(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski) GREEN DAY: Princeton High boys’ hockey player Will Greenberg heads up the ice in recent action. Last Friday Greenberg scored three goals to help PHS to an 11-1 win over St. Joe’s. The Little Tigers, now 7-3, are slated to play Steinert on January 12 and WW/P-N on January 14 with both games to be held at Mercer County Park.

With Greenberg Providing Heady Play, PHS Boys’ Hockey Gaining Confidence

Bill Alden

Even though they lost to Hopewell Valley last month, Will Greenberg and his teammates on the Princeton High boys’ ice hockey team gained a lot of confidence from the experience.

“The Hopewell game was close and we knew we were almost as good as them,” said junior forward Greenberg, reflecting on the 4-3 defeat to last year’s state tournament finalists.

“We knew that they were one of the best teams and if we could play with them, we could play with anyone.”

Since that loss, PHS has been playing better than anyone around, having reeled off five straight wins.

“I think we are playing more as a team rather than as just a bunch of individuals,” said Greenberg, reflecting on the team’s hot streak.

“We are all feeling like we know how talented we are and we are playing to our potential.”

Last Friday, Greenberg showed his talent, notching a hat trick in an 11-1 win over St. Joseph’s. Sophomore Matt DiTosto also notched three goals in the win with Fraser Graham and Peter Twining chipping in two apiece.

Despite his three-goal outburst, Greenberg doesn’t view himself as a go-to player.

“I think I am just a supporting player to Fraser [senior captain and high scorer Fraser Graham],” said Greenberg.

“I get him the puck and he gets me the puck and we work off of each other along with Peter [Twining]. I do the dirty work. This is my third year with them; we know each other really well. We know where we are on the ice and we find each other for goals.”

PHS’s recent hot streak has the Little Tigers taking aim at some big goals.

“We have never gone into winter break with a winning record since I have been here until now,” said Greenberg.

“Our goal right now is to get 15, 16 wins and get a really high seed for the county tournament and states. We don’t see a way that isn’t going to happen right now. I have never been to states; it would definitely be great to go in there and go deep into it.”

PHS head coach Tim Campbell likes the upbeat mentality his team has been exuding recently.

“I think a lot of it is confidence honestly; the senior class has been through ups and downs the last four years and I think they finally get how talented we are,” said Campbell, whose team fell 6-2 Middletown North last Monday to move to 7-3.

“I can tell them that until I am blue in the face but as soon as one of them understands, it then catches and spreads like a virus. They start to understand it and they start to click.”

Greenberg has been showing Campbell a deep understanding of the game. “Will is a student of the game; he literally studies it,” added Campbell.

“When he is on the ice, he watches what is going on and I can put him out there against anybody. He can also skate with anybody; he knows where to be. He is a real smart player.”

Like Greenberg, Campbell sees the loss to HoVal as a turning point for the Little Tigers.

“Losing by one goal to the state runner-up is a huge confidence builder; that’s what I mean as far as confidence building,” said Campbell, whose team is slated to play Steinert on January 12 and WW/P-N on January 14 with both games to be held at Mercer County Park. “They realize they can skate with whomever they want to skate with.”

In Campbell’s view, his team has reached the point where they can skate with just about anybody around.

“It is the best hockey they have played since I have been involved with this program,” said Campbell. “It is so fulfilling and so much fun to watch. It is fun to see them have that aha moment of ‘my god, we are this good.’”

Greenberg, for his part, is relishing the team’s newfound consistency.

“We have always had a few good games and big wins but now we are actually rolling steadily,” said Greenberg. “It feels great. We are playing as a team and we are winning games.”

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