Hopewell Valley ice hockey
By: Mike Molaro
One thing that brings a smile to a coach’s face is watching his team execute in a game what it works on during practices.
Hopewell Valley Central High School ice hockey coach Rob Siris had to be beaming after last Friday’s 7-0 thumping of Colonial Valley Conference foe Ewing. Siris watched his guys outshoot the Blue Devils 50-10 and blow the game open with a four-goal second period.
"We knew going in that they had a good goalie (junior Ricky Hunt)," Siris said after the Bulldogs raised their record to 4-0. "We practiced on getting good shots and moving without the puck.
"We knew they would pack it in tight. That made it hard for us to showcase our speed, so we had to get good shots and make the goalie work."
Senior center Pete Carroll and junior left wing Hank Whitman each scored two goals to lead the offensive assault, while sophomore defenseman Tom Kawalec had a goal and an assist, and freshman right wing Tom Rush and freshman defenseman Drew Scanella had a goal apiece.
Junior defenseman Alex Laughlin contributed two assists, while senior forward Jeff Karpiscak, senior defenseman Gregg Amato and sophomore center Brian DeAngelis each added an assist. Senior goalies Bryan Driver (seven saves) and Jake Lurie (three saves) shared the shutout, the third of the season for HoVal.
"Out statisticians do an excellent job of charting our shots," Siris said. "We follow where all our shots come from and analyze them. Against Ewing, we did a great job of getting a lot of shots on goal and getting good quality shots."
After outscoring their opponents 25-1 through four games, the Bulldogs have a week off before skating against perennial CVC power Notre Dame at 6 p.m. tomorrow at Mercer County Park.
"Notre Dame is a big test," Siris said. "This game could dictate where we will go. This is the type of game we want to play. We want to play Notre Dame. We need a game like this.
"Defensively, we haven’t been tested this year. We have worked on defense in practice, but Notre Dame will be a huge test for us. We have worked on controlling the puck. We want a purpose every time we touch the puck."
Although HoVal would like to keep the momentum going, the week between games gives it a chance to fine tune some things before facing the Irish.
"Being able to practice to see what works and what doesn’t is key," added Siris. "We use every minute of our ice time. We have a lot of guys playing, and we are skating well in the third period.
"We are always working on moving the puck and getting guys in position. We want quality shots, not just a lot of shots."
Siris, who was an assistant coach at North Jersey power Montclair before taking over last year at HoVal, sees the Bulldogs gelling with each shift.
"Our confidence is building," he said. "We are becoming a cohesive unit. We had two tough scrimmages in the preseason, and we know we can play with the top North Jersey teams.
"In the past, we would worry about who we are playing. Not anymore. We are not worried about our opponent. We are confident that if we play the way we can play, our system will pay off."
Despite the 4-0 record and the dominating goals-to-goals-against ratio, HoVal is taking nothing for granted.
"We need to be intense and focused every period," Siris said.
The Bulldogs have worked too hard to stop now. They have seen the results and they like the view.
NOTES: HoVal visits Morris Hills on Saturday and faces Bridgewater-Raritan on Monday at Ice Land in Hamilton.

