Seckman Hockey Sharpshooter Leslie Looking To Leave Legacy

Seckman High School senior Scott Leslie is looking leave his legacy on the Jaguars hockey club program with a third South Division title in four years.

“It would be a great accomplishment for our program,” Leslie said. “It would be the perfect way to go out.”

Leslie leads the team this season with 20 goals and 35 points. The captain has 83 career goals and 153 career points. Leslie also has three shorthanded goals and four game-winning goals on this season, including a game-winning “shortie” against Rockwood Summit in a crucial 5-2 division victory on Jan. 3.

Seckman followed that game with a loss to a strong CBC (19-2) team, 8-3, on Jan. 7 and then beat Mehlville (0-16) on Monday, 9-1. The Jaguars (8-8-1) are 7-0-1 in the Mid-States Suburban South Division this season.

Seckman and Eureka are tied in the Suburban South standings with 15 points each. Seckman controls its destiny because the Jaguars win the division if they win out.

Leslie scored four goals and had six points against Mehlville. During the game, he added his fourth shorthanded goal on the season. Leslie has 24 goals this season and 88 for his career. He has 41 points this season and 159 in his stellar career.

“Scotty is a guy that can control the game,” head coach Bob Bucher said. “He’s got the size, skating ability and can shoot the puck and he’s continued to elevate his game throughout the years."

Leslie said, “That was a tough game and a big win against Rockwood. It’s always fun to put up points but at the end of the day we’re a team and it doesn’t matter who puts them up.”

The Jaguars are on a crash course with the Eureka Wildcats, and the two teams will face off Friday, Jan. 14, with the winner probably taking the South Division crown.

“We had a lot of penalties in the last game against Eureka,” senior captain Tyler Noll said. “If we just worry about our game and take it to them then I think we can win.”

The Jaguars and Wildcats tied, 4-4, their first meeting. Leslie scored twice as Seckman rallied from a 1-4 deficit in the third period to tie the game. The tie game earned the Jaguars a point towards the divisional standings. Eureka won the South Division by one point two seasons ago spoiling the chance for Seckman to win four straight division titles.  

“Our goal from the beginning of the year was to win our division and secure a spot in the Challenge Cup,” Noll said. “It would be a great way to send off the senior class.”

Seckman is on the bubble for qualifying for the Challenge Cup for a second consecutive season. The Jaguars have struggled outside of the division when they played some of the top teams in Mid-States, but they hope that experience will pay off in the postseason.

“The strength of schedule has done nothing but help us,” Bucher said. “The guys needed that push and hopefully it will benefit us when it all shakes out in the end.”

The top 16 teams in the Mid-States Club Hockey Association advance to the Challenge Cup. Seckman is currently tied for 18th in total points in the overall standings. The next 16 teams would play for the Wickenheiser Cup, where Seckman would probably be one of the favorites.

“The kids are at the point now where they don’t want to go back to the Wick and they want to be in the top 16 regardless of the opponent,” Bucher said.

The Jaguars qualified for the Challenge Cup tournament last season advancing to the quarterfinals before being knocked out by Francis Howell Central.