Freedom head hockey coach Brandon Zittrer believes his team is right in the cusp of being a contender in the Lehigh Valley Scholastic Hockey League (LVSHL) this winter.

The Patriots began with an overall 3-2 record in the LVSHL. They returned a core of players that muddled through four wins last season.

"We're probably about 60 percent to where we should be," said the second-year coach last week. "In a couple of games this year, we came out flat. We're still trying to figure everything out as a team. We do have a ton of talent on this team and we have a bunch of seniors who have been playing together the past few years.

"We'll come together at the right time."

Senior Brenden Driscoll continues to be the team's main offensive threat as he has paced the team in scoring. Brandon and Spencer Manganiello also both have been key cogs in the offense.

Jarrett Ballister is back in the nets after he underwent his baptism by fire.

Zittrer also is excited with the addition of a junior varsity program this season.

"We really have a good group of veteran players," noted Zittrer. "We also have Jared (Ballister) which is a big lift. The addition of a JV team will also help as we haven't had one in a number of years."

With the pieces apparently in place, Zittrer is looking for some cohesiveness.

"We need some meshing and some cohesion," he said. "I can see that we are starting to come together. We know we can do that at the end of the season, which will be perfect timing.

"We're off to a decent start, but we have the meat of our schedule coming up."

In the next two weeks, Freedom will face both undefeated Northampton and Parkland, who both sat respectively atop the league standings to begin the week.

"Those games will be big tests for us," stressed Zittrer. "It always seems like such a long season, but after the Christmas break, we only have a handful of games left. We want to get to the playoffs, so we can't afford to fall behind.

"We'll be challenged, but I believe we will respond to it."