Win has North in MCT semifinals
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
LAWRENCEVILLE — The end result was the same, but the method of getting there was different this time for the West Windsor-Plainsboro High North ice hockey team.
On Friday night, WW-P South had a 2-0 lead before North rallied for a 3-2 win. The two teams met again on Wednesday in the Mercer County Tournament quarterfinals on the same ice at Lawrenceville, and this time the Knights built a 3-1 lead before South rallied to tie the game, 3-3, after two periods.
But the Knights then scored the first three goals of the third period — four minutes apart — and came away with a 6-4 win and a spot in the MCT semifinals.
”It was pretty opposite roles,” said North captain Scott Martin, who assisted on three of the goals. “We came out 3-1 in the first period and they did exactly what we did to them to us. They came back with two quick goals and it was tied going into the third period. Whenever you play a cross-town rival it’s the hardest game you’ll play all season.”
The Knights will now play Notre Dame in the semifinals at 6 p.m. today at Mercer County Park. In the other semifinal, second-seeded Princeton Day School will face No. 6 Hun School in a 4 p.m. game at MCP.
PDS topped 10th-seeded Hamilton, 5-1, as Spencer Gabin scored three third-period goals and finished with four for the Panthers. Brooks Herr also scored a goal, while Nick Jabs made 41 saves in goal.
Hun advanced with a 5-2 win over third-seeded Hopewell Valley. Peter Blackburn had two goals and one assist to pace the Raiders. Harry Blackburn added a goal and two assists in the win.
Princeton was eliminated from the tournament with a 3-2 loss to Hopewell Valley in the quarterfinals on Monday.
For Martin and the Knights, the win didn’t come easy but it puts them in a place they had hoped to be all season long.
”It was the passion to win,” Martin said. “Our school has never beaten South three times in a season in one year in, I think, any sport, let alone ice hockey. We did not want to lose. We wanted a shot at Notre Dame, especially after they beat us 2-1 the last time we played. I am going to miss playing South, especially since it is the biggest game.
”I think what really made our team believe was when we beat Brick Memorial the first week of the season. At that point they were ranked top 10 in the state and we were able to pull out a victory. After that we really started to click.”
Stephen Kolber led the Knights with three goals, while Dylan Strober, Andrew Kessler and Harrison Washuta also scored goals. Martin did not score, but did what he usually does best — set others up to score goals.
”My dad hates when I say that, he thinks I am a scorer,” Martin said of being more of an assist man than a scorer. “But I have never really been a good shooter. I just reached my 100th point against Hopewell — I am at 115 now, and about 75 percent of them are assists.
”My coach is always trying to get me to shoot more, but a point is a point as long as we score the goal. Whether I get three goals or three assists, I just want us to win the game. I’ll do whatever it takes to win.”
The Knights now face a Notre Dame team that it dropped a tough 2-1 decision to the last time the teams faced each other.
”Notre Dame’s goalie is phenomenal,” Martin said. “Brandon (DeLibero)plays Juniors. He’s been All-CVC. And they have a line with Max Matejik, Chris DeAngelo and Tim Kinsley who are three of the top point scorers in the league and they’re all on the same line. As long as we are able to shut them down, I am very confident we can take that game, especially with the way we just played.”
WW-P South will now turn its attention to the state tournament, which begins later this month.
”We started out and two or three minutes into the game we were up,” South coach Brian McGurney said of Jed Plester’s early goal. “And then they came back, which has been our problem all year. We let teams come back. We were all over them in the second period. But they played well.
”In the first period we had some awful turnovers in our end that led to some goals.”

