Matthew Haldukiewicz named Sewickley Academy athlete of the week

By: Shawn Annarelli
Thursday, October 25, 2018 | 7:33 AM

Matthew Haldukiewicz

School: Sewickley Academy

Sport: Hockey

Class: Senior

Claim to fame: Matthew Hajdukiewicz’s most recent scoring spree came in seven-point fashion.

The Sewickley Academy senior had four goals and three assists against Freeport, giving him 10 points through three games this season. A goal scorer at heart — he’d rather shoot than pass — scoring is just the beginning of what is on Hajdukiewicz’s bucket list.

How much fun is it to play in a game where you can’t be stopped?

Those games are really fun. Once we got the huge lead, we let some of the younger kids get in. When we were just getting going early on, it was fun seeing the whole team click to show what we can really do against other teams in this league.

What do you feel was your best play of the game?

Probably my third goal was my best play. I took it end-to-end.

How has your game improved since last season?

I think as I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten physically stronger. I’ve learned more about the game, how the league works and what you need to do to succeed in the league. That experience has helped me know what to practice with my team to make us all successful together.

You’ve scored almost a goal per game in your career. What is your favorite go-to play to score?

I think it would be coming into (the offensive zone), crashing toward the middle and using a defender as a screen to score. I think that’s probably my most common way of scoring, and I feel like I’ve gotten pretty good at that.

Sewickley Academy’s team seems to get better every year. What will be key for this team to make a deep playoff run?

I think we have to work as a team and make sure we’re getting everyone involved and being responsible for their job. If we can do that, I think we’ll be one of the better teams in the league.

What would it mean to you to win a Penguins Cup?

That would be awesome. The Sewickley Academy team was kind of looked down upon for several years, and the seniors we have, have really built it back up. I think for us to get a Penguins Cup our senior year would be icing on the cake and show that everything we’ve done was all worth it.

Shawn Annarelli is a freelance writer.

Tags: Sewickley Academy