Pirate freshman helps hockey team to MCT final
By: Justin Feil
Sometimes dreams do come true.
And sometimes they’re even better than you imagined.
Mitch DePace thought it would be difficult to start in goal as a freshman, wasn’t sure how far a team could go with him between the pipes, and never thought it could be this good. But maybe somewhere in his subconscious, he dreamed it all.
"This year’s been a dream come true," said DePace, the starting goalie for the West Windsor-Plainsboro High South. "I actually still remember when I was a little kid thinking about it. I didn’t know when I’d have the chance, I just wanted to play. I thought it would be hard to play starting goalie as a freshman. But I have a great defense. I’m really happy I have them."
DePace flipped and flopped at times like a struggling fish out of water and other times butterflied himself beautifully to 19 saves to help the Pirates shut down Hun, 3-2, in the semifinals of the Mercer County Tournament on Friday. With the win, WW-PS improved to 18-2-1 heading into Monday night’s scheduled final against Notre Dame, 7-2 winners over Nottingham in the other semifinal. WW-PS’ win Friday avenged an earlier season 3-0 loss to the Raiders.
On paper, the WW-PS win was no upset. The Pirates were the second seed, the Raiders the third seed. In reality, however, it was considered more of a David vs. Goliath type matchup, but David showed up with a chip on his shoulder and heavy artillery.
"We were fired up," Pirate head coach Brian McGurney said. "That’s a lot of how we won. We went out the first game and played hard, just didn’t get some breaks. A lot of teams just roll over and die when they see this (Hun) team. That’s not how we approached it. We brought our ‘A’ game today. This is probably the best we’ve played. But it’s a lot easier to play a great game against a great team."
Hun suited up 35-goal scorer Jonathan Poirier to lead a strong attack. A big defense and solid goaltending made it tough to score on the Raiders. WW-PS skated circles around both at either end of the ice, finishing their checks better, getting to the puck faster and basically turning the tables on a confident Hun squad.
"Our guys thought that they were going to kill them," said head coach Phil Mara, whose Hun team ended its season 14-11. "It’s called overconfidence. They just thought it was going to be taken care of like it usually is. This is a lesson in life for them."
WW-PS had learned its lesson in the first matchup when Hun had beaten the Pirates with power-play opportunities. The Pirates maintained their composure this time. They had just one minor penalty until the final 13 seconds of the contest, and that early man-down situation became a turning point when Adam Perry stole the puck from Raider goalie Mike Tenney and scored a shorthanded goal to knot the score, 1-1, in the second period.
Pirate sophomore Adam Suslak added the go-ahead goal on his own rebound and in the third period found Mark Hassmiller cutting in on the net for WW-PS’ final tally. Poirier added a goal, his 36th of the season, with under three minutes to go in the game as Hun mounted a final charge, but DePace and the Pirate defense shut the door the rest of the way.
"I was a little nervous then," DePace said. "I knew they were going to put all their best players on the one line. They had nothing to lose at that point. But I think I play better under pressure. I was excited wen we got the lead and I wanted to make sure we didn’t give that up.
"It feels really good," he added. "We had a lot of motivation today. I was fortunate to have (defensemen) Tyler Boyle and Todd MacLennan backing me up. This was for the seniors. I hope they enjoy it. This year’s been fun. I just couldn’t be happier with this team."
The 14-year-old moved from outside Detroit just before the start of the school year. He knew little of WW-PS’ hockey team except "they were going to have a lot of seniors and a couple goalies were going to try out for the starting position." DePace captured the starting job and has used hockey to integrate into WW-PS quickly.
"I’ve been very comfortable," he said. "It’s helped me meet a lot of people. It’s great. I know someone from every grade now."
Growing up in a Midwest hotbed for hockey made the transition to Mercer County ice the easiest part of the move. New Jersey hockey teams aren’t up to par yet with Michigan squads, a reason, DePace feels, he was able to play so quickly.
"I made the transition easier because I played out there," he said. "It’s not like the hockey is horrible out here. It’s just more competitive out there. It’s more physical here though, but that could be because of not playing high school there."
WW-PS his happy to have DePace. He’s helped make the Pirates the stingiest defensive unit in the Colonial Valley Conference. WW-PS has given up fewer goals than any other CVC team.
"Mitch has been great all season," McGurney said. "He’s one of the guys you can count on. He’s a heck of a goalie. He’s a big kid. He’s good with his feet and he controls the rebounds. He knows where his defensemen are. He’s a smart goalie."
DePace used his head Friday. In one instance, a puck flipped up in the air and as DePace spun to look for it, it came down on his head, kicked off the right post and was cleared. He stopped a pair of point-blank shots and somehow kept a stuff shot attempt in front of him in the second period.
"I felt I played a good game," DePace said. "I had a lot of confidence in myself. It’s a snowball effect. It helps me and the team’s confidence grows, too."
Besides playing for the Pirate team, DePace can suit up and bring confidence to a club team as well. He gets some extra work with the Tri-County Phantoms now, something he couldn’t do in Michigan.
"They make you decide which one you’re playing," DePace said. "The league here is high-school friendly. It works well together. It helps me."
DePace means enough to the team that just thinking about three more seasons with the youngster in goal brings visions of future MCT titles. McGurney’s only worry is that the same sort of transfer that brought the former Michigan resident to him could take him away.
"I’m not going to let him leave," the second-year head coach joked. "If he has to come live with me at school, he’s not going."
In what has been a dream season for Mitch DePace and the Pirates, it’s a nightmare that nobody wants to consider seriously.