Beneath the subtle lights that illuminate the frozen floor of the arena, the scent of sweat and cold air fills the room with anticipation. Yitian Zhao ’24 steps onto the rink along with his teammates. Game on. As the puck glides on the glistening ice, he focuses his eyes on it, anticipating the moment to take a shot. Zhao moves with precision, gaining more momentum as he reaches his goal. The backdrop is filled with nothing but the crowd cheering and the crisp echoes of the skate blades cutting the ice.

At a young age of 5, Zhao began his ice hockey career after learning how to skate for 3 years. Inspired by his older sister, a figure skater, Zhao watched her practice and eventually, he grew accustomed to the ice.

“It just came down to choosing figure skating or hockey,” said Zhao. “It's a fast paced game, and I also like hitting people––[that’s why I chose hockey.]”

Ever since then, Zhao has dedicated much time to the sport, especially towards playing club hockey. While balancing training sessions throughout the week, Zhao would also travel for matches during the weekend.

“The local teams aren’t at the highest level, so I would always have to travel to places like Philly to play Tier 1 clubs––and I still do.” said Zhao.

Although Zhao’s love for hockey has led him so far, Zhao’s packed schedule posed a challenge. However, Zhao’s determination to pursue his passion ultimately overcame that uncertainty.

“I was swamped with schoolwork, and hockey almost became like a chore that I had to do before I could go back home,” said Zhao. “I knew it was going to be a lot of work, but I still enjoyed playing out on the ice with my teammates.”

Part of the reason Zhao dedicated so much time to hockey was his dad, whose guidance instilled in Zhao to always strive for improvement.

“I enjoyed practicing by myself, but it was mainly him who pushed me to where I am now,” said Zhao. “He would take me to all types of practices and tournaments to get some exposure and practice, and even if I sometimes didn't want to, I believe that it has let me get to the skill level I'm at right now.”

As an upperclassman in the team, Zhao pays it forward by providing advice to his teammates. Drawing from his father's influence, Zhao gives tips on strengthening his teammates’ game.

“If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you won’t be motivated to improve,” said Zhao. “Outside of motivation, I think that focusing on the basics, like skating and stickhandling, is a must to try and play or get better at the sport. Having a strong foundation will let you build off of it.”

Some of this advice is based on his own personal experience, and his growth throughout the years. Despite encountering some bumps along the way, his devotion for hockey has triumphed over these obstacles, making way for his performance to flourish, especially within the team.

“I feel like high school hockey has given me the opportunity to do [improve myself] because the competition is at a lower level than my club teams, so I can be more laid back and try to mess around without much consequence,’ said Zhao. “It's less of a grind to me and I get to mess around with my teammates on the ice and in school as well.”

Zhao envisions continuing to play hockey beyond the bounds of the Mercer County Ice Rink, and into a new environment where he can train at a higher level.

“I plan to play college hockey. I’m going to try and look for a D3 offer, and maybe try and go D1 if I can,” said Zhao.

With the ice hockey season starting again, Zhao is hoping to make his last year on the team a fun, memorable experience.

“I love everything about hockey, from the pinging sound of the puck going bar down off the crossbar to the .... action in the game.” said Zhao. “Even if we had a rough home opener, I have high hopes for how the rest of the season will turn out. It would be amazing to end my high school hockey career on a high, and I’m sure that the other seniors would agree, too.”