IN A VALLEE: Hun School boys’ hockey player Zach Vallee, right, heads up the ice in recent action. Junior transfer Vallee, a native of Pont-Rouge, Quebec, Canada, has emerged as a key performer for the Raiders this winter. Hun, which fell 5-0 to LaSalle College High (Pa.) at ProSkate Ice Arena last Thursday to move to 10-7, hosts St. John Vianney High on January 29 and Malvern Prep (Pa.) on February 3 at the Ice Land Skating Center. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)

By Bill Alden

For Canadian native Zach Vallee, joining the Hun School boys’ hockey team this winter has been a one-of-a-kind experience.

“It is the dream, I have been enjoying myself a lot,” said junior forward Vallee, a native of Pont-Rouge, Quebec.

Playing in the U.S. has helped his game. “The level of hockey is a little bit harder here,” said Vallee. “Playing against stronger players helps you develop yourself.”

Vallee has quickly developed into a key player for the Raiders.

“Coach (NG Welsh) told me I have a big role,” said Vallee. “That role is a big job. It is pushing the team, it works out.”

Last Thursday, Vallee and the Raiders pushed hard as they played LaSalle College High (Pa.) at ProSkate Ice Arena. Falling behind 2-0 in the first period, Hun generated a number of scoring chances but couldn’t break through as they ultimately fell 5-0.

“We have been on a losing streak and we were trying to get out of that hole,” said Vallee. “It is just the little things that we have to work on. It was the finishing that we were missing.”

Hun head coach NG Welsh concurred, noting that the Raiders didn’t capitalize on their scoring opportunities.

“We haven’t started well all year, today we continued that trend,” said Welsh, reflecting on the loss to LaSalle which was the third straight setback for the Raiders as they moved to 10-7. “We like to play the second half of each period very, very well. We weren’t exactly equal with them but we had our fair share of chances. We just didn’t finish them.”

A pair of sophomores, Conor Mulligan and Jimmy Dolan, showed some jump in the loss to LaSalle.

“I think Mulligan on our side was awesome, he was up and down the ice, he played great,” said Welsh. “Jimmy and Conor are our top two penalty killers, they were hustling.”

The addition of Vallee this winter has given Hun a top offensive threat.

“Zach has an ability to score from anywhere,” said Welsh. “To have a guy who can score from anywhere in any situation is extremely helpful. You know that every game you are walking into he has got a better than not chance of scoring.”

Seniors Andrew Darst, Jacob Kelly-Lepage, and Luca Jean have helped set a positive tone for the group.

“We have got some seniors that have stepped up big time this year,” said Welsh. “Darst, Jacob, and Luca are all captains and they have earned it. That has been a big thing for us, having three guys that lead in and out every day.”

With Hun struggling a bit, Welsh believes that being more aggressive will help the Raiders get back on track.

“We are very much a put pucks deep and forecheck team and we have gotten away from that a little bit,” said Welsh. “We have to get back to basics and put it deep, go hard, use our speed, our size and our physicality. That has been something we have here been missing in our last couple of games.”

With Hun heading into the homestretch of Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference (APAC) play, Welsh believes it will be hard to beat.

“We are in the mix, I think we are going to finish second or third in the league and then we will go into playoffs,” said Welsh, whose team is hosting St. John Vianney High on January 29 and Malvern Prep (Pa.) on February 3 at the Ice Land Skating Center. “We have a little bit of a break in our schedule but we are picking up some games to get ready for the APAC. We are going to go and play Father Judge and we are trying to put PDS on the schedule. We want to put a couple of tougher games on the schedule the week before APAC to get us back in the groove.”

In Vallee’s view, Hun can get back into the groove by focusing on fundamentals.

“It is doing the simple things that coach asks us to do,” said Vallee. “It is keep to the plan and it should work out.”