Beyond the Scoresheet

South Mountain public doubleheader

I took in a pair of public-school games at South Mountain Arena today, which now has a newly painted roof and appears close to the end of its renovation.

Mountain Lakes 3, Vernon 1
Vernon might decide to stay away from Morris County teams in the future, as the Halvorsen Division’s Mountain Lakes handed the Vikings a 3-1 defeat. The Lakers only skated two lines but were still able to outplay Vernon and earn the victory. Jacob Sutker scored the game’s opening goal just 3:24 into the first period, beating Erik Kwitchoff with a high wrist shot from the slot. Lakes struck even earlier in the second period, as Clint McDonough tied up his defenseman, allowing the carom of a missed shot to drift back into the low slot, where Zach Cohen flipped into into the left side of the net. Cohen was on target again midway through the period, backhanding a shot from the corner through the legs of Kwitchoff on a power play.

At the other end, Matt Lowell had an excellent game in goal for Mountain Lakes, stopping 30 of 31 shots. Vernon finally pulled a goal back with three minutes remaining when Dan Colvin, held in check most of the night, used quick hands to set up Michael Cifelli for a semi-breakaway. Cifelli tried to go five-hole on Lowell, and apparently succeeded as the net was knocked loose in a collision. Lowell complained to the near-side official that he had made the initial save and then the net came off, but to no avail. Still, the Lakers had no trouble finishing out the game, although they did contrive to miss a 3-on-0 power-play rush on an empty net.

West Essex 4, Verona 4
This was my first look at Verona, and I thought the Hillbillies had the better of play, but always gritty West Essex pulled out a 4-4 tie. Verona’s top line gave the Knights trouble all night, scoring twice in three minutes in the first period to take a 2-0 lead. Danny Harris took a huge windup befoer blasting a shot past Nick Fernicola, and James Facey ripped home a rebound to double the advantage. But West Essex pulled back a goal before the intermission when Rob Pordon deflected a point shot by Verona goalie Henry Doernberg.

The Knights then tied the game early in the second period, as Jeff Kayzerman got free off the left boards and beat Doernberg up high with a wrist shot. Verona went on the power play soon after, and it was extended to a four-minute man advantage for an unsportmanlike conduct penalty. The Hillbillies took advantage, as Facey put the final touch on a goal scored during the second penalty. Despite three power plays and a 12-4 shot advantage in the period, Verona could not add to its lead.

West Essex owned the opening stages of the third period, with Pordon jamming in a controversial rebound in a five-shot sequence to tie the game. John Auriemma then gave Wessex its first lead when the Verona defense failed to clear a rebound lying in the slot. But Facey rallied Verona more than a minute later thanks to a brilliant play from Harris. Locked up with a defender behind the net, Harris reached his leg around his defender to kick the puck in front of the net. Fernicola had no idea where the puck was, and Facey nicked in to bang it home and tie the game.

Verona’s two lines were the more dangerous and exciting all night, but the Hillbillies had trouble clearing their own zone, and West Essex was able to take advantage of poor defensive-zone coverage to earn the tie.

Boxscores

defense, anyone?

No. 2 Delbarton and No. 4 Don Bosco Prep played the highest-scoring game of the Gordon Conference season so far Sunday, with the Ironmen winning a 7-4 shootout over the Green Wave at the Ice Vault.

DBP 7, Del 4 report

the big one

I’ll spare you the details of my D.C. trip, but suffice it to say I made it back for the biggest game of every regular season Friday night at Mennen Arena. And neither I nor any of the 2,500+ other fans in attendance was cheated, as No. 1 Seton Hall Prep earned its first regular-season win over No. 2 Delbarton since 1998 with a well-deserved 3-2 decision. Ranked ahead of its rival chiefly due to a more experienced blue-line corps, the Pirates dominated the second period en route to the win.

Full report

be back Friday

I’ll be out of town Wednesday and Thursday and I may or may not have good internet access. So e-mail me scores and I’ll try to update if I can, but I might not have the site up-to-date again until Friday some time.

Delbarton 5, Bishop Eustace 1

No. 2 Delbarton outskated Bishop Eustace 5-1 Tuesday at Aspen Ice in Randolph, getting a goal and two assists each from top-line forwards Dan Pressl and Alex Smigelski. Colin Saltiel made 32 saves in the loss.

Matt Schillings scored the lone goal of the first period, sliding a backhanded rebound by Saltiel, and although Pressl twice came inches away from adding to the lead, the game remained 1-0 until late in the second period. At the 10:01 mark, however, Erik Olson picked up the rebound of a blocked point shot and beat Saltiel through a screen to make it 2-0. Three minutes later, however, Bishop Eustace got on the board by catching Delbarton in a chance, and Mike Dwier snapped a shot under the glove of Sean Kaplan to make it 2-1. The Green Wave repsonded in only 22 seconds, however, effectively sealing the game when Smigelski took a feed in the low slot and beat Saltiel.

Delbarton added third-period power-play goals from Alex Velischek and Pressl to provide the final 5-1 margin ahead of its showdown with rival Seton Hall Prep Friday night at Mennen Arena.

Boxscore