PHOTO BY ANDREW GARDA/STAFF
by Andrew Garda
garda@montclairlocal.news
The Montclair Mounties hockey team took the Montclair Cup home this past Monday with a 3-2 win over Montclair Kimberley Academy, and while the Mounties overall were excited to win, it meant a little bit more to seniors like Pat Ledgett.
“Having MKA win it my junior year was really tough,” he said after the victory. “We knew we wanted to bring it back. It’s also a divisional game, and we want to have success there. But we have much higher aspirations than winning the Montclair Cup. It’s just one game.”
Ledgett, who leads the Mounties scorers with 13 goals, isn’t going to play hockey in college, so he and the team are looking beyond just a town rivalry.
“I mean personally, I just want to do whatever I can to help the team. Teamwise, we want a County and State Championship. They’re hard goals to achieve, especially with our county being so difficult. With the quality of teams in it, every game is a hard game. But County and State championship is what we want and we’re not going to stop until we put ourselves in a good position to get there,”
Ledgett took a few minutes after the win over MKA to let us get to know him a bit better.
Do you know where you want to go to college?
I’m not playing any college athletics, so I’ll probably be going to go to school somewhere in Canada. Either Western or Queens University. I’m a citizen so it’s cheap.
Did you grow up in Montclair?
Yeah, I’m from Montclair. I grew up watching these games, watching older kids like Brock Bowers, and Remy Parker. Then I got to play with them my freshman and sophomore year. Now it feels really good to lead a team and work with this group of kids.
What is the draw to Canada?
I have family there, so it’s kind of a second home. Somewhere I go during the summer, just relax and take time off.
What do you like most about it?
It’s pretty relaxing. I have a busy schedule when I’m down here so, taking time up there and kind of calming down, really focusing myself is good for me.
Do you have a favorite place?
Mostly Ontario. All my family is in Ontario. And Toronto, it’s a great place to be. It’s kind of like New York but smaller.
Who is your biggest hockey influence?
Definitely my dad. He’s from Toronto, so he’s a die-hard Maple Leafs fan. So it’s been something I’ve loved since I was six years old. It’s not really hard to get up every day and go to the rink.
What do you want to study?
Business. It’s just something I’m attracted to. There are lots of opportunities to go from there.