Huang aids MHS ice hockey
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
For the third straight season, the Montgomery High School ice hockey team is going to the public A Division semifinals, but it’s a very different trip for Patrick Huang.
This time, the Cougars senior will be logging a lot of ice time.
”Last year, I did get to play,” Huang said, “but mostly in the early rounds. It’s definitely different being the No. 1 or 2 defenseman. There’s a lot more responsibility and pressure. I enjoy it. We have a great goalie in net. Zach (Schiavo) in goal really helps us out. The team in general is playing well right now.”
The third-seeded Cougars advanced to today’s 4 p.m. semifinal at Codey Arena against second-seeded Morris Knolls with a 3-1 win over sixth-seeded rival Hillsborough on Saturday. The teams had split their regular-season matchup, with the Cougars winning the most recent game, 5-2.
”You feel like you don’t want to lose to Hillsborough just because they’re a big rival,” said MHS head coach Rob Scarpa after improving to 20-7. “There’s a lot of emotion. It’s a Skyland rematch. One goes to the final four, one goes home. You don’t necessarily want to lose to somebody in your conference. There’s a sense of nervousness.
”You could tell by the intensity of play, they didn’t want to go out against us. Hillsborough played an exceptional game. They outplayed us everywhere but the scoreboard. Our kids have a lot of heart. They didn’t want to lose. They somehow kept the puck out of the net. They did enough to win. It wasn’t textbook. It wasn’t pretty.”
The Cougars took a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal by Luc Esposito off Erik Pedinoff’s assist. Hillsborough tied the game with a second-period goal to set up an even tenser third period. But the Cougars got a goal from Kevin Wanke from Jeff Garinger and Esposito then an insurance goal with just under three minutes left from Garinger, with Wanke getting the helper to close out Hillsborough.
”Zach made several outstanding plays,” Scarpa said. “They hit a post. Our skill players, Kevin Wanke scores a backdoor goal on the power play, which we’ve come to expect from him. Then Jeff made a dazzling play. Not many players in the state that could do what he did.”
Garinger slipped between a pair of Hillsborough defensemen and evaded the goalie too, just as the Cougars slipped by their rivals into another semifinal.
”It feels great,” Huang said. “At the end of last year, we lost quite a few seniors and no one gave us much of a chance. Now that we’re back, anything can happen and we’re obviously excited to be there again.”
Huang is looking forward to his first chance to play in a big state game, and the Cougars will need strong defense against a Morris Knolls team that scored 18 goals in its state opener and eight in its second-round game.
”Knolls is pretty dynamic,” Scarpa said. “They have goal-scorers to burn.”Montgomery, on the other hand, has several proven goal scorers, but there are a lot of unproven players logging major minutes. Huang didn’t play much in close games last year, but he’s being asked to play every other shift this year, plus play power play and penalty kill.
”Last year, I went on if we were winning, no power play and no penalty kill,” he said. “It took me a while to get used to the new roles.
”I definitely think I took a huge jump. I’m seeing the ice better. I’m taking my time on the ice rather than rushing. I matured as a player and understand my role on my team and I trust my forwards to score goals.”
Huang used to be a forward until his junior year. He made the switch, and at the end of last year, he could see why.
Huang said: “I knew as a defensemen I could make a bigger impact on the team.”
With the loss of 14 seniors to graduation, Huang set out to make sure he’d be ready for his opportunity. Over the summer, he ran and worked out.
”I felt endurance would be a big key this year,” Huang said. “If you’re going to get that much ice time, you have to be in good shape.”
His offseason training was more intense than ever, and he came into the year with better focus. It has paid off as he’s filled a big role.
”He’s our No. 1 or 2 defenseman,” Scarpa said. “He’s a good player. He’s fast. He’s got some skill. He’ll give us a break sometimes out there just by using his skill and speed. He’s out there on the penalty kill and power play. When Connor Fox was out, he was clearly the No. 1 for us. He’s got two game-winners for us, one against Bridgewater-Raritan.”
Huang’s biggest contributions have come in helping to lead the team back to the semifinals. The Cougars remain one of the hottest teams in the state as they put together a last-month run to secure the No. 3 seed and have justified it through the first three rounds.
Said Huang: “I think one thing we really improved on is our defensive zone coverage. We haven’t given up as many chances. And when we do give up chances, our goalie makes saves.
”Overall, we’ve come together as a team. We trust each other on the ice. I think that’s what’s carried us through February and what will hopefully carry us to the state championship this year.”
Huang also credits another part of the Cougars with aiding the return. It’s a part that he thinks doesn’t get enough credit.
”The big part of why we’re back in the final four is our coaching staff,” he said. “They push us to do what we can do and push us to achieve more than we can. It’s the whole coaching staff. To make it three years in a row, that consistency is amazing.”
The Cougars have done so with different expectations each year, each time meeting or exceeding them. And each time the cast changes a little bit, though this year it went through a major overhaul. Patrick Huang was just happy to help kept the success going.
”As a senior, it’s your last year,” he said. “You hope you can accomplish something before you leave school.”

