The first weekend of the hockey season is in the books and while one or two games a season does not make, there are certainly things we can take away from the early November start.
First off, it really is nice to back indoors instead of dealing with the cold and the snow of late November. It was also nice to spend a couple of days at the Ice Vault watching eight games and getting re-acquainted with the hockey coaches and parents. The hockey community is a special one, and I’m always grateful for the knowledge and insight that gets sent my way.
But enough of that, let’s take a look at what opening weekend said to us:
Not that it is any surprise, but Ramsey showed itself to once again be a dominant team not only in North Jersey but the entire state. The Rams are loaded, but if you were watching this past weekend you saw a team that is still getting its defense figured out. Justin Nicholson, a transfer from St. John Vianney, will be a welcome addition to the back line, but if you’re looking for a soft spot (it’s almost criminal to use that term, but it’s the best I’ve got) in the Ram game, it is their defensive transition with the puck.
Some of that got exposed by Ridgewood when the two met up in an independent game. The Maroons actually crashed the net and scored 54 seconds in and were tied 2-2 midway through the game before falling, 5-2, but if you ask head coach Mike Lucchesi, he’ll tell you that they got just about everything they could have out of that game except the win. Ridgewood has a solid first line and first defense and there is some good talent on the roster; they need the ice time to see it develop. Barring injury, the Maroons could be a team to watch in Public A.
Passaic County is going to be wide open this year. It could very well come down to who is hot at the moment when county tournament time rolls around. It would be hard to bet against Wayne Hills, especially since they can score with the best of them. How about three shorthanded goals in their opening win? Of course, that means too many penalties and the Patriots also allowed three power play goals. Danny Reidel is a Player of the Year candidate but the defense is going to have get more organized; otherwise they could get picked off.
One of the pickers could be Lakeland. The Lancers had a 3-0 lead on Wayne Hills only to fall, 7-5. They opened with a 3-0 win over Indian Hills, and this is a team that is going to have to get some solid play between the pipes. Sean Komjian was solid versus the Braves, but he was a bit helpless against the Pats as his defense could not get the puck clear of the zone and the power play hurt him as much as helped. Still, this is a team that has a lot of upside.
Don’t forget defending Passaic champion West Milford. The Highlanders had the misfortune of opening up against Ramsey and took a trouncing before coming back and returning the favor against Wayne Valley. Joey Fenui got his 100th career point against the Indians, and West Milford had the weapons to find the net consistently. If they can get the defense and the goaltending, they have a good chance to defend that title.
Speaking of Wayne Valley, the Indians are going to surprise some people.  New head coach Justin Liscio has them playing hard and even though they lost the first two games, they looked 100 percent better than last season. Once the young players get their varsity legs, this group will pull off a couple of upsets. If you want to watch a program turn around, keep your eyes on the Indians.
Back in Bergen County, Don Bosco is still the team to beat until somebody does so. The Ironmen have a couple of top-notch players in Hunter Garlasco and Chris Mazzella and Alexei Masanko may be the best goaltender in North Jersey. It’s a much different line-up than last year, but Bosco will use their Gordon Conference experience to get their team in gear and come late January they are going to be a handful and a half for any opponent in the county tournament.
There were a number of games I didn’t see, but I did speak with Glen Rock coach Sergio Fernandez after his team’s 11-3 win over Paramus. The Panthers are a very deep team that has a lot of experience going for it, and they proved it against the Spartans, who will also be a much better team as they get used to all the new players who came over from Hackensack in the new co-op arrangement. Like many teams, Glen Rock will need to up their play in the defensive zone, the one area where they are replacing graduated players.
If there was an award for youngest team, Mahwah would certainly be in the conversation. The Thunderbird line-up is dotted with freshmen. This is a team truly learning on the fly, but you saw some good things in their opening loss to Ramapo, enough to feel that they are going to be a level or two better come January and February.
Ramapo came away with two wins despite not really playing a full 45 minutes of hockey in either game. They have a veteran first line that has already shown they can score with the best of them, but the Raiders are another team in transition. The nice thing is that they found a way to win two games when not at their best. That can go a long way towards confidence, especially when the schedule toughens up.
Last but not least, a tip of the cap to Clifton and River Dell. They both got opening day wins to get a positive start. The Mustangs are trying to recapture some of their old swagger, and they needed that victory badly. Could they become one of those dark horse teams in Passaic County? The Golden Hawks had a breakout campaign last year, but were a bit overlooked in the Bergen County hierarchy in the preseason. Can they be a contender in the Big North Freedom?
Let’s see what December brings.