It didn't take Northampton hockey head coach Brian Ruff to realize this was a different season. On the positive side, his club has maintained their lead throughout the year in the Non-Pure Division of the Lehigh Valley Scholastic Hockey League (LVSHL).

The difference came with the six regular season losses, a total that is totally uncharacteristic of the Kids' prowess through the years in the LVSHL.

Yet, Ruff also believed there would be a turning point. Fortunately for him and his club, there was and it was the widest turn the club had made in three years.

Northampton won it last three regular season games in impressive fashion and the momentum continued into the postseason.

They then proceeded to win the opening one-game elimination over Becca/Central and came out triumphantly in consecutive games in a best-of-three dogfight with Easton recently to capture their first LVSHL Non-Pure Division championship in three years.

"Right now, it is all good for us," said Ruff, who finished his 22nd season at the helm and won his fourth overall crown. "It is nice being able to finally win one (championship) again.

"A couple of weeks ago, we went and changed our lines to where they used to be. We should have left it alone in the first place, but we just weren't happy with the way we were playing.

"From there, everything straightened itself out."

Still, Ruff firmly believed his club was the team to beat this season. They just had to prove it in the postseason.

"On paper, we felt like we were the best team in our division," he stated. "We just had to go out and play like we were. We had some great hockey games in the playoffs. Central/ Becca was missing one of their better players, but they still gave us a battle.

"We broke a 3-3 tie with Easton in the first game of the finals with a third period goal, and we had to rally to score three goals in the final period to win it in the second game.

"It was a true test of character for us in the playoffs, and the kids stood tall."

Senior Gunnar Mishko was a freshman when the team won its last Non-Pure title with his brother Austin in the net for the Kids. Over the past three years, he has been among the team's top scorers and he led the team with 21 goals and 17 assists (38 points) this spring.

He also viewed the championship as a redemption for the regular season.

"I really can't explain in words how this feels," he said. "I knew we would win another one (championship) and we finally put it all together. It certainly wasn't easy especially in the playoffs. We had to keep battling through things, but we didn't quit."

Mishko saw the last regular season wins as a turning point for the club.

"Once we won those last three games, we knew we were going to take this," said Mishko, who plans to pursue a junior hockey career in Canada after graduation. "We had struggled all year and just weren't in sync. But we all kept the faith.

"The way we were playing, we could have probably kept this streak going. Yet, it was great to finish with a title just like my brother did."

Fellow senior Adam Orsulak was the JV goalie and also backed up the older Mishko when the team won its last title. Orsulak, who finished with an 11-5-1 record and a 3.81 goals against average, can also appreciate the milestone.

"This feels really good especially after having to come in second the past two seasons," said Orsulak about the title and the team's runner-up finishes the past two years. "We knew we could get hot at the right time. We just had to keep working through everything.

"At the beginning of the season, we weren't performing as well as we could have been. I am very content about the way the season ended, but I don't want to walk away hockey yet."

Orsulak plans to attend Northampton Community College in the fall and is optimistic rumors in the air about a hockey program will land on solid ground.

"I hope I will be playing next year," he said. "From there, I would like to transfer to another program. I'll be sad if I can't continue to play hockey, but winning another title made this program more worthwhile than it already is."