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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Hun Boys' Hockey Off to 4-1-1 Start, Aims to Keep Focusing on the Details
By Bill Alden
Focusing on the little things has the Hun School boys' ice hockey team off to another hot start.
Coming off a 12-5-1 season in 2003-04 which saw the Raiders win the Mercer County Tournament, Hun headed into the holiday break with a sparkling 4-1-1 mark.
Raider head coach Francois Bourbeau is happy with the way his club has taken care of business so far this season.
"We need to keep working on the details," said Bourbeau. "We worked on the break-outs from our zone and that's gotten better. Our forechecking is better. So far, they are playing my system well."
The Raiders have tweaked their approach somewhat this season. "We have made some changes," explained Bourbeau, who is in his third year at the helm of the Hun program.
"We're focusing a little more on defense. Last year, we were working more on pushing it up the ice. They have been responding well."
The team responded well in its final action before the holiday as Hun won its inaugural invitational tournament. The Raiders showed their grit as they battled past Landon 6-5 in the opener of the tourney and then topped Holy Ghost 5-2 in the championship game.
"In the first game we played really well," said Bourbeau in assessing his team's performance in the tournament. "We capitalized on our power play. We played hard. It was a tight game and we got a 45-minute effort. Against Holy Ghost, we scored twice in the first period and there were a lot of penalties after that. We had to play good defense and hang in there."
In Bourbeau's view, the tournament was a positive experience for his squad on several levels. "I think it helps the program," said Bourbeau, who was the driving force behind starting the event which he hopes will grow and be held on an annual basis.
"It shows our name more. The kids were happy to host the tournament. It turned out even better that we were able to win. By winning, it shows that the program has evolved."
A pivotal factor in Hun's tourney title was the play of senior forward Matt Torstrup, who had a hat trick in the title game after scoring two goals in the opener.
"Matt is playing really well," asserted Bourbeau. "He's showing up every night and giving 100 percent. He was really a big help to us in the tournament. He's finishing really well."
Looking at the season overall, Bourbeau credits junior goalie Ben Wirjosemito with having played a key role in the team's success.
"I've had Ben since my first year here and he has really improved," said Bourbeau, a star goalie himself during his college days at Middlebury.
"He has a willingness to work hard. He works hard in practice and then does extra work after practice. He's a backbone for me."
Hun will need to show backbone as it faces the challenges of the 2005 portion of its schedule, starting with a home game against Morristown-Beard on January 5.
"It's going to be tough, I know they are really good," said Bourbeau, referring to Mo-Beard, last season's Prep B runners-up. "We haven't had the chance to practice as much over the break as I would've liked. Hopefully we'll be ready for them. The second part of our season is the hardest. It's going to be really challenging."
From what Bourbeau has seen from his team so far, he is confident that his players have the right mindset to survive the tests ahead.
"We have good chemistry in and out of the locker room," asserted Bourbeau, whose team hosts Hightstown on January 7. "That leads to good commitment on the ice. Just because we have a good record so far, we can't slow down and become complacent. I think we're up to it."
