GOING FOUR IT: Hun School boys’ hockey player Blake Brown controls the puck in recent action. This week, senior star Brown and the Raiders will be starting their quest for a fourth straight Mercer County Tournament title. Hun, now 4-15, is seeded 7th in the MCT and was slated to play 10th-seeded Pennington in an opening round contest on February 7 with the winner advancing to a quarterfinal clash against second-seeded Lawrence High on February 8 at Mercer County Park. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Even though the Hun School boys’ hockey team is bringing a 4-15 record into the Mercer County Tournament this week as it goes for its fourth straight county crown, the squad believes it can still be dangerous.

“It is obviously a different feeling than the last couple of years but I think overall, everybody to a man is pretty positive,” said Hun head coach Ian McNally.

“We certainly have good players but not necessarily the lineup we have been able to roll out recently. For stretches of every game, we are certainly in control and shut the other guys down. That doesn’t get you far in hockey, you have to do it the whole game.”

In falling 4-3 in overtime at Morristown-Beard in the state Prep semis last Wednesday, Hun displayed flashes of brilliance.

“That was probably one of the better hockey games I have witnessed in a few years on both sides,” said McNally.

“It was a real playoff game; guys doing anything they could to win with very few penalties and playing a hard-nosed battle. We were up 3-2 and they scored late to tie it and it ended pretty quick on overtime. It was just a great hockey game and our kids realize how well they played against a pretty good team and what we were able to do to them.”

Senior defenseman Liam Fitzgerald had a very good game against the Crimson, scoring two goals.

“It was a career game for him; it is funny because the game before that we played Bishop Eustace and he scored but they waved it off,” said McNally.

“We had said before this game to the kids, please pass the puck to Liam, he got robbed of his goal. He scored the first two; it was one of the better games I have seen him play.”

McNally liked the way his team responded to playoff intensity. “We have only played two games this year where there was really something very much on the line,” noted McNally.

“There was the semifinal in the Purple Puck where we played great; we had this epic game with St. Joe’s Prep and it went to a shootout and then this one with Mo-Beard.”

With Hun seeded 7th in the MCT and slated to play 10th-seeded Pennington in an opening round contest on February 7 and the winner advancing to a quarterfinal clash against second-seeded Lawrence High on February 8 at Mercer County Park, McNally is looking to see that do-or-die attitude from his players.

“Those are the ones that are a testament to what the team is able to do in a playoff type game and I would hope that they make those performances next week when we win and move on, or lose and go home,” added McNally.

Despite having won three straight MCT crowns, Hun is looking to fly under the radar at the competition.

“I think we are respected to some degree but we are going to be playing in the first game which we have typically been able to skip,” said McNally.

“It is going to be a four-game route if we want to try and win it. I am guessing as much as people are concerned about us, the CVC guys are looking forward to playing each other, teams like Notre Dame, Princeton, and Robbinsville. I don’t think everybody is walking around saying we have to play Hun. Hopefully that plays into our favor and we can let everybody worry about each other.”

While senior stars and co-captains Blake Brown and Tanner Preston, along with sophomore Kyle Mandleur, have been stalwarts for the Raiders, several unsung players have emerged as the season has unfolded, including forwards Keith Goldberg, James McCall, Eli Panter, and Jack Chapel along with defensemen Fitzgerald
and Sam Schluter.

“Those four guys have been mixing in on line combinations,” said McNally, referring to the group of forwards.

“We actually started them in the Prep game because they are bringing so much energy, forechecking and physical play. They have been setting a tone for everybody and they are a big reason for the surge we have had here. Liam and his partner Sam Schluter were pretty effective on defense in the last game as well.”

The Raiders figure to bring plenty of energy into their quest for another county title.

“We have had positive things to talk about but no wins,” said McNally. “We start out saying there are four things we can play for. We have the Purple Puck tournament, our league, our Prep, and our county. All of a sudden we are down to the last one and now we are 0-3. I think the mindset is hunger and a little bit of desperation and eagerness to win and prove that winning only four games has been as much an indication of the competition of our league as anything.”