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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Leuck Standing Tall in the Goal For Sizzling PHS Boys' Hockey
By Bill Alden
At first glance, one could miss Princeton High goaltender Shane Leuck when surveying the ice.
The diminutive sophomore goalie's head barely comes above the crossbar at the top of the net when he is crouched in ready position.
But once the action gets hot, it's impossible to ignore Leuck, who has stood tall in the goal as the PHS boys' hockey team has roared out of the gate to a 5-1 start.
Last Thursday, Leuck showed his full repertoire as he recorded 32 saves to help the Little Tigers beat Hightstown 5-3 in a game which saw PHS whistled for penalty after penalty.
Even though the Little Tigers spent much of the night shorthanded, Leuck didn't feel any additional pressure as he fended off the Rams' power plays.
"I just kept my cool and did my job," said Leuck. "We played a good defensive game; we kept our cool when we were penalty killing. We got a few chances on our power play and we put the puck into the net."
Leuck, who stands about 5'6, sees his lack of height as an advantage in the crease. "I think I'm pretty quick," said Leuck, who came into the Hightstown game having given up just two goals in the Little Tigers' three previous outings. "I'm small but I move pretty well back there. A big part of my game is being able to move back and forth with good agility."
Leuck's transition to the high school game last winter was eased by the presence of his older brother Matt, a star forward and senior captain for PHS.
"Matt helped me get off to a good high school start," recalled Leuck, who posted a shutout against Lawrence on December 15 when the Little Tigers blanked the Cardinals 8-0. "We miss him. I would like to be a leader like him."
In his effort to make more of an impact on the team, Leuck has refined his game. "I've been working on coming out and staying big," explained Leuck. "Last year, I kind of stayed back in the net. This year, I'm coming out and playing the angles better."
PHS head coach Paul Merrow sees Leuck's play as a big factor in his team's hot start. "Shane has been a rock this year," said Merrow with a smile. "Defensively, we've helped him out in front of the net although we had a few breakdowns tonight. Shane has been so solid, he's cool back there."
Merrow was happy with the way his club kept its cool against the Rams, fighting back from first period deficits of 1-0 and 2-1.
"They rebounded great," said Merrow, who got two goals and two assists from John Ryan and two goals from Sam Finnell in the win over Hightstown.
"The problem was that we couldn't get any momentum because we couldn't stay out of the box. Our penalty killing was great and the power play was good. I think we had two power play goals. They worked hard, they didn't quit."
While Merrow is cautiously optimistic in the wake of his team's sizzling early play, the veteran coach isn't quite ready to declare that his team is headed for a special season.
"It's good to go 5-1 before the holiday break," said Merrow, whose team plays Manasquan on December 30 at Wall and then faces Hamilton on January 3 at Mercer County Park.
"We're ahead of schedule, maybe, but we've still got a lot of work to do. The players have worked real hard in practice. We've got a tough schedule in January."
Leuck, for his part, is confident that the Little Tigers can keep up the good work. "We've just got to play like a team, we have to play like we have lately," asserted Leuck.
"It's basically the same team as last year so we play well together. We're all good friends, we have excellent chemistry. It should be a good season."
It could be a very good season for PHS if Leuck keeps standing tall in the goal.
