The Emmaus High School ice hockey team has not gotten many breaks to fall its way during the 2021-22 season. The Green Hornets were looking for that to change in their latest game, but the puck still didn’t bounce their way as they fell to second-place Central Catholic 11-4 in a Lehigh Valley Scholastic Hockey League game Monday, Jan. 10 at the Bethlehem Municipal Ice Rink.

The score was 8-4 and Emmaus had a great chance to cut its deficit even more but could not find the back of the net when it needed to most.

“We had a power-play opportunity to pull within three goals and close gap in the third period,” said Emmaus head coach Doug Kirk. “But their goalie played well, and we couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity. The kids played hard, just a few bad bounces and breakdowns at the end and they got some garbage time goals. Shots on goal were pretty even at 40-39.”

The Green Hornets have struggled getting over the hump and earning that first victory on the season.

“This year has been very challenging for us as a program and the varsity team,” said Kirk. “We have a very small group of kids playing varsity. We played one game this season with only seven skaters, which is very difficult. We have some very talented junior and senior players; we also have some freshmen and sophomore players that are taking on bigger challenges than they would normally.

“Those younger kids are really taking on a challenge against some very skilled competition. That also means our more skilled players are carrying more of a workload. However, each one of them is skating and working their butts off to compete. They are working together, helping each other learn and grow. I am very proud of all of them. They have never quit, and they are have remained in good spirits. They enjoy playing and competing.”

Emmaus fell to 0-13 on the season with the loss. The Hornets have three games remaining on the schedule this season.

“We have faced some games that were like David vs Goliath,” Kirk said. “We approach it one shift at a time. Go out and win the battles to win the shift. Win the period. Work hard, have fun. Each game our younger players have learned and improved. We are slowly closing the gaps to our competition and challenging them more.”

Hunter Engleman leads Emmaus with 12 goals this season. He’s also assisted on three scores. Edward Mirigliano (7 goals) and Blake Gross (6 goals, 5 assists) have also found the back of the net several times for the Hornets. Assist leaders include Tyler Adams (2 goals, 8 assists), Kyle Kuzar (2 goals, 6 assists) and Luke Hoffman (2 goals, 3 assists).

“We have added a couple of additional skaters recently that really bring a lot to the team,” said Kirk. “Both are very skilled and talented players that bring a punch to the offense and the team as a whole. We want to end the season on a strong note and a winning streak. We have senior night coming up on January 24 at the PPL Center and we want to win. We want to continue that momentum into next season. Our Middle School effort is a first-year effort with a large group of skilled kids.”

After taking on Bethlehem Area School District in their senior night game, the Hornets will round out this year’s schedule against Phillipsburg (Monday, Jan. 31) and Parkland (Monday, Feb. 7).