South hockey borrows page from Patriots

Underdogs secure top seed in MCT

By: Justin Feil
   The West Windsor-Plainsboro High South ice hockey team can identify with the Super Bowl champion Patriots. If there were odds-makers for high school ice hockey, few would have given the Pirates much of a chance this season to be among the Colonial Valley Conference’s elite.
   Yet, WW-PS earned the top seed for the Mercer County Tournament with a 4-3 win over Steinert on Thursday, and moved to 11-2-3 overall with a 4-4 tie against Ridge on Friday. With wins over Nottingham, scheduled for Monday, Notre Dame 3:10 p.m. Thursday and Hightstown 5:45 p.m. next Monday, the Pirates could wrap up a CVC Colonial championship.
   "I knew we had it in us," said Mark Hassmiller, the Pirates’ leading scorer this season. "With the disrespect we get by a lot of people, I think what we’ve come out and done shows what a hard-working team we are. It shows the heart we have. We’re definitely not the most skilled team, but we get through our games and come out with wins.
   "I also looked at it as a bit of a rebuilding year," he added. "I knew that was a thought coming in. We have a lot of younger players. We’ve been fine though. We’re going to miss our three seniors (next season) a lot, but it you look at what other teams are losing, I feel good about this year and next year."
   And there’s no reason for the Pirates to look to next year with the season they’re in the midst of right now.
   Hassmiller picked up two goals in the win over Steinert and assisted on all four of Andrew Sharapin’s goals in the tie against Ridge. Hassmiller himself could be considered one of those underdogs. Though he was among the top six scorers last season, no one expected this of him in his junior campaign.
   "He’s impressed a lot of people with how many points he does have," said WW-PS head coach Brian McGurney. "If you had told me last year, he’d have this many, I’d have bet against it.
   "He’s playing with David Suslak and Andrew Sharapin. All three are capable of putting the puck in the net. Those three are a line to watch out for. Dave has real good speed and he’s not afraid to go anywhere. Mark can finish, which is evidenced by his point total. ‘Mini’ (Sharapin) is one of our playmakers. Each of them brings something new."
   Hassmiller leads the trio with 20 goals and 14 assists. Suslak has 12 goals to go with 12 assists and Sharapin has 10 goals and 18 assists.
   "I honestly didn’t think I’d be scoring this much," Hassmiller said. "It’s the same as everyone else on the team — it’s the hard work, it’s the non-top effort. All over the summer, everyone was working all out, all the time. That’s showing for a lot of us. Andrew Sharapin and David Suslak haven’t even hit their peaks yet."
   The line is a compilation of three separate lines from a year ago. It’s the first year they’ve skated together, but they’re enjoying great success. And all three will return for next season, and their offensive talents will be well known.
   "At the beginning of the year, we were told, ‘It’s going to be a defensive team,’ " Hassmiller recalled. "We had to look for our chances when we could. For the most part, though, we’ve been the offense. With the help of the other line, it’s worked. They’re playing amazing defense and that’s keeping us in games. We’re not the best defensively, so we pick them up offensively.
   "I think we’re all tight knit. Everyone is willing to come out night after night and play as hard as they can. It’s pretty much that we’re doing it for each other."
   Just as the Patriots found success in a team-first attitude, the Pirates have found the same philosophy working for them.
   "There’s no maybe about what we lost," McGurney said. "We lost a lot (to graduation and transfer). It has to be their work ethic that gets us over it. They’re not afraid of anything. They go and leave everything on the ice. That’s something you can’t teach or coach. They just have it."
   WW-PS is looking to continue its strong play as it heads into the post-season tournaments. Playing talented Notre Dame and Hightstown teams should help.
   "I honestly don’t think we played our best against Steinert and we definitely didn’t play great against Ridge and we didn’t play our worst," Hassmiller said. "We have a chance to pick it up against Notre Dame and Hightstown. We have a chance to put ourselves on a roll.
   "Every game from here on in is going to help us, going to give us momentum. Against bigger teams that have more skill, we need that momentum. As long as we keep working hard, we’ll be OK."
   Hassmiller shows the confidence that has appeased McGurney’s early worries about his youthful team’s chances in the postseason. Youth isn’t a concern anymore.
   "That’s something I might have worried about in the beginning and middle of the year," McGurney said. "At this point, they’re ready to go. They know a lot is expected of them. They know what to expect from other teams. They’re ready to go."