By Rich Fisher, Sports Editor
FARMINGDALE – Need an extra guy?
Artie Thompson will play.
Short a man?
Thompson will make up for that.
Playing at even strength?
Hey, there’s Thompson again.
When attending a Monroe Township High School ice hockey game, it’s hard not see No. 5 on the ice. A member of the original Falcon JV team of 2005-06, Thompson plays even strength, on the power play and when MTHS is short-handed.
He’s also in the middle of the circle when face off time rolls around.
Oh, and he wears the C on his chest.
”He’s real valuable especially as a senior captain,” coach Jerry Minter said after the Falcon 8-3 win over Princeton last Friday at the Wall Sports Arena. “It’s great, no matter what, whether you’re up, down, he’s out there for every situation.
”He does everything, and obviously from his plus-minus rating he’s out there for more of our goals than theirs. So it’s nice to have him out there in key situations.”
”I haven’t always played everywhere,” Thompson said. “With high school you have a short list of kids that play. I play for Old Bridge in travel hockey and I don’t play as much as I do here.”
As impressive as Thompson’s ability to play in all situations is, his plus-minus figure that Minter alluded to is even more staggering.
As a team, the Falcons (6-8-2) are being outscored by 10 goals. But when Thompson is on the ice, Monroe has scored 23 more goals than the opponent.
If that doesn’t define value, nothing does. And the forward relishes his contributions at both ends of the ice.
”It’s definitely nice to keep the pucks out of there and also be able to score,” said Thompson, who is second on the team in scoring with 29 points. “On offense I like passing the puck and making the assist. That’s probably my best attribute.”
And yet he leads the team in goals with 17 — including three on the power play and three short handed. He also has four power play assists.
Thompson began his career playing roller hockey at the Monroe Community Center. He advanced to ice skates at age 10 playing at ProSkate (now Princeton Sports Center) in South Brunswick and moved into travel hockey.
He jumped at the chance to play on the Falcons when they started a JV program his freshman season. When Monroe moved up to varsity status, Thompson had nine goals and three assists in 16 games as a sophomore, and tallied 19 goals and 10 assists last year. His plus-minus both years was even.
”Things are a lot better here now than my first year,” Thompson said. “A lot more kids know how to play.”
And a lot more have improved, especially the captain.
”He’s come a long way, especially speed-wise from when we first had him his freshman year,” Minter said. “He’s developed a lot. He’s always had good hands and a good eye for the net, and his overall speed and mentality has grown.”
The Falcons have also been developing as a team lately, as their win over Princeton made them 2-1-1 in their last four games and 6-8-2 overall.
”We’re moving the puck better,” Thompson said. “We’re dumping it in and getting to the puck first. We hadn’t been dumping it in at all in the beginning of the season, and we have skilled athletes that can go get it.”
Unfortunately, Monroe can not qualify for the state tournament due to fighting early in the season. So now it’s a case of playing for pride and, for Thompson, playing for college recruiters.
According to Minter, Thompson hopes to play ACHA Division I club hockey, which is equivalent to NCAA Division III in other sports. He is looking into Delaware and West Virginia, among others.
And when he graduates, Thompson will leave behind quite a legacy.
”With where we’re at now, he’s definitely one of the top three players we’ve had in our program,” Minter said. “As far as overall, he’s definitely gonna be one of the best all time that’s ever played for us.”
