By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer

Playing for the Auburn High School hockey team since he was a freshman, Landon Connor has seen the Rockets improve each year in the Division 2 State Tournament. During his first year with the team, Auburn lost to Duxbury in the first round; the next season, Connor and his teammates defeated Somerset Berkley Regional High School and lost to Walpole in the Sweet 16. Just last winter the Rockets captured wins against Amesbury and Plymouth South before falling in the Elite 8 to Tewksbury Memorial. 

Now as he enters his fourth and final season with Auburn, Connor is hoping that he can help take his team at least one game deeper into the State Tournament.

“Each year we’ve been able to improve in the playoffs and I would really like to get even further this year,” the senior said. “Individually I want to go out and play my best hockey and do whatever I can to help this team while enjoying my final season.”

As the team has gotten better over the past three seasons, so has Connor’s game. During his freshman campaign he scored one goal and added four assists for five points, his sophomore year he was able to put the puck in the net 10 times while adding eight assists for 18 points and last season he netted nine goals and had 19 assists for 28 points. 

The senior attributes his best season to his hard off-season work.

“My junior year was by far my best season and although it took me awhile to finally get the puck in the net, I eventually started to get hot,” he said. “That year I worked hard on my game, grew and put some weight on and it was harder to knock me off the puck.”

Connor also plays golf and lacrosse for the high school, but it’s hockey that is absolutely the number one sport in his heart. Having gotten the hockey bug from his father, who also skated for Auburn High School, Connor fell in love with the game at the young age of 3 and just couldn’t give it up.

He was little more than a toddler when he first stepped onto the ice with the town’s Learn to Skate program. Once he learned the game of hockey, he found himself playing for the Minuteman Flames out of Marlborough for five years. He would eventually leave the Flames to begin playing for the Junior Railers club team out of Worcester, where he played up until the beginning of this year’s high school season.

Playing a partial season for the Railers helped him prepare for the upcoming high school season. He noted the extra skating and coaching really helped him to get ready for high school.

Growing up playing in the Auburn youth hockey league Connor was picked to play center and despite not being able to pick the position himself, he made it his own. 

“Playing center allowed me to feel in control,” Connor said. “I know what is going on at all times on the ice and I get to help out the defense while still being an offensive player.”

Coming into the high school tryouts during his freshman campaign he wanted more than anything to make the varsity squad, but it wouldn’t kill him if he didn’t make the cut.

“High school hockey was difficult at first; it was a definitely a change of pace from what I was used to and the players were bigger, stronger and faster,” he said. “I feel that I adjusted to it quite well and had prepared and worked hard that summer and fall hoping to make the varsity team that year.”

Although his goal was to make the varsity team he was in a bit of a shock when he actually got onto the team. Despite his surprise, he was feeling really great about making the team.

That season the freshman was able to start, but unfortunately he dislocated a knee in his first game and was forced to miss a handful of games while he recuperated.

“Originally I really didn’t know what was going on. All I knew was that I was in a lot of pain,” Connor said. “When I found out that I had dislocated my knee I was upset that I was not going to be able to skate for a while, but luckily it was pretty easy recovery with a lot of rest.”

As soon as he was cleared to get back on the ice, it was just a matter of time. The first-year player had to get used to things all over and just trust his knee. Before he knew it, he was back to his old self. 

He knows this will be his final year playing competitive hockey and is hoping that it can become a very special year, one which he’ll remember for a long time. When the season does come to an end, Connor is hoping to go on and play club hockey on the collegiate level.

“I may play club hockey after this year, but I know it will not be as competitive as what I have been used to on the high school level and without the same energy the game will be losing something,” he said.

While he is thinking about his future playing time on the ice, he is not going to worry about it until it comes. Right now, he has one season, his senior campaign, with Auburn and is hoping to make the very best of it.