Ice hockey
By: Jim Green
The Lawrence High School ice hockey team finally had an opportunity to be on the other end of a laugher.
The Cardinals snapped a 10-game winless streak Jan. 15 with an 8-1 thrashing of Hamilton at Mercer County Park. It was a welcome change for Lawrence (2-10-1), which had struggled to keep its spirits up since last winning Dec. 6 against Nottingham.
"It was nice," Lawrence coach Andy Borowsky said of the win. "It was definitely different. We got some positive energy. Hopefully this will be a spark."
The Cardinals lost six games by at least five goals and were shut out three times during their 1-10-1 start. But Lawrence has been a different team since finishing a six-game stretch that included two dates with Hightstown and one each with Hopewell Valley and West Windsor-Plainsboro North.
Lawrence tied Princeton and lost a hard-fought contest with Pennington in the two games following an 11-1 loss Jan. 6 to the Knights. The Cardinals then completed their turnaround against Hamilton.
"It was a good night," Borowsky said. "We had high spirits. The guys played a good game. They came out ready to put three good periods together."
The Cardinals finally overcame their first-period struggles, coming out with five unanswered goals in the opening 15 minutes against the Hornets. Lawrence entered the game having netted three first-period goals the entire season.
Senior forward Jon Aicher opened the scoring with a goal off assists from junior defenseman Jordan Astrin and junior forward Michael Huber. Senior forward Chad Ham then scored off a feed from junior wing Mike Tennant for a 2-0 lead.
Senior forward Jason Poli, Huber and sophomore forward Mike Cino each netted single tallies to complete the first-period rout. Huber and Aicher each finished with two goals and one assist, while Poli netted two goals and Tennant dished out three assists.
Junior goalie Dan Katona, a back-up most of the season, replaced injured starter Frank DiBella and made eight saves for his first win.
"It was good to get a win under his (Katona’s) belt," Borowsky said. "It’s got to be good for his confidence."
The exact nature of DiBella’s injury had not been identified by the end of last week, but it is located in the abdomen and believed to be muscle-related. With only five games left, Borowsky might shut DiBella down for the rest of the season.
"It (the injury) might not be something worth taking a chance on this late in the season," Borowsky said.
The loss of DiBella, Lawrence’s best defensive player, has been offset by the production of the team’s first line. Seniors Sam Hamilton (five goals, four assists) and Chad Ham (three goals, four assists) and junior Mike Tennant (two goals, six assists) have combined for 14 points during the Cardinals’ three-game resurgence.
"They’re starting to click," Borowsky said of his top line. "They’re starting to get the feel of where they’re going to be on the ice."
That starts with Hamilton, Lawrence’s assistant captain who had two goals and an assist in the comeback win against Princeton.
"He (Hamilton) is really a big leader on the team," Borowsky said. "He puts a lot on his shoulders.
"He’s a big voice on our team. He’s really been stepping up."
While Borowsky will be hard-pressed to replace senior leaders such as Hamilton, Ham and Aicher (five goals, three assists), the coach is excited about the recent improvements of his underclassmen.
"I hate to see these guys (the seniors) leave," Borowsky said. "But I’m feeling confident with the guys we’re going to have next year."
One of those guys is Tennant, who will be expected to take a leadership role next season.
"Tennant is getting better every game," Borowsky said. "I want to get his confidence ready for next year. I think he knows I have high expectations for him."
Borowsky also is encouraged by the play of Huber (three goals, one assist), sophomore defenseman Brad Wham and freshman forward Josh Azer. One player standing out, though, is freshman forward Evan Fruscione, who notched a second-period assist against Hamilton.
"Evan (Fruscione) has been playing outstanding," Borowsky said. "He’s really working hard."
The Cardinals will look to continue their rise to respectability with a re-match against Colonial Valley Conference Colonial Division leading Steinert at 6 p.m. Friday. Lawrence then faces West Windsor-Plainsboro South on Monday and Nottingham on Wednesday.
Lawrence defeated the Northstars 3-2 in the second game of the season.
"It (the schedule) couldn’t have worked out any better," Borowsky said. "I have really high expectations for the rest of the season. We’re looking forward to it.
"We’ve got a nice stretch to the end of the season."