Coach: Hockey team is full of talent

FALLS VILLAGE — The Housatonic Valley Regional High School hockey team is off to a decent start on the season. The Mountaineers currently stand at 3-3-1 with more than half their schedule still to play.

After losing their first two games, Housy has gone 3-1-1 in the last five games, including a huge 4-3 overtime win against New Fairfield, which was in the top three of the division. The Mountaineers also recorded a big 5-3 win on Wednesday, Jan. 14, against Joel Barlow, which was 4-1 on the season. The two wins have served as major confidence boosters for the team and showed them they can play with the top teams.

A lack of offense was the story for Housy to start the season, as they often outplayed their opponent only to come up short on the scoreboard. A return to keeping things simple has allowed them to overcome their offensive woes as the Mountaineers have scored 13 goals in the last three games.

Coming off a 13-4-3 season last year, Housy returned every player except one, allowing the team to start the season with good chemistry. Jason Diamond leads the team with eight goals, while James Hufton is second with four. Andrew Shepard, Timmy Hahn and Phinn Bamberry round out the offense, while Liam Bamberry and Wes Reel have anchored the defense with all-state goalie Eric Chin in net.

Head Coach Dean Diamond calls this team the most talented he has ever coached. “They’re a great group of kids who work hard every day. We should have a strong season this year with the potential to finish in the top five in our division and make a deep run in the state tournament. I told them they already showed they have the talent to beat anybody, it’s just about continuing to work hard and coming together as a team.”