By ROB CHAKLER
For BucksLocalSports

LAWRENCE — Little has gotten in the way to deter the success of the West Windsor-Plainsboro hockey team since the first week of the season.

After starting the year with two losses in their first three games, the Knights then ripped off 14 straight wins, won the Hamilton Hornet Holiday Tournament and were sitting comfortably atop the Colonial division.

They sport one of the deepest offensive teams in the league and possess one of the stingiest defenses, yet with two games remaining in their season, they were faced with a tough matchup against Hopewell Valley that would go a long way in determining not only the winner of the Colonial division, but the Colonial Valley Conference champion as well.

It sounds simple, but some teams just match up better against other teams. Such is the case with Hopewell Valley against WW-P North.

The Knights had the better of play at times throughout the game last night, but Hopewell was the opportunistic team scoring a goal in each period to come away with a 3-1 win at the Loucks Ice Center at The Lawrenceville School despite heavily being outshot through the first two periods.

Hopewell goalie Grant Mitchell turned in one of his best performances of the season and came up with 25 saves in the win. WW-P North came out aggressive and it was up to Mitchell to stand tall in his crease as his team was outshot 9-3 in the opening period.

“I did my best to keep them in the game. We can put the pucks in the net, it’s a matter of keeping the pucks out of the net. That’s what wins games and you saw it here,” Mitchell said.

“They came out with some fire,” the goalie added. “They are a good team and you really have to watch them. My team did a great job of clearing rebounds. They did a fantastic job and they didn’t have too many second chances.”

Of North’s three losses, two of them have come at the hands of Hopewell.

The win puts the Bulldogs in the driver’s seat in the CVC standings and they need either a tie against Steinert (next Wednesday), or a WW-P North loss to Notre Dame (next Friday) as each team has one final conference game remaining.

“We’re in a good spot,” Hopewell coach Paul Merrow said. “Going into this game we were both tied with 20 points. Now were up two points, but nothing is guaranteed. We have a big game against Steinert next Wednesday and hope to get a little help from Notre Dame when they play North.”

No matter who is left standing on top when the season concludes, the CVC will see some new blood at the top of the conference.

“We were tied for the league and we put them away with the win,” Mitchell said. “We play Steinert next week. It’s a change from Notre Dame reigning all of those years. It’s nice, it feels great in my junior year.”

Hopewell opened the scoring 2:32 into the game on a fluky goal from Andrew Siddall. The Hopewell forward skated down the middle of the ice, and while trying to fend off a WW-P North defender, lost control of the puck but the loose disc slid past Knight goalie Todd Petrone.

The Knights play a tight, defensive style — due to the fact Petrone is a first-year goaltender — and often drop defenders back in the zone to protect the net. Getting an early goal like the Bulldogs did was a huge factor in the win.

“You don’t get many second opportunities because they clear out very well,” Merrow siad. “I told the kids to get to the front of the net and shoot from anywhere and we did that ... They’ve had to play a defensive style with the goaltending situation, and they do a great job of clogging up the middle.”

The Knights finally broke up Mitchell’s shutout bid with 10:31 remaining in regulation when Casey Litwack, a close friend of Mitchell’s, slipped one past the goal line.

Mitchell and the rest of the Hopewell Valley team were able to stay loose throughout the game even with so much at stake. A win over Notre Dame last week also gave this team some confidence heading into the biggest game of the season.

“The win over Notre Dame was huge for us,” Mitchell said. “It kind of gave us a little boost coming into this game. It was our job to put (WW-P North) away and we just did it ... Some people overstress the game. I just try to have fun out there and do the best I can. And I have fun doing it.”

With a 1-0 lead in the second period, Michael Devaney tipped home a goal as he stood at the left post on a bang-bang play that resulted in a 2-0 Bulldogs’ lead 2:17 into the period.

Ian McQueary added Hopewell’s third goal early in the third period.

Even though WW-P North held the shot advantage throughout the contest, Hopewell never wavered from its gameplan.

“We weren’t really trying to change anything,” Merrow said. “We just tried to play discipline hockey and stay out of the box and we were able to do that.”

WW-P North (15-3)  0  0  1  —  1

Hopewell Valley (13-3-2)  1  1  1  —  3

Goals: W-Litwack; H-Siddall, Devaney, McQueary. Assists: W-H. Washuta. Shots: W-26; H-20. Saves: W-Petrone 17; H-Mitchell 25.