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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Mallipudi's Hustle Providing a Spark As PDS Boys' Hockey Keeps Winning
By Bill Alden
It was music to Rajiv Mallipudi's ears.
After the scrappy forward for the Princeton Day School boys' hockey team scored his second goal in the first period Friday night against Pennington, the PDS home crowd started chanting "Pudi, Pudi, Pudi."
The raucous serenade was something that Mallipudi thought he might never hear in his high school career. Mallipudi, who has played hockey in junior leagues since he was eight, didn't go out for the PDS team until his junior year.
The diminutive Mallipudi made the team last winter but didn't see much ice time. He did make an impression with his hustle when he did get into action.
This winter, Mallipudi has been determined to make the most of his final shot at high school hockey. "I was a swing player last year," said Mallipudi, whose two early goals last Friday helped jump start PDS on the way to a 10-0 win over the Red Raiders.
"This year I knew that it was my senior year and I had to step up my play. Coach [Chris Barcless] talked to me yesterday about how I've been picking it up and that he expected more out of me. I brought an urgency into this game."
Mallipudi certainly got a kick out of the crowd's response to his efforts last Friday. "I heard that chant, it kept me going," added a grinning Mallipudi, who now has five points on four goals and an assist for the 7-4-1 Panthers. "I was going for a hat trick, it was exciting. I want to experience that feeling again. I wanted to show the coach that I could play."
With PDS coming off a disappointing tie two days earlier against powerful Lawrenceville in which it squandered a 5-2 lead, Mallipudi and his mates weren't about to give Pennington any breathing room.
"We came out here expecting to work hard," explained Mallipudi. "We went all out, we didn't want to take it easy because we're a hard-working team and we stick by that. After the first period, we were just starting to have fun with it."
For PDS coach Barcless, it's fun to have a hustler like Mallipudi on his squad. "We've been real pleased with the way Rajiv is playing," said Barcless.
"He comes to practice every day and he's gotten better each time. He worked hard and got a couple of goals tonight. He works his butt off and that's all you can ask for."
The team has demonstrated a collective work ethic as it has overcome a small roster to keep winning. "We're not that deep, we're not that big, we're not that strong, we're not that talented," asserted Barcless, who has had some games where he dressed only 13 players. "We need to do the little things. We need to work hard everyday. We need to continue to get better, which we are doing."
Coming off the tie with Lawrenceville, Barcless was worried that his team would be a bit deflated hitting the ice against a 2-10 Pennington team.
"It's a little bit tough," acknowledged Barcless, who has guided the program to seven straight state Prep B titles.
"With the emotions on Wednesday and the guys getting so up and then coming out here against Pennington, it was a little bit sluggish at the start. I was concerned about a little bit of a letdown. They took care of business."
Barcless is confident that his club can continue to take care of its business as the season heads into the home stretch.
"The program has a lot of tradition and the kids know it," said Barcless, whose club hosts Hudson Catholic on January 19 before playing at St. Augustine on January 21.
"They are feeding off of it. We're doing great. Every year, somehow, some way, the guys in that locker room find a way to win. It's pretty amazing."
Mallipudi acknowledges that the squad is driven to live up to that winning tradition. "Each game we go out and put out our hardest effort," asserted Mallipudi. "We know we have to repeat as 8-time Prep B champions. Our schedule is tremendously tough, especially for the number of players we have. We're a team that tries to keep up the tradition of winning."
And with scrappy performers like Mallipudi, the Panthers figure to be in the title hunt once again.
