These days are the test of times for the Northampton ice hockey team.

Off to a rather unceremonious start this season in the Lehigh Valley Scholastic Hockey League (LVSHL), the Kids arguably faced their biggest stretch of games before Christmas, and they began it with a pivotal 6-5 victory over Phillipsburg Monday night.

NHS ended the week with an overall 4-3-1 mark (nine points), one point ahead of Easton (4-2-0, eight points) for the top spot in the LVSHL Non-Pure Division.

But this season, their usual hurried pace to begin the season has been slowed due to some unusual team chemistry issues, ones that apparently haven't revealed the team's true potential.

As a result, head coach Brian Ruff has gone back to the drawing board to devise a new formula for success down the road. After Phillipsburg, the Kids also will have dates with Becca/Central and Whitehall/Salisbury, both of whom are also in the LVSHL Non-Pure Division.

"We have made some big changes," said Ruff. "We have moved some guys and we're sure that these changes will make things right. We have also made some changes on the power play and penalty killing.

Lately, we have been playing better than we were playing. We're not at 100 percent where we should be, but we believe we are headed in the right direction."

With the division trifecta ahead, Ruff believes his club can possibly take control of the division with a solid stretch. All three clubs began the week below .500.

"This will be a big stretch for us," he explained. "This is the time when we need to step up our game. If we can win all three, we can set ourselves up or the rest of the season."

Ruff also noted the recent play of seniors Gunnar Mishko -the team's leading scorer - along with fellow seniors Tyler Feist and Daniel Farkas, all of whom have been paired together to form the team's top line.

"Gunnar (Mishko) is pulling his game together after a slow start," said Ruff of Mishko, who has eight goals and six assists for a team-high 14 points. "He (Mishko) only has one goal in his first four games , but he appears to have found his niche.

"Tyler (Feist) was back on defense and we moved him to the front. He has taken on a leadership role for us, and he is always digging and mucking around the net. He has given us a big life. Dan (Farkas) has been steady all year long, and he also has been a good leader for us.

"We use this line to start the game to give us some energy and also if we have just given up a goal. When working together, they give us a lot of energy."

Defensively, Ruff has been pleased with the play of juniors Colin O'Donnell, Derrick Wruble , and Brian DeQuintall, who have been stalwarts at the blue line.

"Colin (O'Donnell) and Derrick (Wruble) have been steady for us," stated Ruff. "Brian (DeQuintal) is a big kid who will continue to get better."

Senior Adam Orsulak will be in the nets and junior Chris Tanzosh is more than an adequate backup.

"Adam is playing well and he is our guy," said Ruff. "He (Orsulak) has been through the playoffs before and knows what to expect. We have had Chris (Tanzosh) in the nets for a few games and we have complete confidence in him doing a solid job."

The next weeks, however, the Kids' play will determine if it will be a cold or warm winter.

"We can be in control of things if we can go out and play the way we are capable of playing," stressed Ruff. " We're confident the changes we made will help us. These kids know what to expect and they have to go out and take control of the season."