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Hun Boys' Hockey Uses Chemistry To Produce MCT Championship
By Bill Alden
The Hun School boys' ice hockey team got into the habit this year of getting together for pre-game pasta dinners.
In addition to gaining some carbs before going into battle, the team used the dinners to cement the bonds that were forming as the unheralded team improbably piled up win after win.
Coming off a 3-14-2 campaign last winter, the Raiders won their first nine games this season and brought an 11-5-1 mark into their clash last Friday with WW/P-S in the title game of the Mercer County Tournament.
A minute into overtime, the team had its most emotional get-together of its special season as the Raiders piled on top of junior wing Justin Schleiffer on the ice at the Mercer County Park rink after he scored the game-winning goal off a sweet feed from Drew Mervin.
Afterward, Schleiffer said the score was just the latest example of the team's unselfish approach. "Drew made a great pass, it got on my stick and I just shot it in," said Schleiffer with his face locked into a wide grin. "We know each other inside out. We've clicked together for two years now."
Schleiffer acknowledged that the team's unity was a key to its success. "The team is real close," said Schleiffer, who was credited with assists on the other Hun goals which were scored by Mervin and Alex Green. "We all care about each other a lot. We gelled since the beginning of the season, it's good to see."
Star junior goalie Ben Wirjosemito acknowledged that a change in chemistry was necessary after last season's struggles. "Last year we had some division of the team between the upper class and the lower classes," explained Wirjosemito, who was a key component in the team's MCT run as he only gave up four goals in the team's three appearances in the tourney.
"The middle of our team, the juniors and sophomores, are so close in age. We comprise most of the team and we're really close, it kind of rubbed off on everyone and that really helped us out."
Hun head coach Francois Bourbeau certainly noticed the difference in the locker room. "Last year the chemistry was not there," acknowledged the second-year head coach, whose team was the second-seeded team in the MCT. "This year the chemistry was unbelievable. I think the kids will remember the friendship they had throughout the season."
Bourbeau, though, knew that his team needed more than camaraderie to get by the pesky eight-seeded Pirates, who jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the first period and then fought back with a goal late in the third period to force overtime.
"We weren't playing the Hun way at the beginning, we were making little mistakes," recalled Bourbeau. "I told them at the start of the second period to get back to what we know and to keep it simple. The guys all did their job and that got us back on track."
With the Raiders not having played in the MCT the last three seasons, the team was pointing to the competition all season long. "They were talking about this at the start," said Bourbeau. "Once we were in with a top seed, I told them 'guys if you play the way you're capable of, this tournament would be ours.' They did like I told them and accomplished the job. You couldn't have asked for better than winning in overtime."
Schleiffer was certainly happy with how things ended up. "It's great," he asserted. "We got the opportunity to play and we did a great job."
