Senior’s speed helps Cougars
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
The Montgomery High School ice hockey team used Mike Papsin’s speed for offense. He graduated after leading the Cougars in scoring last year.
Now the Cougars think they can use his brother Steve Papsin’s speed defensively.
”We’re starting to put him on some other top players,” said MHS head coach Rob Scarpa. “He may not have gaudy stats, but he’s starting to play a bigger role for us for the rest of the year. He’s going to skate with some top players and try to keep them from getting the puck.
”If they don’t touch the puck,” he explained, “they don’t score.”
Papsin is adjusting quickly to his first weeks on the job. He helped the Cougars hold one of the state’s best Public B division teams, Kinnelon, to just one goal through two periods before settling for a 3-3 tie on Monday.
”It’s great. I’m glad,” Papsin said of his role. “I’ve been waiting for this for my senior year. He’s given me a big opportunity here. I’m going to make the best of it. “I think our team needs more leadership. I think he needed one more person to step up. I think it’ll take us far into states.”
Papsin’s new role is supposed to keep him defensive minded, though with some greater opportunities on the ice while paired with Jeff Garringer and Chris Sparno, he just happens to be getting more involved offensively compared to earlier in the season. Papsin provided MHS’ first goal of the game against Kinnelon.
”I’ve been scoring a lot lately,” he said. “That was a pretty big goal in a big game.”
Tripp Garringer was credited with the Cougars’ other two goals. Goal-scoring, however, isn’t Papsin’s first priority. The former third-line grinder is taking on a different sort of challenge of shadowing skillful forwards around the rink.
”I’ve got new problems to deal with,” Papsin said. “I have to guard a guy, score and play defense. I’ll usually be the first one back.
”This is a lot different than what I’ve been doing,” he added. “This is really putting my speed to test.”
Speed has never been a problem for Steve. It wasn’t for his brother either. That speed is a Papsin trait.
”We’re born with it,” Steve said. “It’s natural. I’ve learned a lot from Mike. I was a freshman when Mike was a sophomore on the team that went to the state final. I pretty much watched Mike my whole life. I’ve taken a lot from him.
”Freshman year, I just sat the bench. Every year, I’ve been playing a little bit more. This year, I’ve been playing a bigger role.”
Scarpa likes the skill set that Papsin brings. He has physical traits as well as experience.
”He probably has the most speed on the team,” Scarpa said. “The Papsins, they’re pretty fast.
”He played a lot last year. Physical maturity has helped him, and just being a senior adds motivation. He’s stepped up a lot.”
Papsin is hoping that he can continue to develop in his role as the Cougars close out the regular season before getting into the state tournament. MHS got an early sense of its capabilities with a 10-0 win over rival Hillsborough in December.
”We knew we had talent after that,” Papsin said. “It was definitely a statement game.”
Montgomery has been working to make sure it’s that good all the time. Kinnelon was an addition to the regular schedule that continues today with MHS playing Hunterdon Central.
”I think we outskated them,” Scarpa said. “We outshot them. We just didn’t finish it off. We got a bad break with a puck stuck in water and then a broken skate. Even tying them, 3-3, is good for us. We would have been home if we didn’t play.”
The Cougars were happy to have the addition to their schedule, especially getting a quality challenge out of a team like Kinnelon.
”We never get to play Public B teams,” Papsin said. “It’s good to see what else is out there. It’s a good competitive game to get in before states to kind of see how we’ll do in big games.
”We’ve put away all the easy teams. But we’ve been having some trouble with big games. When states come around, I think we’ll wake up and take the states this year.”
Steve Papsin is looking forward to the challenge, just as he’s embraced the challenges that come with a bigger role for the Cougars ice hockey team.