The St. Peter’s Prep hockey season was not exactly going well in mid-January when the Marauders faced state-ranked power Don Bosco Prep.
It was about to get even worse for junior forward and Marauders’ leading scorer Vinny Addeo.
“We were playing them pretty even,” said Addeo, a native of Hoboken. “It was toward the end of the first period and I had my arm extended out. I got hit from behind and I dislocated my shoulder.”
Doctors immediately told Addeo that his season was over.
“Once I saw the doctor, I pretty much thought that was it,” Addeo said. “I thought I was done.”
“I think we all thought that he was done for the year,” said Prep head coach Mike Goodrich, who is in his second season as the Marauders’ head coach. “He hurt it pretty bad. He missed most of the month of February.”
Addeo continued to receive medical treatment and underwent physical therapy on the injured shoulder. It was definitely not the same as being on the ice.
“I wore a sling and went to therapy every day,” Addeo said. “It was terrible that I was not able to be out there with my teammates. I knew if I was able to, I could be out there helping them. Not being able to play was killing me.”
It’s very rare for a kid from the mile-square city to pick up the sport of ice hockey. Most Hoboken products choose the conventional sports route – you know, football, basketball, baseball.
But not every kid from Hoboken has a godfather who spent more than a quarter century being on the ice in the National Hockey League.
Addeo’s godfather and mentor is Pat Dapuzzo, a native of North Bergen who spent many years as a respected linesman and official in the NHL.
“I started talking hockey with him and then started going to camps and clinics with him,” Addeo said of Dapuzzo, who retired from officiating a few years ago. “He’s the reason why I got into hockey. I would have never played hockey if it wasn’t for him. I still see him at least once a week, talk to him all the time. He keeps me going in the sport. He knows what’s best.”
But for the month of February, Addeo was on the sidelines, watching his Marauder teammates skate while he recovered.
“I always wanted to be able to come back,” Addeo said. “I kept that in mind.”
Right before the Marauders were set to begin play in the NJSIAA state tournament, Addeo went to his doctors, insisting he had fully recovered.
“They did all these tests on me and they agreed that I could go back to playing again,” Addeo said. “It was the greatest feeling in the world.”
It also was a great relief for the coach.
“He did everything he could to come back,” Goodrich said. “He started feeling better and that gave me a little hope. The kid should be the first to know if he could go. He showed that he had more range of motion in the shoulder. He was ready.”
Goodrich was pleased that he had his top line of Addeo, senior Will Simpson and freshman Sean Crowley together again in time for the state playoffs.
“Those three battled together all year,” Goodrich said. “But Vinny can really put the puck in the net. He’s a scorer. He can bury shots. When you have someone who can ice a few big-time goals, it makes everyone better. Vinny’s the kind of player who can score from anywhere. He gives your team a fighting shot. He brings speed and quickness and the ability to score. That’s all you ask for in the state playoffs. You need a shot.”
Addeo returned in time to score the game-tying goal in a first-round come-from-behind victory over St. Joseph of Metuchen. He then took the ice against Don Bosco Prep, the same team that knocked him out of action and a team now ranked No. 2 in the entire state.
“Going into that game, I really didn’t know what to expect,” Addeo said. “Whenever our school faces Don Bosco Prep in anything, the whole school gets pumped up for it. We were all focused and prepared for the game. They already beat us twice this season, so we were ready.”
So was Addeo, looking to gain a little revenge for his lost time.
With the game tied at 1-1, Addeo broke free on a short-handed goal that snapped the tie. He then added a second goal, giving the Marauders the improbable 4-1 win over the No. 2-ranked Ironmen, catapulting the Marauders to the Non-Public A state semifinals.
Although the Marauders’ miraculous run in the state playoffs ended in the semifinals against Christian Brothers Academy, falling just one win away from heading to the state finals at the Prudential Center, Addeo has to be pleased with his late-season comeback.
“Throughout the season, people were trashing us, saying that we weren’t any good,” Addeo said. “We proved a lot of people wrong.”
And for his efforts, Addeo has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week.
“To us, getting that far was like the equivalent of winning the state championship,” Addeo said. “No one could have dreamed we’d get that far. But we all came together at the right time.”
And Addeo returned at the right time as well.
“Vinny’s a very good hockey player,” Goodrich said. “He played very well all year and we were glad to get him back. I like the direction the way the program is going.”
It’s moving forward considering Addeo, who scored 13 goals this season, is returning for a senior year.
“This has been the best hockey season of my life,” Addeo said. “It definitely ended on a great note.” – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at OGSMAR@aol.com.