Hopewell Valley ice hockey
By: Mike Molaro
The first time the Hopewell Valley Central High School boys ice hockey squad skated in an angry mood this season, the Bulldogs blitzed Nottingham 13-3.
HoVal (6-4 overall, 5-1 in the Colonial Valley Conference) wasn’t looking to exchange any pleasantries Monday against West Windsor-Plainsboro South at Ice Land in Hamilton.
The Bulldogs were coming off a 3-1 loss at Toms River South on Dec. 30 and wanted to get back into the win column right away.
Blasting 55 shots at the Pirate nets, HoVal had eight players earn points en route to a 9-1 pounding of its CVC foe. It doesn’t pay to face the Bulldogs when they have something to prove.
"We were frustrated after the Toms River South game," Hopewell coach Rob Siris said. "We worked a lot in practice at getting better shots. We were moving our feet against West Windsor South, and the guys were focused.
"This was a big win for us. Not only was it a league win, but it came against one of our rivals."
Sophomore forward Eric Doran scored three goals to lead the rout, while junior forward Alex Laughlin had a pair of goals and two assists, sophomore forward Brian DeAngelis scored twice, senior defender Gregg Amato had a goal and four assists, and freshman forward Tom Rush had a goal and an assist.
Freshman defender Drew Scanella, senior forward Pete Carroll and junior forward Charlie Knights each had an assist, and senior goalie Bryan Driver stopped 22 Pirate shots to pick up the victory.
HoVal quickly is learning that it’s not the number of shots on goal that matters but the type of shots.
"We want to get quality shots," Siris said. "Our focus is on quicker shots like wrist shots rather than slap shots. We want to move the puck and not give the opposition an opportunity to set up defensively."
DeAngelis scored the lone Bulldog goal against Toms River South off an assist from sophomore defender Tom Kawalec, while Driver recorded 30 saves.
Despite being shorthanded, HoVal gave last year’s state-tournament quarterfinalists all they could handle.
"We only dressed 16 guys because of illness," Siris said. "South scored with one second left in the first period. We were playing very well, but that goal really hurt. They scored their second goal on a power play with 30 seconds left in the second period.
"The third period was our best period, and the best we’ve played all season. We were in their zone the entire period. We dominated the third period. We scored three minutes into the period, but they scored a late goal to ice the game."
HoVal fired 22 shots in the third period and had 44 for the game but couldn’t dent the scoreboard often enough.
"Our passing was great, we skated well, and we took the body," Siris said. "We played great hockey. We just didn’t put the puck in the net.
"It’s frustrating, but it’s part of the game."
NOTES: The Bulldogs skate against North Jersey power Montclair at 5:15 p.m. Saturday at Ice Land. They face CVC opponents West Windsor-Plainsboro North on Jan. 12 and Princeton on Jan. 14 at Mercer County Park.
Siris was an assistant coach at Montclair before taking over at HoVal last season.

