Hampton hockey program gets hot at right time

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, January 17, 2019 | 7:57 PM

Hockey fans in the Pittsburgh region are used to seeing their professional team start slow and improve as the season wears on. Hampton is trying to imitate that story arc.

The Talbots finished off No. 2-ranked Mars by a 7-4 victory to reach 7-6, the first time over .500 since its first game.

The 1-4 hole the team dug itself at the beginning of the season, which included a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of the Planets, is but a memory.

“The first time they played us, they dominated us pretty thoroughly,” coach Luke Leya said. “So this is a big moral victory for us to not only win, but handily.”

The difference was secondary scoring.

Junior defenseman Luke Reiser, junior forward Josh Bianco and freshman forward Adam Dembowski scored in the third period to lift a team that has been living off its top line most of the year. Michael Orban (35 points), Justin Adamski (33) and Matt Commendatore (26) compose the top scoring line in the PIHL.

“There’s a ton of talented guys in that locker room,” Orban said. “Justin, Matt and I clicked earlier in the season, and it was only just a matter of time. Jake Schwarzbach is on a four-game point streak, Bianco scored one last night. Everyone is finding a way to contribute.”

If the extra production continues, Hampton will prove a tough out in the playoffs.

“On the road I can’t match lines,” Leya said. “So you kind of have to gamble with what you have. You start of the period with Line 1 versus their ones, but then it comes down to it, whose second or third line is going to produce?”

Adamski thinks the team has been more focused as of late.

“Starting off slow, everybody was very frustrated,” Adamski said. “Everybody kind of came together and said this isn’t how the season is going to go. Everyone started working harder in practice … I feel like there was more of a want to win as the season has progressed.”

Another big reason for the turnaround is the maturation of junior goalkeeper Jake McGee.

“We started the season unsure of what our identity was as a team,” McGee said. “We graduated a lot of seniors last year. We had a lot of first-year varsity players come up, and there was an adjustment period.”

Leya remembers the Franklin Regional game last year when the team came into the third period tied only to give up four goals in an 8-7 loss. With the same scenario against Mars after two periods, McGee stood tall in net and pitched a shutout on 12 shots.

“My mentality was completely different,” he said. “High school hockey has been an experience of growth and maturity for me, and I’ve seen a lot of different approaches for your mentality going into it. I think as this year went on, I’ve continued to grow … I think that was a big stepping point for me.”

The defense, which returns only senior Will Meglio as a four-year starter, also has come together nicely.

“We’re an older group, but we’re young in exposure to that level,” Meglio said. “A lot of those guys jumped in there, fearless. It was sweet. The young guys really stepped it up, like my linemate Luke (Reiser), and we’re making it work.”

Devon Moore is a freelance writer.

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