CREASE CONTROL: Hun School boys’ hockey goalie Jack Borek guards the crease in recent action. Last Wednesday, senior captain Borek made 36 saves in a losing cause as Hun fell 4-1 to the Hill School (Pa.) in its first action since December 15. A day later, Borek made 15 saves to help the Raiders defeat the Pingry School 10-2. Hun, now 6-6, plays at the Portledge School (N.Y.) on February 3, at St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.) on February 4 and at Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) on February 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Jack Borek could have been rusty as the Hun School boys’ hockey team hosted the Hill School (Pa.) last Wednesday at the Ice Land Rink.

Hun hadn’t played since December 15 as it went on holiday break and then had its first four games of 2022 called off due to COVID-19 concerns.

But senior goalie Borek was sharp from the opening face-off when the Raiders battled a powerhouse Hill squad, making 12 saves in the first period as Hun trailed 1-0.

While Hill eventually wore down the Raiders as the game unfolded, Borek stood tall, ending up with 36 saves in a 4-1 defeat.

In assessing his performance, Borek was proud of the way he hung in against the Blues.

“I felt like on some of  the rebounds, I didn’t do the best with those,” said Borek.

“I did a generally good job of getting back into it. The first goal goes in, it is not the best feeling but I battled back after that.”

Borek and his teammates were excited to finally return to action.

“It is good to be back to games; it is the only thing that really gets us going, you can only do so much in practice,” said Borek, who made 15 saves to help the Raiders defeat the Pingry School 10-2 on Friday as they improved to 6-6.

“Once it is game time, you flip a switch. The good thing about the rest of the season is that every game matters. It is all important from here on out.”

Over the last six weeks, Hun had barely practiced. “We have only had two practices, it was over break and we weren’t even in school and a bunch of kids went back home,” said Borek.

“It was really a reset in the season after Christmas break. Kids from Canada going back home and coming back and then we were shut down and had only a few days to get back. Some kids just got back today and didn’t even get a practice.”

Despite some rustiness, the Raiders didn’t lose any of their fighting spirit.

“I think we showed a lot of grit today, that kept us in the game,” said Borek.

“We were a little bit rusty but as the game was going on, we were getting more comfortable, getting back in the groove. It was good to be back out there today.”

As one of the team’s captains, Borek has grown comfortable with  his leadership role.

“This year, we have a lot of new guys, it is definitely different having a leadership role,” said Borek.

“Two years ago was like my last real season. It is a tough thing, getting all of the boys together. I feel like my thing as a goalie, it is more the off the ice thing with practicing. During the games, there is only so much I can do. I am in the net, compared to someone on the bench who can talk to the team during the game.”

Hun head coach Ian McNally likes what he is getting from Borek in the net.

“Jack has got all of the prime games right now; he deserves the accolades he gets, he has been waiting his turn to get them,” said McNally.

“He was dialed in today. We said halfway through the second, he is doing his job. We need to capitalize on some of these opportunities.”

Borek’s leadership by example helped him get the job as a team captain.

“Over last year and into the summer I started to sense that he is quietly a leader of this peer group,” said McNally

“Jack is not the rah-rah guy, the captains all have a different way of doing it. Jack is not going to pipe up in the locker room or lead the stretch. That is not his thing. His thing is quietly when something has to happen, he does it. If somebody got hurt tonight and everyone went home, he would be the guy, without anyone suggesting it, who would  probably call the guy and say, ‘how are you doing?’ He does the right thing.”

Hun did some good things against Hill despite a lack of ice time.

“Yesterday was the first time we were on the ice and able to say, ‘OK, let’s at least remember some of the things we talked about two months ago,’” said McNally.

“We want to win, we want to beat everybody in our league but for the break, some guys just got cleared yesterday, we will be at least halfway happy about that. There was a lot of good that happened too. The bad came very obviously. We had a turnover, goal, bad penalty, power play. I didn’t feel like we were grossly outplayed.”

Sophomore Brendan Marino played well, scoring Hun’s lone goal in the contest early in the third period.

“He hasn’t played hockey in a couple of years, he is a lacrosse kid,” said McNally

“He just keeps scoring, He has scored a ton. He is up there for us bin goals. He has an aggressiveness to him and he has a knack for the net. Some guys shoot 10 times and score, he shoots two times and he scores.”

McNally is looking forward to Hun being busy in February.

“It is going to be three games every week for three weeks in a row to make up all of the games,” said McNally, whose team competes in two leagues, the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League (MAHL) and the Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference (APAC).

“We could be in the middle of both of the leagues and end up in some semifinal games, but we have to make up some wins in that last month.”

With the Raiders playing at the Portledge School (N.Y.) on February 3, at St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.) on February 4, and at Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) on February 8, McNally believes his squad is primed to pile up some wins.

“It is going to be tough, but the flip side is that usually at this point it has been a grind for all of January,” said McNally. “Right now, guys are getting healthy. We still have one or two guys out. I think we do have fresh legs and we haven’t had that grind. We will try to go on a run.”

Borek, for his part, is bringing a fresh approach to the ice each day.

“We are taking it day by day at this point,” said Borek. “Who knows what tomorrow is going to bring. We are all just trying to come to the rink every day, just wanting to be here, maximizing our time here and just trying to get better every time we are on the ice.”