Beyond the Scoresheet

Big games this week; possible update delay

January 25, 2012 on 3:09 pm | In analysis | 1 Comment

My next report for Hockey Night in Boston is due next week, which has me looking at state-wide rankings. It’s a very interesting picture and, as always, tough to figure out.

KEY GAMES
Here are some key games over the weekend that could have big effects on the Top 20 rankings:

Wed, Jan. 25:
Bergen Catholic-Kinnelon – A Kinnelon win would uphold the status quo, while a BC win would strengthen all Gordon Conference teams vs. Morris County teams.
Randolph-Ridge – Potentially a battle for the state’s top Public A ranking, when combined with one of Friday’s games.
St. Joseph Metuchen-St. Rose – Lower-weight privates meet in a game that will affect a lot of common opponents (St. John Vianney, Notre Dame, Pope John, etc.)
Ridgewood-Westfield – Perhaps Westfield’s best chance to climb into the Public A race.

Fri, Jan. 27:
Morris Knolls-Randolph – Combined with Wednesday’s game, a battle for the Public A top seed and potentially a top-3 overall ranking behind this year’s big two private schools.
Glen Rock-Ramsey – Key game for Big North Green standings and Public B seeding.
Bergen Catholic-CBA – Will CBA continue its regression or separate itself from the struggling Gordon teams?

Sat, Jan. 28:
Morristown-Ridge – Potentially a chance for the upstart Colonials to jump into the state’s top 5-10.
Paramus Catholic-Tenafly – Winner will claim chance at Top 20 as Big North’s top team.
Lakeland-Ramsey – Another key Big North Green / Public B game.
MKA-Seton Hall Prep – MKA needs to hold serve to stay in the Top 20, while Seton Hall Prep tries to improve its seeding.
Northern Highlands-Ramapo – Big North Silver title and Public B seeding on the line.

Sun, Jan. 29:
Brick Township-Red Bank Catholic – Both teams will likely make the Top 20, but one can strengthen its case in this matchup.

MORRIS COUNTY RULES
When the rankings do come out – HNIB runs a Top 10, but I hope to post a full Top 20 and break down top 10s in each state tourney category – people are going to cry foul. Morris County teams are going to dominate the list – there will probably be more MCSSIHL teams than Gordon or Shore A teams.

Why, you might ask? Try this stat on: The MCSSIHL’s top six teams (Mennen Div. + Morristown) are 30-4-2 in non-league play, with three of those four losses coming to Delbarton/Don Bosco Prep. The only loss to a lower-ranked team was Chatham’s 2-1 loss to Hillsborough in the Jefferson Tournament. Teams vanquished include: MKA, Montgomery, Pingry (x4), Ramapo, Ramsey, St. Augustine Prep, Seton Hall Prep, Summit (x2).

You’ll notice none of those teams, however, is from Shore A. The only Shore A-Mennen game was Red Bank Catholic tying Morris Knolls early in the year. However, the top four Shore A teams (CBA, Middletown South, Brick Township, and RBC) are a combined 2-3-4 against non-Shore teams, including two losses to Ridge. That is one thing that makes Ridge’s games this week against Randolph and Morristown so important – Ridge wins could lump Mennen teams closer to Shore A, while a Randolph win would condemn Shore A teams to fall in the rankings.

SITE UPDATE DELAY
I had to take my laptop into a shop today for some hardware repairs, and since these things have a tendency to drag on, I may not get it back until next week. Additionally, I will be out of town for the weekend, so the main site may not see a lot of updates until next week. My apologies - please keep sending scores, reschedules, added games, and information to jty [at] njhockey.org.