Mike Wasson started the New Year with a bang for the Princeton High boys’ hockey team.

The sophomore forward opened 2012 action by notching four goals in a 9-5 win over Lawrence High on January 2 and then tallied three more two days later as PHS topped Steinert 7-1.

“I am actually feeling good out there,” said Wasson after the Steinert win. “I have been feeling better on my skates than in the beginning of the season.”

Wasson and his teammates weren’t feeling so good midway through the second period as they found themselves tied 1-1 with the Spartans.

“We started out well but they came back with one,” said Wasson. “We weren’t too frustrated; we knew the goals would come. We were putting shots on him; he was playing well.”

Over the last 15 minutes of the contest, Wasson helped the Little Tigers pull away as he notched two goals.

“In the third, we had a lot of confidence,” said Wasson. “We got our scoring back. We came out strong and kept putting the goals in.”

Wasson’s connection with junior forward and linemate Matt DiTosto gives him extra confidence.

“Matt and I are also on the same club team,” said Wasson, who is on the Mercer Chiefs club team.

“We have a real connection going. We are always in synch on the ice. We always know where each other is going to be.”

Wasson has put in extra time to become the best player he can be. “Over the summer, I got bigger, stronger, and faster,” said Wasson. “I gained a little bit more confidence. My speed has come along well; I have been working with my other coach. Staying on the ice all the time really helps. I improved my hands over the summer. I am always looking to get better.”

PHS head coach Tim Campbell feels that Wasson is getting better and better.

“Mike has got hands, he’s got presence, he is a student of the game,” asserted Campbell.

“He is a student of the game; he is just so smart. He puts himself between the defender and the puck. He knows where to be and he knows where to put the puck when his teammates are looking for it.”

The combination of Wasson and DiTosto on one line and senior captains Will Greenberg and Kirby Peck on the team’s other top line have triggered the PHS offense.

“He and Matt DiTosto are like peanut butter and jelly; they go together,” added Campbell.

“It is Will [Greenberg] and Kirby [Peck], Mike and Matt and the other forwards are picking up on it. John Reid is getting in the mix. Connor McCormick is getting in the mix which is really nice to see.”

It wasn’t nice for Campbell to see his team get lax in the defensive zone as the Little Tigers took control of the contest.

“Whenever we dominate on offense, we get lazy on defense,” said Campbell, whose team fell 5-4 to Paul VI last Friday to move to 6-3-2.

“We came in at intermission and made some adjustments. We can’t be a 30 or 35-minute team, we have got to be a 45-minute team. We have to keep our foot on the gas and just keep grinding for 45 minutes. We definitely need to tighten up when we get into closer games; good defense wins tight games. That’s where we really have to focus.”

In Campbell’s view, now is the time for his players to have a tight focus. “We are looking for a huge January,” said Campbell, whose team faces Hopewell Valley on January 16 at Mercer County Park. “We came out flat against Lawrence; we had better effort, better intensity tonight.”

Wasson, for his part, believes the team will be bringing plenty of intensity as it heads into the homestretch.

“We are looking at our schedule, saying we could get all the Ws from here on out,” said Wasson. “That is what we are looking for going into the postseason.”