What brings the St. Louis Park boys’ hockey team together?

Part of the answer can be found in the middle of the team’s locker room at the St. Louis Park Recreation Center, where a ping-pong table has taken up new residence.

“We try to have a lot of fun,” Orioles’ coach Colin Hohman said of the Christmas addition. “It’s been helpful getting the kids to hang out with each other and not be on their phones so much,” Hohman added.

The extra time spent together could be one of several reasons that Orioles are having their best season in several years, running their record to 17-5-1 after a 3-0 win over Metro West Conference rival Chanhassen on Tuesday night.

Senior forward Bauer Neudecker recorded a goal and two assists in the win, tying Delano’s Ben Meyers with 38 goals this season.

Junior forward Brenton Ryan iced the game with empty-net goal late in the third period, and junior goaltender Atticus Raasch made 20 saves to earn his first shutout of the season.

The win over the Storm (10-11-1, 2-4-1) avenged a Jan. 17 loss for the Orioles, who were shutout in a 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Storm.

“I think we made the decision as a group to compete hard every shift, and (to do) the little things right,” Hohman explained of the reversed score.

Neudecker has been a prime example of competition and attention to detail in his four years with the St. Louis Park varsity. His career totals for goals (91) and total points (184) make him one of the highest scorers in program history.

“He’s a really good example for the younger kids, in that if you put the work in, you can be successful out of (St. Louis) Park,” Hohman said of Neudecker, highlighting the many workouts Neudecker does on his own time to improve.

Before he graduates, Neudecker and his fellow seniors have a chance to clinch the program’s first conference title since 1952, when the Orioles were crowned as Lake Conference champions.

“To see that we haven’t won it for that long, and how we have a pretty close chance of (winning it), it means a lot,” Neudecker said.

The Orioles are currently second in the Metro West behind Bloomington Jefferson, their next opponent, and a team they have defeated already this season.

Away from the St. Louis Park program, Neudecker has excelled against some of the top players in the country, recording six goals and 11 points in the Upper Midwest High School Elite League this fall.

“I thought it was really cool to play in that,” Neudecker said of his time in the Elite League, adding that carrying the Oriole flag made his performance that much sweeter. “To show that a St. Louis Park kid can make it.”