Hockey: Week 2 Review — North Jersey’s Best and Notes From Around the State

Barely a week into the season, we’re already changing up the scheduling of the weekly blog. Not sure why I thought it was a good idea to post the first one on a Friday, so from now on, these weekly reviews will likely be posted on Tuesdays throughout the year. A ton of interesting results to get into from the past four days.

Let’s get right into it…

WEEK 2 REVIEW
(Including games from Dec. 5 to Dec. 8)
Week 3 will include games from Dec. 9 to Dec. 15

TEAM OF THE WEEK
Mahwah — After the Thunderbirds started the season off with a 5-3 loss against Ramapo (a game in which they led, 3-2), Mahwah picked up two big wins against division opponents in a span of three days last weekend, taking down Lakeland, 6-3, on Friday and Wayne Hills, 3-2, on Sunday. Senior Tyler Gutierrez, back from an ankle injury which sidelined him for much of last season, recorded a hat trick in the win over Lakeland, but the real story that came out of that win was the emergence of Mahwah’s underclassmen — specifically its talented freshmen class, led by Nick Carabin (1 assist), Joe Moschetta (1 goal), Anthony DeAlto and Shane Ciongoli (1 goal). Tied at 1 after the first, Mahwah scored the next three, courtesy of Liam Brown, Mochetta and Ciogoli to take control. Refusing to be content with the win over the Lancers, the Thunderbirds went out two nights later and defeated Wayne Hills (albeit without Danny Reidel, but still impressive) after falling behind, 1-0, after the first. Luc Roberts tied it with a shorthanded goal early in the second (assisted by Gutierrez and Carabin), Paul LaDuca put the T-Birds up one (assisted by Moschetta) and Marty Kapoian, who missed the game vs. Lakeland, gave Mahwah a 3-1 lead with the Thunderbirds’ second short-hander of the night. Goalie Nick Cottle has been in net all three games this year, registering 23 and 20 saves in the victories. Mahwah is a team to keep an eye on going forward.

Honorable Mentions

St. Joseph — The Green Knights’ 8-2 win over Paramus Catholic gets Joes a mention here. Man, they played good Saturday night. And let’s clarify this, no one is anointing St. Joseph as the favorite to win the Bergen County title. That distinction still very much belongs to Don Bosco, with Ramsey right behind them. But after that, St. Joes has as good a chance as any to reach the county semifinals. From there, we’ll see. Obviously there’s still a long way to go, but SJR coach Larry Mahurter has the Knights playing very well early on this year. Defensively, they go six deep with senior John Arena, juniors Nick Andresini, Brian Quinn and Ed Klein and sophomores Robert Carr and Cole Garabed, with each possessing different skill sets. “Some are stay-at-home defensemen, some are defensemen who join the play offensively,” Mahurter said Saturday night. “I have faith in all of them, one through six. I’ve been coaching 20 years and this is probably one of the best defensive units I’ve been around.” Also, 16 different players have recorded at least one point through three games, so SJR is getting production up and down the roster early on.

Glen Rock – ‘Rock is 3-0 after picking up two more wins this weekend, including one over defending Public B state champion Morristown, 5-3, on Sunday (which you can read all about from fellow Ace Jim McConville here). A quality win over a Mennen Division opponent early in the year could prove beneficial down the road come state seeding time, though keep in mind, this isn’t the same Colonials team (currently 1-2) that defeated Ramsey at the Prudential Center nine months ago, namely in net as Morristown tries breaking in sophomore goaltender Harrison Brown (brother of last year’s goalie, Shane Brown). Glen Rock did impress on Sunday though, as five different players scored — Justin Rosario, Peter Tatigian, Jake Kinney, Griffin Meyers and Brendan Murray — while Brandon Rosario added two assists and Matt Rosario made 24 saves before Morristown scored three goals in the final five minutes, including one with just seconds left. Through three games, Meyers and Tatigian lead Glen Rock with four goals a piece, while Brandon Rosario is Rock’s points leader, with eight (3 goals, 5 assists).

Pascack Valley – What a Saturday it was for Pascack Valley… first, the football team delivered its second straight sectional title at MetLife Stadium with a win over Paramus, then the hockey team went out and upset River Dell/Westwood — the same team that upset Ridgewood on Friday night. And the hockey team did it in convincing fashion, taking down RD/WW, 7-2, as freshman Trent Shanley had a hat trick midway through the second period to give PV a 3-0 lead before Lee Angioletti and Matt Truglio added one a piece to put Valley up 5-2 after two periods. Chris Zariello added two scores in the third to cap the Indians’ scoring, while goalie Ethan Gaus made 14 saves. Pascack outshot River Dell, 40-16. Friday night, Pascack Valley defeated Paramus/Lyndhurst/Hackensack, 6-1, getting two goals from Truglio and one each from Shanley, Zariello, Luke Ciocca and Keith Doherty. PV is also the third team from the Big North Freedom to make this week’s honorable mention list, so it was a good week for that division. In the preseason preview, coach Ken DelSanto said his team was “scoring a lot of goals this preseason” and so far it’s been more of the same early on this regular season.

UNPREDICTABLE TEAM OF THE WEEK
River Dell/Westwood – The CardinalHawks were well on their way to Team of the Week honors after pulling off the biggest early-season upset in North Jersey after their 4-2 win over Ridgewood Friday night. But River Dell/Westwood followed that performance with a 7-2 loss to Pascack Valley one night later. The loss did come on the second night of a back-to-back and credit is still due for their win over Ridgewood. After Jacob Buchner gave RD/WW a 1-0 lead in the first, it would remain that way until the third. In that third, River Dell/Westwood took control with three more scores from Sean Cohen, Eddie Dahdah and Joey Ragno to take a 4-0 lead before surrendering two Ridgewood goals. River Dell outshot Ridgewood, 36-28 — Note: There have been discrepancies in the shot totals from this game, with the actual numbers possibly being reversed, or even with Ridgewood outshooting RD, 38-20 — with Matt Ajello in net for the big win. On Monday, RD/WW won again, defeating West Essex, 4-0, to move to 3-1 on the year. Update: Just hearing now that River Dell/Westwood was without one of its top players, Brett Connon, in the 7-2 loss to Pascack Valley.

* * *

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
– Passaic Valley’s Steven Tillie: Quite a two-game stretch for the prolific scorer, as Tillie recorded five goals in the Hornets’ 10-3 win over Paramus on Saturday then followed that up with a 4-goal, 3-assist performance in Passaic Valley’s 7-1 win over Johnson on Monday. Of PV’s 17 goals this year, Tillie has been involved in 12 of them (9 goals, 3 assists), helping lead Passaic Valley to a 2-1 start.

– Pascack Valley’s Trent Shanley: The freshman recorded a hat trick by the middle of the second period to lead the Indians to their upset win over River Dell/Westwood, 7-2. In his last two games, both Indians wins, Shanley has four goals.

– Pequannock’s Rocky Rovero: Eclipsed the career 100-point mark in the Panthers’ 12-2 win over Mountain Lakes. Entering the game with 99 points, Rovero’s second period goal gave him the milestone. He went to have a big night, finishing with five goals and three assists in Pequannock’s first win of the year.

Shoutouts to…
1. Don Bosco’s Matt Brown, Graham Garlasco and Mickey Burns for all recording their first career high school goals and goalie CJ Hapward earning his first career victory in the Ironmen’s 5-2 win over Bishop Eustace on Sunday. Bosco was without Hunter Garlasco, Chris Mazzella, Michael Jordan and Alexei Masanko, who were all in Chicago for a club tournament. One night later, Hapward picked up another win with 25 saves in Bosco’s 4-3 victory over Gloucester Catholic, while Mazzella returned with a hat trick and Hunter Garlasco added three assists. Don Bosco is now 4-0.

2. Ramsey’s Chris Kopack for his four-goal night and Connor Edwards (hat trick, two assists) and Frank Steffe’s (2 goals, 3 assists) five-point nights in the Rams’ 10-0 win over Wayne Valley.

3. Paramus Catholic goalie John Pitera for bouncing back one night after being pulled vs. St. Joes and recording a shutout the following day in the Paladins’ 2-0 win over Fair Lawn. He made 17 saves for the shutout.

4. Ridgewood’s Cooper Telesco for notching four goals in the Maroons’ 5-1 win over Clifton, one game following Ridgewood’s 4-2 loss against River Dell.

5. Northern Highlands’ Keenan Alward for recording a hat trick in the Highlanders’ 6-2 win over Tenafly on Friday for their second straight win.

6. Don Bosco’s Chris Mazzella for recording a hat trick in the Ironmen’s 4-3 win over Gloucester Catholic on Monday.

7. Bergen Catholic Hockey for picking up its first win of the year over Pope John, 4-1, on Sunday, getting two goals from Brian Ayers and one a piece from Zach Larsen and Evan Wisocky. Kyle Marano dished out two assists and Francis Forte picked up the win in net while making 11 saves. BC outshot PJ, 25-12.

8. Tenafly Hockey for picking up its first win of the year over Vernon on Sunday, 5-2, getting two goals a piece from Aviad Mizrahy and Daniel Jayson and one score from Eric L’Heureux (also two assists). Jake Bernstein added three assists, Julian Taller provided two assists and goalie Kyle Picinic made 27 saves.

9. Indian Hills Hockey for also getting its first win of the season in a 4-0 victory over Wayne Valley, giving first-year coach Anthony Tabbacchino his first career coaching win with the Braves. Zach Linquito scored twice and Matt Paiotti and Dylan O’Brien each added one. Goalie Josh Welte made 26 saves for his first shutout of the year.

10. Clifton Hockey for their 3-3 tie against Fair Lawn, signaling the Mustangs are an improved squad from one year ago. Clifton probably felt as if it let one slip away, too, as it jumped out to a 3-1 lead after two periods after two goals from Adam Carlo and one from Matt Kolodjieczyk, but…

… 11. Fair Lawn’s Mark Williams scored twice in the final five minutes to help the Cutters come away with the tie.

* * *

THE NEW TOP 15
1. Don Bosco (4-0) — LW: 1
Quick hit: The Ironmen have won four straight to start the year, but their next four should reveal much more with BC High (in Boston), Princeton Day, Bergen Catholic and Morristown-Beard up next.
2. Ramsey (3-0) — LW: 2
Quick hit: No Whelan, Botta, O’Callahan and Harmon, no problem. Without their big guns, Ramsey — specifically Chris Kopack, Connor Edwards and Frank Steffe — rolled to a 10-0 win over Wayne Valley in their only game last week. 
3. St. Joseph (2-0-1) — LW: 3
Quick hit: The Green Knights put together a near-flawless 45 minutes of hockey against Paramus Catholic en route to an 8-2 win Saturday night in their only game of the week. Big game vs. Glen Rock on Saturday.
4. Glen Rock (3-0) — LW: 7
Quick hit: ‘Rock’s 5-3 win over defending Public B state champion Morristown bumps them into the Top 5. A balanced scoring attack could make Glen Rock dangerous.
5. Bergen Catholic (1-1) — LW: 6
Quick hit: The Crusaders picked up their first win of the year against Pope John, 4-1, on Sunday. The road doesn’t get any easier for BC with CBA, Bishop Eustace, Don Bosco and CBA a second time in its next four.

6. Paramus Catholic (1-1-1) — LW: 4
Quick hit: The Paladins didn’t dwell on their surprising lopsided 8-2 loss to St. Joes and responded with a 2-0 win over Fair Lawn one day later. Huge game vs. Ridgewood coming up on Saturday that could play a huge factor in the regular season division title.
7. Kinnelon (1-2) — LW: 8
Quick hit: Five different players scored in Kinnelon’s 6-2 win over Hillsborough on Saturday, led by Dan Whritenour’s 2-goal, 1-assist night.
8. West Milford (2-1-1) — LW: 9
The Highlanders tied Ramapo, 2-2, getting go-ahead goals from Nik Latronica and Joey Fenui, though both times West Milford would relinquish the one-goal lead. Chris Dressler picked up a hat trick the following game vs. Oratory Prep in a 10-0 win.
9. Ramapo (2-0-2) — LW: 11
The Raiders move up two spots despite not picking up a win last week, after tying West Milford, 2-2, and Lakeland, 1-1. Ramapo remains just one of five North Jersey teams currently without a loss.
10. River Dell/Westwood (3-1) — LW: 12
Officially the Mystery Team through the first two weeks after that 4-2 win over Ridgewood and 7-2 loss to Pascack Valley in a two-day span.

11. Ridgewood (2-2) — LW: 5
Quick hit: Another team off to a strange start. Played Ramsey so well in the opening weekend then fell to River Dell/Westwood, 4-2, one week later in a game the Maroons trailed, 4-0, at one point.
12. Mahwah (2-1) — LW: 15
Quick hit: The Thunderbirds jump up three spots after delivering two big wins over Lakeland and Mahwah. Remember, this team finished third in the division last year but were upset (by 6 seed Indian Hills) in Round 1 of the Cup tournament.
13. Wayne Hills (2-1) — LW: 10
Quick hit: The Pats fall a few spots after losing to Mahwah, 3-2, though they were without Danny Reidel all weekend. Big game for Wayne Hills vs. Ramapo this Friday.
14. Pascack Valley (2-1) — LW: NR
Quick hit: After an opening night loss to Suffern (N.Y.), the Indians have defeated Paramus, 6-1, and moved into the Top 15 because of their 7-2 win over River Dell/Westwood. 
15. Lakeland (1-2-1) — LW: 14
Quick hit: The Lancers drop one spot after falling to Mahwah, 6-3, though the Lancers did bounce back to earn a nice 1-1 tie against Ramapo, scoring the equalizer in the third period.

The next 5: Fair Lawn (1-2-1), Clifton (1-1-1), Northern Highlands (2-2), Passaic Valley (2-1), Tenafly (1-1)

* * *

NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE

CBA 17, Freehold Boro 0 – Not a typo. 17-0. CBA continuing its dominance in the Shore Conference, outscoring its three conference opponents, 32-1, while defeating Gordon Conference foe Gloucester Catholic, 7-2. CBA is 4-0.

Chatham 3, Randolph 0 – Chatham moved to 2-0 with their second straight shutout against a Mennen opponent. Big game against defending Non-Public co-champion Morristown-Beard on Thursday.

West Morris 2, Mendham 1 – With wins over Pequannock and now Mendham (the same team that reached the Public B semis before falling to Ramsey last year), West Morris might be a team to keep an eye on in Public B.

Read More...