PURPLE HEART: Hun School boys’ hockey player Frankie ­Vitucci chases down the puck in a game earlier this season. Last week, freshman forward Vitucci helped Hun win the Purple Puck Tournament in the Washington, D.C. area. The Raiders topped host Gonzaga in a shootout in the championship game and Vitucci was named the tournament MVP. Hun, now 10-1-1, plays at St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.) on January 7 and at the Portledge School (N.Y.) on January 12. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Ian McNally had one major objective for his Hun School boys’ hockey as it competed at the Purple Puck Tournament in the Washington, D.C. area last week.

“The idea of going to the tournament is that you get away on a road trip and build chemistry,” said Hun head coach McNally.

“You have that as a catalyst for the rest of the season rather than taking a long break. We spent a lot of time together down there.”

Hun achieved that goal and a lot more as it made the most of its journey to the Nation’s Capital. The Raiders rebounded from the sting of their first loss of the season, they weathered a physical challenge from a Canadian team in the semifinals, and then they battled from behind to top host Gonzaga (D.C) in the title game which came down to a shootout.

When Hun started the tournament by falling 7-1 to St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.) in the opening game of pool play, it looked like the Raiders might be headed for a bad time.

“We had been riding on a bus for three hours and we hadn’t skated in a week,” said McNally.

“The wheels fell off in the second half (games in the tournament were two halves rather than three periods), they have got some pretty skilled players. We got our wrists slapped. We outshot them, we had our chances. We had three breakaways and didn’t capitalize.”

In the next two games, Hun certainly capitalized on its chances as it beat DeMatha Catholic (Md.) 5-0 and then routed St. Albans (D.C.) 10-0.

The win over DeMatha got the Raiders rolling. “They were good, they were physical,” said McNally. “We scored right away. We got on the board, it is a different dynamic. We got up a couple. It is different than when you get 10 shots and no goals, you start to tighten up on the stick. We knew we had to get every point after the St Joseph’s game since they count wins and period points for the standings.”

The pair of sophomore star Jon Bendorf and Blake Brown triggered the Hun offense.

“When Jon is on the ice, everyone gets better offensive chances,” said McNally. When it matters, Jon always shows up. Blake works hard for all of his points, he is not flashy and you might not realize how many points he scored. He is among the points leaders again for us.”

Freshman forward Frankie Vitucci has benefitted from playing on the same line with Bendorf and Brown in the absence of injured star Evan Barratt.

“Vitucci has found his way the last couple of weeks; he was named MVP of the tournament,” said McNally. “He has been playing with Jon and Evan and has fit right in. He had more assists than goals at the tournament.”

Hun had to find a way to deal with a tough foe as they edged Auburn Drive High from Nova Scotia 5-3 in the semis.

“They were much more physical than the other teams,” said McNally. “We were able to pull it out at the end but we were rattled at times. I told the guys that it was nothing personal, that is just how they play. They hit everyone and they are chippy. Bendorf scored a goal 28 seconds into the game on the first shift, it set the tone. He had two goals and an assist. They outshot us 21-5 in the second half but we were able to hang on after getting off to a 4-0 lead.”

The win earned Hun a title game rematch with host Gonzaga, who won last year’s championship game 6-0.

“We stayed clear of last year but we have a lot of new guys and some of the other guys couldn’t play,” said McNally. “They were announcing it as a rematch of last year’s final. We have been harping on the kids that if they play the way they are taught and outwork the other teams, we are going to win.”

Working hard and showing resilience, Hun battled Gonzaga to a 4-4 tie through regulation.

“It was a great game, it was very exciting,” said McNally, who got a goal and three assists from senior Bobby Wurster in the title game with junior Kyle Pettoni adding two goals and Brown chipping in a goal and an assist. “We were never leading. Every time we would score, they would answer.

In the ensuing shootout, the Raiders had the right answers. “It went straight to a shootout,” said McNally, who got goals from Bendorf and Pettoni in the shootout while Hun junior goalie Diesel Pelke didn’t let anything past him. “Pelke was awesome, he had four saves. The kids are pretty confident in him.”

Winning the title was an awesome experience for the Raiders. “It was great, the guys were really excited,” said McNally, whose squad improved to 10-1-1 with the victory.

“Before the final we said that we accomplished the goal of chemistry so if we are going to be here and get home late on New Year’s Eve, let’s win this thing. We got home at 10 but it was worth it.”

With Hun playing at St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.) on January 7 and at the Portledge School (N.Y.) on January 12, McNally is looking for his team to build on what it accomplished at the Purple Puck event.

“Every win is a lesson,” said McNally. “In the Gonzaga game we learned that we can come from behind and win. In most of the other games we have been ahead from the start. It is a confidence builder. You have different things to look at.”