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Jack Donlin scored his 99th career point for Cazenovia High School just 40 seconds into the second period against Christian Brothers Academy. He hit 100 during his next shift.

Coming into the game, Donlin was just two points shy of triple-digit points, a milestone that no Laker had reached since Connor Cannizaro in 2013. Donlin’s record night helped Cazenovia to a 6-4 victory.

“The back-to-back scoring was a surprise to me,” Donlin said. “It just felt good to do it with a big student section and everyone there to support me.”

Raised in an athletic household, Donlin started playing at the varsity level in middle school. Now, in his junior year of high school, Donlin’s drive to compete at the rink helped him garner interest from Division-I programs. From a young age, Donlin’s sports were part of the family. His father, Mike, played on Colgate’s varsity team and Donlin’s mother, Nicki, was an All-American softball pitcher for Ithaca. Mike was always intrigued by the similarities that the two sports shared.

“When it comes to hockey, one of the things I was always interested in was that my friends that played hockey had really good baseball swings,” Mike said. “I knew it would help him there.”

Donlin also holds a strong relationship with his brother Will, who has autism. Will motivates Donlin to play harder and stay humble, Mike said.

“It helps because he values every chance he gets and sees things through the perspective of everyone,” Mike said. “He’s not just a high performing teammate but maybe one who needs a little help to keep getting better.”

Donlin remembered what it was like to be one of the youngest players on the ice. Four years ago, Donlin made the leap to join Cazenovia’s High School team as an eighth grader. Middle schoolers rarely make the transition that early, head coach Seth Howard said.

In his 10 years as head coach of Cazenovia, Howard only remembers five eighth graders playing on varsity. Donlin was one of them.

“He was pretty impressive,” Howard said.

Before Donlin, Forrest Ives played in varsity as a middle schooler. Donlin and Ives played travel hockey growing up and still compete side-by-side. With Ives now a senior captain for Cazenovia, Donlin credited him for providing a path for other eighth graders to play at a higher level.

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Ives said that Donlin’s current success is largely due to the fact he started so young. Ives said the experience of being an eighth grader helped Donlin immerse himself with older players, learning the game from the sidelines with an eager eye until he was ready to take on a larger role.

“It can be difficult playing when you are underaged,” Ives said. “I think for players like Jack, it’s why they are so dominant today.”

Cannizaro’s older brother, Chris, works with the team on offensive sets. He said by the time Donlin finished his eighth grade season, there was a realization that he’d catch Cannizaro.

“Since Jack’s eighth grade season, with how well he played he had the potential to reach 100 points,” Chris said. “Not only that, but he also could break the all-time scoring record.”

Donlin’s freshman year was cut short because of COVID-19. Cannizaro said the time away was Donlin’s only setback to breaking the school scoring record, a mark held by Brian Gara’s 195 points. Donlin still has one more year before he graduates. He’s over halfway to Gara’s record, and he’s looking to catch it.

“He just keeps going, no matter what,” Ives said. “He’s such a good goal scorer because he doesn’t take no for an answer.”

Published on April 10, 2023 at 9:00 pm