ELMA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Getting better and gaining valuable experience. Sophomore winger Jett Malczewski is taking advantage of every opportunity in his first year on the Iroquois/Alden varsity hockey team.
"He's got all the tools at a young age," Iroquois/Alden head coach Duke Ziegler said. "He's just gotta put it all together."
The team enters their January 7th game against Hamburg with a 7-0-2 record and are outscoring their opponents 68-26. Malczewski is a top five contributor in both scoring [six] and assists [seven].
"They've been great," Malczewski said. "They're always pushing me, I always push them, it's just good energy."
Malczewski's had some good games in his young career, but none may top the game held on December 20th when his coaches, teammates, and fans witnessed something incredible.
You've heard of players getting hot, and you've heard of hat tricks. Well Malczewski experienced both that night, scoring a natural hat trick in a span of just 23 seconds.
— Iroquois/AldenFed🏒 (@IroqAldenFed) December 21, 2021
"I had an idea it was quick but I did not realize it was in 23 seconds," he said. "It was quite the experience."
"Driving home is when it hit me. I was like wait a second. That's three goals," Ziegler recalled. "I mean I played college hockey and have been around hockey my whole life and I was like, that's gotta be something."
It happened back in 1952 when Chicago Blackhawk Bill Mosienko scored three goals in just 21 seconds. But there are no records to confirm whether or not anyone in New York high school hockey has ever achieved that feat.
Malczewski knows he's a part of history, as are the guys who helped make it happen.
"I couldn't have done it without them," Malczewski said of his teammates. "I was happy they were there and they just added to the experience."
"This was a great thing for our program and hockey in general," added Ziegler.
Will a hat trick like that ever happen again for Malczewski? Probably not. But it's a night he'll always remember and hopes is the start of a promising career.
