Beyond the Scoresheet

Chinks in the iron

February 6, 2006 on 11:04 pm | In analysis | Comments Off on Chinks in the iron

No. 8 St. Peter’s Prep continued its recent surge with a 4-2 win over No. 4 Don Bosco Prep Monday at Pershing Field in Jersey City. Forwards Kyle Palmieri, Matt Runciman, and Tim Miller had two points apiece and Kevin Fox made 25 saves for the Marauders, who scored three third-period goals in a three-minute span to rally from a 2-1 deficit. St. Peter’s Prep is 3-0-2 since its Jan. 23 loss to Bishop Eustace. Don Bosco Prep, meanwhile, is 3-5 since mid-January, although two losses were to unbeaten Seton Hall Prep.
EDIT: Okay, after going back and forth several times in the last 24 hours, we seemed to have confirmed that NJIHL division tiebreakers are as follows: 1. division wins; 2. head-to-head record; 3. division goal differential. This means St. Peter’s Prep will make the playoffs but cannot finish second.

In the NJISAA (New Jersey Independent Schools Athletic Association) Prep B Tournament,
No. 7 Morristown-Beard breezed into the tournament final with a 7-2 win over Hun. The Crimson will, as usual, meet Princeton Day in the championship after the Panthers’ 5-2 win over MKA. The teams have met in the championship in four consecutive years, with Morristown-Beard winning last year. PDS won four consecutive titles from 2001-04, beating Morristown-Beard in the final three times.

In other action at Mennen Arena, Mountain Lakes clinched the Halvorsen Division title and the accompanying berth in the Mennen Division – a landmark step for the Lakers – with a disappointing 1-1 tie against a much-improved Mendham team. In earlier action at BSA, West Morris and Pingry played to a 2-2 tie that sealed Pingry’s first state tournament berth since 2000. West Morris is one game under .500 with remaining games against Mount Olive and Morristown. Mendham must beat Morris Hills and Mountain Lakes in its final two league games to overtake Pingry for a Mennen Cup playoff berth. No. 11 Randolph, meanwhile, could be on a collision course with Mountain Lakes after a 4-1 win over Morris Hills moved the Rams into third place in the Mennen Division.

Tuesday‘s action ought to be interesting, despite the smaller slate of games. The Morris County matchup between No. 3 Delbarton and No. 7 Morristown-Beard headlines the list, but the rematch of the Somerset County Tournament final between No. 14 Montgomery and No. 15 Hillsborough is also tempting. Notre Dame–Red Bank Catholic and Brick–TRN also stand out.