Antolec overcomes foes' taunts

Justin Antolec knows that opponents will do anything to shake him, to get under his skin, especially if they are losing.

Even if that means comments about his skin color.

Antolec, a Libertyville junior forward who is among the top 10 scorers in Metro National, is African-American - and said he already has heard five or six racial slurs this season. And the 2009-10 hockey season is barely three months old.

"As my parents always tell me, (do your retaliation) on the scoreboard; make them pay for what they say," said Antolec, who leads the co-op Libertyville Icecats, comprised of Libertyville and Vernon Hills players, in scoring. He has 9 goals and 4 assists in nine league games.

"Usually, I take (racial slurs), cope it in, then, with it building up inside me, take it out on the ice. But at times I take it out how I shouldn't and I end up in the penalty box. Over the years, I've been one of the better players on my teams, and when other teams can't stop me, they (may attack racially); I've gotten used to it. So I just try to put it away and not think about it as much."

Antolec, 16, a left-handed shooting center, is in his first year at Libertyville. He moved to the Chicago area with his mom before the start of the school year, while his dad, brother and sister still live in suburban Detroit.

The first racial slur he heard this season was following a victory where Antolec scored both goals.

"Yeah, I was kind of angry, upset," he said. "People will do anything to get under your skin, but some people take things too far. It's kind of a shame. Sometimes it's easy to get by (racial slurs); sometimes it's not. Most of the times it's easy to get by them.

"I know that I may be one of the few African-Americans playing the game of hockey (at the high school level) in Illinois, but (the racial comments) kind of surprise me. Sometimes I get angry; sometimes I get mad. But I know they're just trying to throw me off my game, and most of the time it doesn't work."

Antolec has a loving, supportive cross-racial family. He does not know his biological parents. His adoptive parents are Jamie and Lisa; they are white. His brother, Marcus, 12, and his sister, Jade, 14, also are African-American - and all siblings are from different biological parents.

"Even though (my parents) are white, and I am not, they love me for who I am, not anything else," said Antolec, who played AAA hockey in Detroit before moving to Chicago.

"I was expecting a hard-working (Libertyville) team and wanted to bond well with the team. It's been working out pretty well."

Antolec has been a welcome addition to the Icecats, thanks to his aggressive, fast-paced play. The 5-foot-6, 155-pound Antolec often plants himself in front of the opposing goalie as a screen or uses his speed to create offense.

"I think my speed is a big factor in my offense, my scoring," he said.

"Justin has been a welcome addition to the squad this year as a transfer player from Michigan," said Libertyville coach Efren Heredia. "Justin is a very skilled player who has played at the highest level throughout his youth hockey career. He plays the game at a very high pace every shift and is a tireless worker who sets an example for his teammates to follow. Playing high school hockey has allowed Justin to continue to play the game he loves while making the difficult transition in moving into the Northern Illinois area and making new friends and attending a new high school."

Antolec's linemates are junior Tommy Tambourine and senior Connor Krukowski.

"The move has turned out very, very well," Antolec said.

Schumacher = success: The co-op Warren team snapped its 0-7 season-opening slump in Metro Girls play with its first win Nov. 24 in Gurnee. Warren beat the Latin School of Chicago 5-2 - thanks to the Shannah Schumacher show.

The freshman forward (Warren) scored 3 goals in the first period, then added another in the second. Senior Lorna Cegann (Carmel) scored the Blue Devils' only other goal - on an assist from Schumacher.

Warren had only scored 5 goals while surrendering a league-high 52 in its first seven games and was the league's most penalized team. The hat trick was Schumacher's second ever and her first natural hat trick. The right-handed shooting Schumacher, who sports a red bandana underneath her blue CCM helmet and bright pink skate laces, scored 2 short-handed goals against Latin (0-3).

The Blue Devils feature players from Warren, Carmel, Mundelein and Lakes, and are coached by Mike Hatch. Senior defenseman Megan Barnash is the sister of former Warren skater Casey Barnash. Megan is heading to Illinois State University next fall to pursue a teaching degree.

More Schumacher success: Senior Michael Schumacher, one of the top scorers in Metro North, had a first-period hat trick Dec. 2 in a league clash with New Trier Blue in Wilmette.

His first tally, at 12:43, was an unassisted shorthanded tally past Trevians goalie Robert Lundin III. Schumacher then scored on a pass from Nick Scott and Drew Ceckowski at 6:23, and converted a power-play goal from Jonny Barger at 5:10.

But Warren could not contain the Trevians as Sam Kurgan scored twice and Jack Talbot added a goal past goalie Dan Oleary for a 3-3 tie.

Schumacher leads the Blue Devils with 26 goals and 17 assists in 21 games. The Blue Devils (4-3-5 in Metro North) also feature Alex Lindenman (9 goals, 5 assists) and Jack Thompson (8 goals, 4 assists).

"Michael is the most complete player I have been around," said Warren coach Paul Novak. "Michael always puts the team before himself. I believe Michael is deserving of all-state consideration. He is one of the hardest workers on and off the ice. It's really been a pleasure to watch him the last four years."

Schumacher, who plays center, named the Blackhawks his favorite team and Pavel Datsyuk his favorite player. He wants to be an architect and said his favorite musician is Dierks Bentley.

Way to go, Waubonsie: There's quite an internal battle at Waubonsie Valley for the scoring title. Junior Jonathan Morin has 12 goals and a dozen assists in 15 games, while senior Alex Kovacs has 9 goals and 11 assists.

Neither scored Dec. 6 in the team's 5-0 win over Hinsdale Central at the Darien Sportsplex, which included 3 power-play goals. Waubonsie (7-6-2 in Metro West) recently lost 4-2 to West-leading Naperville Central (12-3).

Waubonsie is in a three-way tie for the lead in the season-long Metro Invitational tournament with Mundelein and Lake Forest. The Warriors, behind goalie Thomas Berk, have surrendered 8 goals in five MIT games, including a late-November 5-1 win over Carmel in Naperville.

Ice Chips: Leyden is 5-2 in Illinois Suburban Hockey League (ISHL) action, anchored by the offense of Chris Wachal: 8 goals, 7 assists in the team's first seven league games. Matt Jeske leads Leyden in assists (8). Tim DeFilippo and Ken Novotny have been splitting the goaltending chores for coach Mike Niedziela. - The co-op Maine Township Maineacs have allowed the most goals against (53) in Metro American play. The Maineacs are 2-8-1 coming off a 2009 second-place finish in the combined division of the Blackhawk Cup.