Janos hat trick leads team to final eight for first time
By: Rudy Brandl
The Hillsborough High ice hockey team advanced to the NJSIAA quarterfinals for the first time in school history with a 4-1 victory over Jefferson Tuesday afternoon at Aspen Ice Arena in Flemington.
Hillsborough extended its unbeaten streak to 13 straight games with a victory that earned the team a spot in the state’s final eight. The sixth-ranked Raiders will face the winner of Wednesday’s playoff game between No. 3 Bridgewater-Raritan and Hopewell Valley on Saturday night at South Mountain Codey Arena in West Orange.
Matt Janos led the Raiders with a hat trick and also assisted on Joe Kubrak’s goal. Janos connected once in each period, sealing the deal with an empty net goal in the waning seconds. Janos fired in a power play goal late in the second period to give HHS a commanding 3-0 lead entering the final 15 minutes.
Junior goaltender Eric Visnovsky stopped 25 of the 26 shots he faced in the victory. Jefferson made it interesting with a goal early in the third period but the Raiders killed a penalty to keep the visitors at bay. Both teams finished with 26 shots on goal.
For complete coverage of all the HHS athletes and teams in the state playoffs, see Thursday’s Hillsborough Beacon.

