McCormick anchors defensive effort for PHS boys hockey
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
With two of the mainstays of the Princeton High School’s champion Mercer County Tournament boys ice hockey team graduated, others have been forced to step into bigger roles.
At the offensive end, the Little Tigers may go by committee to take up the scoring of Fraser Graham. At the defensive end, Dean DiTosto’s big skates, along with lots and lots of minutes, are being filled by Patrick McCormick.
”It’s nice. I get a lot of ice time,” said McCormick, a sophomore who did see plenty of time last year. “Although it’s tiring, it’s good to be out there. I can trust myself and protect the net back there and help Josh (Berger, the PHS goalie).
”Last year, I was kind of the third defenseman. I could rely on Griffin Peck and Dean DiTosto. If I had a bad game, I didn’t have to play as much, and they didn’t have to rely on me. This year, I can’t have a bad game or it’s going to hurt us.”
McCormick made his presence known at the defensive end as the Little Tigers made things tough on West Windsor-Plainsboro South offense before pulling away for a 4-1 win in the season opener Thursday at Mercer County Park.
”It’s good because we came out with a win early in the season,” said McCormick, who had an assist in the win. “Last season, we should have beaten South in the first game. It was good to start with a win. We haven’t done that in a long time.”
PHS got on the board first with a goal by Gabe McGregor off helpers from Matthew DiTosto and Mike Wasson in the first period. The Pirates tied it up in the second period when Matthew Sayde scored off assists from Mike Morabito and Adam Deslatte. The game stayed tied going into the third period thanks in large part to Pirates goaltender Jon Plester, who finished with 37 saves.
”We were getting a little nervous and frustrated,” McCormick said. “We should have beaten them by more than 4-1. We were begging for a chance to score. We were just looking for a break. We were peppering him with shots.”
The Little Tigers took a 2-1 lead when Connor McCormick lit the lamp off an assist from Kirby Peck. Peck scored the insurance goal with helpers from McCormick and Will Greenberg. Wasson scored the final goal shorthanded to ice the win.
”That goalie for South, Plester, is amazing,” said PHS head coach Tim Campbell. “We were shelling him and he did not allow any goals near the end of that second period.
”We were just continuing to get the puck to the net, which started to get some momentum for us going into the third period. We knew if we continued to put pressure on them, continue to forecheck, continue to create scoring opportunities for us, it would work out. Once we got one, we got the momentum and kept it going.”
At the other end, McCormick helped to ensure that Berger didn’t face too many dangerous opportunities.
”I was pleased,” McCormick said. “They only scored one goal. It was kind of a lucky bounce. When you only allow one goal for a defense, I think that’s pretty good.”
This year, McCormick has a young skater to work with in Hungarian freshman Bence Stipsicz. Last year, it was McCormick who was a new face to the team. He’s a more focused player this year to match his talent.
”I have two sophomores, Mike Wasson and Patrick McCormick, who I haven’t seen raw physical hockey talent like those two have in a long time,” Campbell said. “Patrick McCormick stepped up last year into a role to help us. Dean DiTosto took him under his wing. This year, he’s exploded. And he’s only a sophomore. I can’t wait to see what he’s like as a senior. The amazing this is he hasn’t ever had a penalty.”
If there was one common complaint out of the Little Tigers locker room, it was that they hadn’t been as disciplined against South as they wanted to be.
”The only thing I was dissatisfied with was the penalties,” McCormick said. “We had seven. That’s like a whole period. We gave them a 5-on-3 and that gave them a chance to get back in. We have to cut down on penalties to close out the win.”
McCormick is also hoping that the Little Tigers will play with the same fire they came out with in the third period right from the start of future games. PHS was scheduled to play Hamilton on Monday. They return to the ice against Hightstown 3 p.m. Friday.
”When we start off in the first and second period, we need to fly like we did in the third,” McCormick said. “We only scored one goal in the first two periods. We scored three in the third. It’s not like they took their goalie out. We weren’t going hard enough.”
McCormick would like to be one of the players to provide a spark for the Little Tigers. His influence will come mostly at the defensive end, which is a relatively new spot for him. Last year, he made the move in midget hockey to the defensive end, and after a scrimmage on offense with PHS, he also moved back to defense for the high school team.
”I kind of learned from Dean, he took me under his wings,” McCormick said. “I got focused. It’s different. Some kids are good and you have to watch out for them. You have to stay composed all the time and you have to win the games.”
Opening with a win is big for a PHS team that comes off one of its best seasons ever. McCormick doesn’t want the Little Tigers to take a step back.
”We have high expectations this year,” he said. “We have targets on our back. We were probably one of the best teams in the CVC last year. Some years it wasn’t that big of a deal to win against us. We’re a stronger team now and everyone is out to get us.”
McCormick is ready to do his part at the defensive end, and PHS showed in its first game a new offensive make-up. The Little Tigers can’t count on Graham for points anymore, and they seem to know it. Four different players scored goals in the opener.
”That’s the way it’s going to have to be,” Campbell said. “It’ll be spread out more.”
The opener was a strong start, and even though there may not be some familiar names in the lineup anymore, PHS showed there’s maybe more weapons than ever.
”We lost a lot of finesse talent,” Campbell said. “The way I was describing it is, we’ll have a lot of blue collar skill. Surprisingly, we’re a little deeper this year. We’re able to mix up the lines more when someone is hurt or in the penalty box. Last year, when we lost Fraser or Dean for two minutes, we didn’t know what to do.
”I knew the talent was coming up. It’s good with these guys returning from last year who experienced what they did.”
And now players like Patrick McCormick are doing their part to lead the PHS boys ice hockey team to another championship year.