan Kochman and Henry Schrier lead the offense for the Trevians, while Luke Baldwin and Daniel Pugliese make very strong defenders. They have two games where they have scored seven goals, and three in which they have scored six. This is a stellar team that will at the very least make the game close between them and the Scouts, but with two straight wins in their back pocket and a total of 11 goals, the Lake Forest Scouts have a chance to pull the upset.

If the Scouts win, it will likely be in a high scoring affair. The Lake Forest defense has been solid in their past few games, but not great enough to stop New Trier from scoring 3 or 4 goals. Therefore, they will turn to their offense for some points. Two key players to watch for just so happen to be brothers. Tanner Heitman and Hunter Heitman have been scoring machines in their past few contests and will need to have big games in order to upset the Trevians. Also, Trevor Allen has made a huge impact with two goals in back to back games along with plenty of assists. The one Scout’s x-factor to watch for will be Jack Kaptrosky. He had a hot start to the 2017-18 season, but cooled off a bit despite scoring Monday night. If he, along with Allen and the Heitman brothers, can get going, expect the Scouts to score 4 or more goals and keep the game close.

Arguably the biggest hockey game of the season is on the horizon. Starting at 6:00, the varsity gold team will face off against Cary Grove, then after the Pucks and Poms festivities, the blockbuster matchup between Lake Forest and New Trier will begin. I’ll say it again: This is something you do not want to miss. If you are in town over break, make sure to head over to the college to watch the biggest hockey event of the season in Lake Forest.