Hun School marches past Pennington in MCT quarters
WEST WINDSOR » Matt Argentina had to admit, it was tough focusing on the first Mercer County Tournament game of his career.
“Maybe a little bit,” Argentina said with a smile. There’s good reason for that, as the Philadelphia product and his family will be perched on the corner of Broad Street and Samson Avenue Thursday to watch his beloved Eagles parade on by.
Fortunately, Argentina did not have to be at his very best Wednesday as coach Ian McNally gave varsity and JV players a chance to see time in the top-seeded Hun ice hockey team’s 9-0 quarterfinal win over 8th-seeded Pennington at Mercer Rink.
“He didn’t have to play too many shifts,” McNally said. “So focus wasn’t all that important today. They got to see how the other half lives because we didn’t call their name too much.”
Argentina, a prized freshman already committed to Notre Dam
e, sat out the first period with several other Raider regulars, but made his presence felt with two third-period goals. It fit right in with the way everything is going for Argentina, who has not yet come off the high of the Birds’ Super Bowl win.
“Not really, not much,” he said. “It’s been a fun week.”
And the county tournament is usually a fun tournament for Hun (10-8-2), which meets the Hopewell-Paul VI winner in Tuesday’s semifinals. The Raiders were 0-4-1 in their previous five games but got the right remedy with the MCT, which they have won the past four years.
“This will be the last time a few of the kids on the team put on a jersey, so it’s a special time for them,” Argentina said. “The guys want to keep that streak going. Everyone played and everyone was working hard. Everyone played great today.”
This is the Raiders one shot at a tournament championship, as they fell in the Purple Puck Tournament semifinals in Washington, D.C. in December and did not make the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League playoffs. There is no state prep tournament this year due to a lack of teams, so Hun is hardly treating the MCT casually despite its domination over the years.
“The bus ride here today they were singing Taylor Swift songs together, they were warming up like it’s the first game of the season; yelling and screaming,” McNally said. “It’s a very positive energy when we come to this. They’re happy to play in it. Everybody really enjoys this tournament.”
It was only 2-0 after one period, but early in the second Aidan McDowell and Chris Brake scored 15 seconds apart to double the lead. With the score 5-0, another rapid-fire explosion occurred when James McCall, Argentina and Brian Nelson scored within a span of 26 seconds.
McCall had two goals along with Argentina, who has 12 goals and 27 assists this season.
“He’s pretty special, he’s lived up to the billing,” McNally said. “We put him on the first line and he’s delivered first line type of play for us. He can shoot and skate but he has a chip on his shoulder. That helps. Everybody can shoot and skate. It’s having that competitive level that attracts people to you. He has a little chippiness to him and I think that’s why people were all over him early. He had a few offers and Notre Dame he liked early.”
“I felt the sooner I committed, next year I wouldn’t have to go out and showcase myself more,” Argentina said. “Now I just have to work hard instead of try to get scouted. The hockey is terrific at Notre Dame, the school is like no other, plus my whole family is Notre Dame.”
Except on Thursday, when the Notre Dame fight song defers to Fly, Eagles Fly.
Pennington (5-7-2) Hun (10-8-2) Goals —
DePalma, Mrotchek, Brake, McDowell, McCall 2, Nelson, Argentina 2 (H).
DePalma, Dimatos 2, Argiriou 2, Blake, Aubrey 2, Schmuckler, Wu 2, nelson 2, Watson 2.
12 (TPS). 38 (H).
Bernal 15, Belinski 14 (TPS). Cole 12 (H).
Assists — Shots — Saves — 0 2 0 0 — 3 4— 0 9
Follow Rich Fisher on twitter @Fish4scores