Prior to every varsity boys’ ice hockey game, Hill head coach Chris Bala ’97 posts three “keys to victory” for that particular game. The second key for Thursday afternoon’s Mid-Atlantic Hockey League championship game against top-seed Lawrenceville was “Small plays win big games.” 

In ice hockey, small plays come in a variety of ways. One of the most common examples is winning the battle for a loose puck.

With 7:45 remaining in the third period, the score tied at two, and Lawrenceville on the power play, Big Red forward Nikita Nesterenko missed the net with a shot attempt, and a scrum ensued in the corner to the right of Hill’s net as the teams contended for the loose puck. Fleet-footed CJ Duvall ’19 emerged with the puck and carried it up the right wing. Duvall cut to the middle as he was exiting the zone and suddenly found himself leading a 2 on 1 rush with Michael Rockovich ’20 through the neutral zone. Duvall threaded a perfectly weighted pass ahead to a streaking Rockovich, who gained a step on the Lawrenceville defender as he approached the net. Rockovich roofed a backhand shot just under the crossbar from the bottom of the right circle to give Hill a 3-2 lead. 

A won puck battle in the defensive zone led to the eventual championship-winning goal 10 seconds later. Small plays win big games.

Alex Kiviniemi ’19 added an empty net goal with 57 seconds remaining to seal the 4-2 victory for The Hill. 

“You guys absolutely earned this win,” Bala told the team in the locker room following the game. “You battled, you stuck to our game plan, you overcame some adversity, and ultimately you played as a team for 51 minutes. This was a team victory.” 

On February 1, Hill hit the lowest point of its season, losing 5-1 to Lawrenceville at Loucks Ice Center. It marked the fifth loss in six games for a Hill team that, after starting the season with 11 wins in its first 15 games, was struggling to overcome injuries to several key players and simply could not find ways to win. 

As players began returning to the lineup, Hill rediscovered its winning ways and entered the championship game on a four-game winning streak. 

In the home locker room, a confident Lawrenceville team prepared to take the ice having won nine of its previous 10 games. With the longtime rivals each playing at peak form, the championship matchup promised to be a tightly played, intense contest. 
 

Time and space were at a premium in the first period, as the teams managed a combined 11 shots on goal, many of which were taken from the perimeter. The Blues took a 1-0 advantage late in the period, capitalizing on a Lawrenceville turnover in the neutral zone. A precise passing sequence between Ryan Long ’19, Owen McLaughlin ’21, and CJ Duvall ’19 resulted in two cross-ice passes that forced Big Red goaltender TJ Semptimphelter to move laterally, a key to scoring on an aggressive goaltender who plays angles well. As McLaughlin received a pass from Long on the right wing, Duvall beat his Lawrenceville defender to the back post and converted McLaughlin’s cross-ice pass to give the Blues the always-important opening goal. 

Duvall struck again 70 seconds into the second period, stuffing home a loose puck in the crease moments after a Hill power play had expired. Duvall’s second goal ignited a spark on the Lawrenceville bench, and for the remainder of the period the ice tilted toward The Hill’s net. 

After resisting Lawrenceville’s surge for the first 14 minutes of the period, the Big Red finally broke through with a pair of goals in the final 3:10. First, Matt Manahan scored on a mini-breakaway after a 2 on 1 rush to bring the Big Red to within a goal. Then, with just one second remaining in the period, Michael Rocco scored an unassisted goal to tie the game at two, setting off a raucous celebration from Lawrenceville’s student section. 

Conceding a goal so late in the period, especially a period in which Lawrenceville dictated much of the pace, could easily have deflated Hill. In the locker room, the message from the coaching staff was simple: return to the style of play that made the team successful in the first period. 

It became clear immediately in the third period that Hill’s players took the message to heart. Playing a swarming defensive structure that limited Lawrenceville’s ability to make plays in the neutral zone and in Hill’s defensive zone, the Blues held Lawrenceville to just five shots in the final period. 

Midway through the frame, Hill took two consecutive penalties to give Lawrenceville’s dangerous power play multiple opportunities to strike. The Big Red managed two shots on goal on the first power play but struggled to set up early on the second opportunity. Thirty seconds into the second man advantage, Nesterenko’s missed shot began the sequence leading to Rockovich’s eventual game winner. 

As Rockovich carried the puck into the zone down the right wing, he moved the puck to his backhand side to protect it from the Lawrenceville defender, who was on his inside shoulder. As a left-handed shot, Rockovich had two options: attempt to drive the far post and pull the puck to his forehand, or shoot from his backhand. Semptimphelter lowered in his crouch, anticipating a far post drive. However, Rockovich opted to take the backhand shot, placing an inch-perfect shot just under the crossbar.

With the championship in sight, a veteran Hill team featuring nine sixth formers and seven fifth formers buckled down defensively and continued to restrict Lawrenceville’s space in the offensive zone. As the clock ticked below 90 seconds, Lawrenceville pulled Semptimphelter in favor of an extra attacker. With 57 seconds remaining, Kiviniemi scored an empty net goal to give Hill a two-goal cushion. Lawrenceville never had possession of the puck in the offensive zone again, and as the final buzzer sounded The Hill players poured off the bench and mobbed victorious goaltender Max Cichanowicz ’19, who turned aside 23 of the 25 shots he faced. 

The win gives Hill three MAHL championships in the past four seasons. In 2016, Hill defeated LaSalle 2-1 and repeated a year later with a 5-2 victory, also against LaSalle.