Xavier Garriques does not slow down in the third period. Doesn’t have to, doesn’t need to. And, he can skate longer shifts, if necessary, in the third period when Lake Forest is stuck in its defensive zone, enduring an attack from any Scholastic Hockey League powerhouse.

 

It’s his off-ice training that preps him for late-game heroics.

 

“The pain of an 800-meter run is unlike anything I have ever felt (in) hockey,” said Garriques, who also competes on the Lake Forest cross country and track & field teams.

 

“The explosiveness of a hockey shift is like the middle 400m of the 800m run. Hockey requires balance that most runners don’t have. My form is extremely good due to developing stabilizing muscles from hockey.”

 

Garriques, 18, who lives in Lake Forest and shoots right-handed, has played everywhere on the ice this season except goalie. He is mostly a center but also has filled in on defense and often plays wing on the power play.

 

Teammates call him X, Xav or Xavi. Some call him Hawk, his middle name.

 

Garriques completed an Ironman 70.3, commonly called a Half Ironman, as a sophomore which includes a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bicycle ride and a 13.1-mile run. His Ironman spanned about six hours.

 

“Ironman training is hard. It requires crazy devotion to diet and consistency,” Garriques said. “I plan on competing (in) Ironman 70.3 Rockford this summer and someday qualifying for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

 

“I started with triathlon inspired by my older brother and sister. I then branched into running because it was what I was best at between swimming and running.” (Lake Forest does not have a cycling team.)

 

Garriques competes in the 5K race for the school’s cross-country team and the 800-meter run for the Scouts’ track team. His best times are 16:23:1 and about 2:00, respectively.

 

“I captained the cross-country team this fall and we went to sectionals for the first time in five years. It was my last time running with my brother, Kaedon Garriques, who is an accomplished runner himself, making varsity as a freshman. I was the fastest runner on our team this year,” he said.

 

Garriques, in hockey uniform No, 76, formerly skated for the Winter Club Polar Bears and is a multi-time all-academic award-winner. He wants to be an environmental engineer and has been taking high school classes toward his “dream” job.

 

“As much as I would love to compete in a sport in college, academics come first and I will go wherever is best for me to pursue a career in something I love,” he said.

 

Garriques had 6 goals and 1 assist in the 30 SHL regular season.

 

“Xavier is a workhorse on the ice, always going 100 MPH with an incredible level of intensity,” said Lake Forest head coach Steve Sarauer. “He’s incredibly strong and plays physical. He drives (to) the net and has a great shot.”

 

Garriques effectively uses his size to create space and win battles in the corners. He credits Lake Forest JV coach Mike McCann with “the biggest impact” on his game. “During my freshman year, he figuratively held my hand every step of the way until the next year when I captained his team. I still use his face-off strategies and show the same kindness to the JV guys as he did to me.”

 

Lake Forest faces Loyola Maroon in the Illinois High School Hockey State Tournament. Garriques is optimistic for the Scouts’ run.

 

“We have learned from every loss and celebrated with every win,” he said. “We are such a young team. No one expects us to win. We are setting up a fantastic future for this program and having a blast along the way. The only team we haven’t beat this year in the SHL is New Trier Green.”

 

This season included a noteworthy “W” over arch-rival Carmel Catholic in a Chicago Blackhawks Rivalry Series Game, played outdoors in Lake Forest.

 

Away from the rink, Garriques has been playing the piano for 12 years and harmonica for 12 weeks. “I play anything from classical to modern classical to mainstream music,” he said. “I picked up the harmonica for my 18th birthday and have learned the part for ‘Piano Man’ by Billy Joel, which I plan to perform at the Lake Forest High School Talent Show with one of my best friends and running teammates, Nate Arch,” set for February 20-22. Arch is singing, Garriques will be playing the piano and harmonica.

 

Garriques added: “Hockey is stressful and I am an anxious person. Before every game, I play through three or four of my favorite songs to relax myself and just think. It enables me to be the happiest version of myself.”

 

Garriques also is a mentor with the Alopecia Justice League, a mentorship program for alopecians, which he said “is so important.”

 

“I have one mentee, named Lucca; we have been in contact for over a year,” Garriques said. “He’s one of the coolest people I know and if it wasn’t for alopecia, I would have never gotten to know him. Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder that causes the body to attack hair growth. It is why I am completely bald. It is not dangerous though often mistaken for cancer. The alopecia community is so wonderful and the people I’ve met through it are incredible.”

 

 

Slapshots With … Lake Forest’s Xavier Garriques

Teammates: “The heart of my teammates is unmatched and has been the difference in a lot of our wins. We clicked immediately and embraced our role as hard-working and gritty linemates. We always play with a chip on our shoulders and ultimately, that wins us games.”

Laughing Matter: “Coach Steve told us to show up to Halloween practice, randomly put in the schedule, and it was ‘Costumes required.’ We started messing up drills and almost got bagged by an angry Coach Steve, (who was wearing) a ‘Where’s Waldo?’ costume.”

Long-term Career Goal: Environmental engineer, then teach high school.

Favorite NHL Team: Chicago Blackhawks

Favorite NHL Player: Alex DeBrincat

Favorite Sports-themed Movie: The Boys in the Boat

Favorite TV Show: Better Call Saul

Motivational Song: Strong by Charles Wesley Godwin

Favorite Pre-game Meal: Spaghetti and meatballs

Favorite app: Snapchat

Celebrity You’d Like To Meet: Zach Bryan

Best Hockey Tip: “If you would actually calm down for once, you could be a really good hockey player” – Steve Sarauer (during Garriques’ freshman season)

Best High School Uniform (other than Lake Forest): Highland Park alternates