Montclair Athlete Spotlight: Will Schiffenhaus, Montclair High School Ice Hockey

by Andrew Garda

garda@montclairlocal.news

Whether it’s on the ice or the lacrosse field, Montclair High School junior Will Schiffenhaus is a force to be reckoned with. Recently named to the All Conference first team, Schiffenhaus has been a critical part of the success of the Mounties hockey team.

Even after a loss, like the recent 1-0 defeat to Livingston in the McInnis Cup, Schiffenhaus remains focused on the next task.

“I think we just need to get our minds back in the winning mentality,” Schiffenhaus said after the loss. “We played hard but just didn’t do enough to get the result today. And next time we lose a game our season is over. So we don’t want to lose, we only want success and we’ll keep pushing and trying hard for it.”

Schiffenhaus has wanted to attend the U.S. Naval Academy for a long time, and has now committed to play lacrosse there.

He took a few minutes with us to talk about that and let us get to know him a little better.

What attracted you to Navy?

It’s where I wanted to go, because I want to serve my country and I want to fight for the people back home. And the lacrosse team is fantastic. They’ve made the tournament the past five years and they’re a really great team, with really great coaching. Overall, it’s a fantastic school academically and I believe it will give me many opportunities in life and many chances at success.

What motivates you to play so physical in both sports?

I just like to play hard and battle for every chance to get the ball or the puck. Just fighting hard and battling for my brothers. That’s pretty much my main focus. Winning for the team, going hard for the team. Putting everything I’ve got on the line so that the squad could win.

Is there a subject at Montclair you like?

I like to learn about American history. Learn about what our country has been through and how people lived before us.

What do you do for fun?

For fun I like to hang out with friends, work out, do training. Anything from going to the gym to doing a private workout session with a trainer. I like to read, too.

What do you read?

I just read a book about World War II called “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah. It’s a really great book about French women during World War II and how when France was occupied by the Nazis, the women would be resistance fighters and smuggle Allied airmen out of occupied France. World War II is definitely my favorite subject. I like to learn everything that happened, from the Pacific battles to Europe. It’s fascinating to me.