Beyond the Scoresheet

Five-goal flurry

West Morris (3-2) scored a surprisingly lopsided win over Mendham (3-3) Tuesday night at Mennen Arena, beating its crosstown rival 6-2. Trailing 1-0 in the second period, the Wolfpack scored five goals in 5:32, including three in the final 1:26, en route to a 6-1 lead. Eddie Strobino scored two goals, including the shorthanded goal that tied the game, and Kenny Hunt added two more. Andrew Bogadek, despite giving up a soft goal early in the second period, finished with 20 saves. The Minutemen, whose players wore blue ribbons on their jerseys to commemorate a classmate killed in a car crash last week, outshot the Wolfpack 22-14.

Elsewhere, Delbarton’s trip to Rhode Island did not start well, as Division I leader LaSalle beat the Green Wave 2-1 at Providence College’s Schneider Arena. Delbarton faces defending state finalist Bishop Hendricken tomorrow.

Realignment proponents might be interested to note that Rhode Island is down to just four teams competing for the Division I championship, with 16 schools split into ‘Large’ and ‘Small’ in the Division II ranks, and 15 teams split geographically in Division III. A four-team state championship division is by no means something to strive for, but I am starting to think breaking New Jersey into divisions, as most other New England states do, might not be such a bad idea. This might be an idea to explore in more detail another time.

other Monday night action

I got around a bit and heard about some of tonight’s other action, so here’s a look at a few games that might not get mentioned elsewhere:

weekend update

Southern Red action, SCIAA pairings

well, the Southern Red certainly deserved some attention tonight, so let’s take a look. All seven teams were in action, and the biggest result might have been Toms River North’s 4-3 win over Bishop Eustace. The Crusaders went 11-1 in division play last year and have won three consecutive Handchen Cup titles. St. Augustine Prep also earned a big win, beating up-and-comer Monsignor Donovan 6-3 at Winding River. The Hermits ascend to the division lead thanks to a win over TRN, but they still have to beat Eustace. Finally, RBC cruised past Middletown North 9-3 and Middletown South was very respectable in a 5-4 loss to Gordon Conference foe St. John Vianney. Right now, you would have to rank the teams as follows: SA, TRN, BE, MD, RBC, MidS, MidN.

The Somerset County (SCIAA) Tournament seedings also came out tonight. I’m really looking forward to this tournament, as you have two big rivals – Bridgewater and Ridge – and two great first-round matchups: Pingry/Hillsborough and Montgomery/Watchung Hills. Personally, I’m waiting for the year Pingry strikes it rich and holds the Somerset and Morris County championships at the same time. This is the tournament’s third year, with Montgomery the unlikely 2003 champion and Bridgewater-Raritan proudly taking last year’s title. Pingry has lost in the final each time after upsetting Ridge in the semifinals; the Red Devils should finally get their first tournament win in their opener against Bernards.
Additionally, there are now 31 games scheduled for Friday, December 23, including some real treats – actually there are too many to list here. But I think I may end up seeing at least half of the SCT’s 6 games.

Putting together a schedule

I’m in Dallas for a few days, but this was written Nov. 21 for the Hockey Night in Boston preview. Apparently I wrote too much, as it didn’t quite make it. So here’s a brief look at the scheduling process … what a friend of mine from Rice would call an investigative blog.

Investigative blog – Scheduling
Coaches may not be able to control how their team plays on the ice, but they almost always have plenty of influence on who their team plays in non-league games. New Jersey coaches have anywhere from 5 to 13 non-league games to schedule, and each coach has his own style on this inexact science.

Non-league schedules are usually a good indicator of what a coach thinks of his team and division. After reaching February unbeaten last year in the relatively weak NBIAL, Indian Hills coach Phil Murphy is making the most of his limited non-league options this year by playing five top public schools, including two before Christmas.
“Since the NBIAL is new and somewhat unknown, we felt that we needed to play some Red Division teams and the top Morris County teams to become more recognizable with the other teams throughout the state,” Murphy said. “With the diversity in our schedule, we hope to improve our state ranking with the [seeding] committee when the time comes.”
Morris Knolls head coach Walt Keiper, on the other hand, is stepping out of the public ranks to test his defending public state champion. The Golden Eagles face central Jersey preps Princeton Day and Hun and two Gordon Conference teams, Hudson Catholic and Pope John.
“We play night in and night out against some of the top public schools in the state,” Keiper said of his league schedule. “Picking up games against private schools is a change for our program and will only strengthen the team. … I feel if you want to improve your program, you need to play tough opponents every game.”
In south Jersey, the difficulty of non-league scheduling is often compounded by obligations to the all-sport Shore Conference, which includes 18 of the 23 schools defined as ‘southern’ by the NJIHL. CBA head coach Mike Reynolds, for example, had 20 of his 21 games decided for him — 16 Gordon Conference games and four games in the Shore A Division.
Similarly, the central Jersey all-sport Skyland Conference will award a hockey championship this year, forcing public powers like Ridge and Bridgewater-Raritan to cancel already-scheduled games in favor of contests with first-year program Hillsborough, even though all five Skyland Conference teams already play in the holiday Somerset County Tournament.
Many NBIAL coaches have rankled under the 18-game league schedule imposed by their athletic directors that limits non-league opportunities. Still other coaches are limited by travel restrictions and ice time; teams in the lower divisions of the CVC and MCSSIHL often play non-league games against league teams, just to fill out the schedule.
But the most interesting part of the scheduling equation is the rule for state tournament qualification, which requires non-Gordon teams to have at least a .500 winning percentage as of the second Saturday in February to make the tournaments. Mid-level public coaches like Morris Hills’ Ed Higdon and Rumson/Fair Haven’s Dave Smith, among others, have to carefully plan their schedules around this deadline. This means realistically assessing their team’s chances of winning 50 percent of its games while trying to get as much exposure as possible against different regions of the state in hopes of a high seed.
Morris Hills, for example, competing in the Mennen Division for the first time since the advent of the MCSSIHL’s hierarchical division structure in 1986, can realistically expect to be 1-3 games under .500 from its league schedule. Higdon has carefully crafted his non-league schedule with six games against MCSSIHL teams from the Haas and Charette Divisions, simultaneously scheduling Paramus, Princeton, and Bayonne as ‘reach’ games. One can project Morris Hills’ record anywhere from 9-12 to 15-7, but the smart money would be on the Scarlet Knights finishing within two games of the .500 mark.
“You call all over leaving messages and trying to match up available ice-time, frequency of games in a week, and honoring commitments from last year,” Higdon said. “The state tournament is a factor, and I know that if we don’t play good hockey this year, we could miss the tournament.”
Smith, coaching his Bulldogs in the parity-ridden Southern White, has an even tougher puzzle to solve. After 12 league games and 4 Shore B matchups, he has 7 games in which to improvise. A 6-6 league season is a real possibility, and the additional Shore B games could easily see a 1-3 record. So he has to plan to go at least 4-2-1 in his non-league games to make the state tournament.
“Obviously, you need to keep in mind the goal of being .500 at the deadline, but it can be self defeating to place too much weight on that goal,” Smith said. “Every coach is guilty of looking at the schedule in advance, but I’m of the opinion that there’s no use qualifying for the state tournament if you can’t realistically envision advancing several rounds.”
With the Shore Conference encouraging crossover games, Smith scheduled four games against Shore C teams, which should be enough to get Rumson over the hump. His three remaining games? Tests against southern public power Middletown North, CVC middler WWPS, and Central Red veteran West Essex.
“We feel we can compete in the Southern White and should be no worse than .500 there,” Smith said. “We also know the Shore B could be a disaster for us, but under the best circumstances, it will toughen us up and make us better. Of our optional games, we’ve added one against a much higher-ranked opponent, two against opponents that should be of relatively equal strength, and four against regional rivals who are ranked below us, but all of whom should show up prepared to battle.”

Finally, HNIB New Jersey ranks the five strongest non-league schedules for public schools, given preseason information.

1.Indian Hills — Phil Murphy was 5-for-5 with his non-league games, scheduling three of last year’s four public semifinalists plus Northern Red powers Bayonne and Clifton.
2.Randolph — Having your own ice certainly helps, as Rich McLaughlin lined up Don Bosco Prep from the Gordon Conference in addition to four serious public contenders — Bridgewater-Raritan, Ridge, Middletown South, and Indian Hills. The Rams will also skate in the Montclair tournament.
3.Bridgewater-Raritan — Excepting three required Skyland Conference games, Patrick Alvin scheduled three of his remaining five games from the state’s top public division, a fourth with the best public in the south, and a fifth with the CVC’s top public.
4.Ridgewood — Not a regular powerhouse, but the Maroons face four Red Division teams, including Red Bank Catholic, plus relative unknowns Ramsey (twice) and Princeton. The two games with Glen Rock hurt but could be a must for the state tournament.
5.Morris Knolls — I hate to pick another big gun, but Walt Keiper deserves some props for scheduling the big boys. If only the season opener could’ve been Knolls-CBA to settle last year’s score. Knolls takes on PDS, Hun, Pope John, and a weak Hudson Catholic squad in addition to public tests against Bridgewater-Raritan, Indian Hills, and Toms River East, plus the Cron Tournament.

season preview, part 2 – NJIHL

To complete the season preview, we look at the state’s biggest league, the NJIHL.

Southern Red
This is one of the most competitive divisions in the entire state, as six of the seven teams finished last season ranked in the state’s top 20. Seriously, can we get a Southern Red/Mennen Division challenge in the mold of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in college basketball? Two games at the Armory on Friday night, three games at Mennen on Saturday, everybody except two Southern Red teams get a game. Or play two games at Wall on Sunday. It’d be a blast.
Anyway, you almost have to install Bishop Eustace (14-7, #13) and Red Bank Catholic (21-6, #11, #1 W/B) as the twin favorites to start the season. Eustace should be very strong defensively, while RBC finally moves up to the right division. Both teams play challenging schedules, facing 2-4 Gordon teams. St. Augustine Prep (11-7-3, #17) dropped to third last year after consecutive first-place seasons in the Red Division. Middletown North (15-8-3, #14) is an up-and-coming program and should have an edge this season on rival Middletown South (15-11-2, #20). Toms River North (17-4-1, #18, #2 W/B) should have added incentive to play for a high seed in the state tournament after missing out last year. Finally, Monsignor Donovan (15-6-1, #4 W/B) should be very competitive in its first year in the Red Division.

Contenders: Bishop Eustace, Red Bank Catholic, St. Augustine Prep, Middletown North, Toms River North
Pretenders: Middletown South, Monsignor Donovan

Southern White
I like the new Southern White and am really interested to see how the competition plays out. Everyone is looking forward to seeing Brick Township (2-20-3) play in a regular division, but the Green Dragons have plenty of (Gordon Conference) experience and should be immediate favorites. After that, I’m not sure what to think. Rumson/Fair Haven (11-13-3, #8 W/B) and Brick Memorial (8-12-2) ought to be competitive, and Old Bridge (20-3-2, #5 W/B) could really make some noise. First-year program Gloucester Catholic is an unknown; they probably should have started a division lower. Comparing Toms River East (6-13-3) and Wall (11-10-3) is impossible at this point, but I’ve got a hunch the Knights will make life difficult for everyone, and TRE has a strong schedule.

Contenders: Brick Township, Rumson/Fair Haven, Brick Memorial, Old Bridge
Pretenders: Wall, Toms River East, Gloucester Catholic

Southern Blue
Before we got to the Southern Blue, whose idea was it to have the overlapping Shore divisions? Keeping the Bricks in the Shore A at the expense of three Red Division teams makes no sense and really tied scheduling hands. There are only five Southern Conference schools that are not Shore schools; maybe we could just forget the Shore championship for the time being?

Moving on, you have to think this division is going to be a blast. Not necessarily great hockey, but a good time. Somebody needs to fill St. Joseph Hammonton (0-11) in on the non-league scheduling rules; they still only have league games scheduled this year, and it’s tough to find a lot of pride when you have never won a single game. Toms River South (6-10-3) and Point Pleasant (6-15) ought to have the edge in this division, but don’t count out Manasquan (5-15-6). Any team named the Big Blue Warriors has to be taken seriously. I fully admit to knowing virtually nothing about these teams, but both Manasquan and PPB lost by three goals to champion Wall in the Southern Blue tournament last year. Meanwhile, relatively experienced Red Bank Regional (10-12-1) should finish ahead of Southern Regional (2-17-2) and first-year program St. Rose (how ’bout them Purple Aces!), and the Bucs might challenge for a higher place.

Contenders: Toms River South, Point Pleasant Boro, Manasquan
Pretenders: Red Bank Regional, Southern Regional, St. Joseph Hammonton, St. Rose.

Central Red
This division can’t quite match the Mennen or Southern Red for top-to-bottom competitiveness, but it’s close. Everybody’s mouths are watering for the three-headed monster of Bridgewater Raritan (19-8-2, #16), Ridge (21-4-1, #15), and St. Joseph Metuchen (10-9-2). But really, the Panthers (my top-ranked public school) should be loaded this year, with the unfortunately named Red Devils (they wear green and white) just behind. The other four teams are a bit more mysterious. Verona (19-6-2, #18 W/B) is on my dark-horse list, while Montclair (11-13-3) has jacked up its schedule. West Essex (8-16) and Cranford (7-15-1) will probably be fighting to avoid the inevitable drop to the White Division and will play at least three times after being paired together to open the Cron Tournament. That’s a pet peeve of mine, division teams being paired together (just ask Vernon and West Milly), but it’s unavoidable at the Cron.

Contenders: Bridgewater-Raritan, Ridge, St. Joseph Metuchen, Verona, Montclair
Pretenders: West Essex, Cranford

Central White
This is another fun one, mostly thanks to Montgomery (8-12-2) and South Brunswick (10-9-2, #6 W/B), who have left the I-195 scene for the I-78 crowd this year. I also expect Summit (12-13, #19 W/B), Watchung Hills (19-4-2), and MKA (2-15-4) to challenge. And Westfield (13-8-5, #20 W/B). Wow, that’s almost everybody. Seriously, I’m looking forward to this division. I really don’t know if Bernards (2-16-2) is going to be able to compete, but the Mountaineers been competitive in the past when nobody thought they could be.

Contenders: South Brunswick, Summit, Westfield, Montgomery, Watchung Hills, MKA
Pretender: Bernards

Central Blue
This should be a wide open division, but demoted Johnson (5-13-2) should be an immediate title contender. Millburn (11-11-3) also plays a tough non-league schedule, while West Orange (6-13-2) and Dayton (13-9-2) are also expected to factor. First-year program Hillsborough is an unknown entity but has a good reputation, while Livingston (9-11-1) and Governor Livingston (1-13-1) just hope to be competitive.

Contenders: Johson, Millburn, Dayton, West Orange
Pretenders: Hillsborough, Livingston, Governor Livingston

Northern Red
This division appears to be a two-horse race between Bayonne (21-2-3, #19) and Clifton (18-5-2). Bayonne was unbeaten in league play last year, and both teams play schedules indicative of a strong team. But up-and-comer Vernon (21-5-1, #11 W/B), state tournament Cinderella Tenafly (14-10-3), and former power St. Joseph Montvale (11-8-3) hope to challenge the top two. Paramus (6-13-2) and Paramus Catholic (4-13-4) are likely to be fighting to avoid relegation.

Contenders: Bayonne, Clifton, St. Joseph Montvale, Vernon
Pretenders: Tenafly, Paramus, Paramus Catholic

Northern White
The state’s only six-team division has plenty of parity this season. Lakeland (8-15-1) drops down to challenge Northern Hills Conference rival West Milford (10-7-4, #15 W/B), which finished second last year. Ridgewood (15-8-4, #16 W/B) has one of the state’s toughest public-school schedules, while River Dell (12-10-2, #17 W/B) turned heads toward the end of last year. Wayne Valley (8-14) and newcomer Nutley (5-15-1) seem unlikely to challenge.

Contenders: West Milford, Ridgewood, Lakeland, River Dell
Pretenders: Nutley, Wayne Valley

Northern Blue
This resurrected division has three first-year programs and four traditional doormats, so it’s anybody’s game. I’m going to stick my neck out and install DePaul Catholic as the favorite, since they had a successful JV program last year. Newton and Sparta should also be respectable first-year teams. Glen Rock (6-12-3) should be the most successful returning program, with Passaic Valley (8-11-2), Hackensack (1-18-1), and East Side (2-14-2) bringing up the rear.

Contenders: DePaul Catholic, Glen Rock, Passaic Valley
Who knows? Newton, Sparta
Pretenders: Hackensack, East Side

Gordon Conference
Now for the big boys. The private-school powers have succeeded in producing an elite division almost off the radar for many of the state’s public schools. I picked all eight teams in my preseason top 10 (another shameless HNIB plug), and I expect to see the top six spots regularly filled with these teams. For the most part, they can only be reasonably compared against each other.
CBA (25-3-2, #1) won the state title in overtime last year and appears to have plugged the holes on its first line, but I wonder if one line will be enough this year. Delbarton (22-2-6, #2) probably has the best top two lines in the state, but the defending Gordon Cup champions will need time to mature their inexperienced defense corps and goaltenders. Seton Hall Prep (13-8-4, #4) probably has the best chance to challenge last year’s dominant duo behind strong returning players at most positions. Don Bosco Prep (15-11-1, #3) was hit hard by transfers but should be strong in goal and have enough offense to get by. Pope John (8-13-3, #7) really came on toward the end of last year but will need to stay out of the penalty box to be successful. St. Peter’s Prep (11-8-6, #5) lost the corps of its team from the last two years but might have the depth to remain competitive. In the league’s only coaching change, Bergen Catholic (12-10-3, #6) brought back head coach Dan May, who coached the Crusaders to state titles in 2001 and 2003, but one year might be quick for a turnaround. St. John Vianney (7-13-3) finished out of the top 20 last year and will probably need to take advantage of its Shore Conference games.

Contenders: CBA, Delbarton, Seton Hall Prep, Don Bosco Prep
Pretenders: Pope John, St. Peter’s Prep, Bergen Catholic, St. John Vianney

First-year program High Point and Gordon dropout Hudson Catholic (2-21-2) join the four preps as independent teams this year.

And that’s it. Having talked/written more about this season before it started than any other, I’m ready to see some real action that counts in the standings. Let the games begin.

season preview, part 1 – regional leagues

If there are ridiculously illogical posts on the NJO forum, people emailing me about hockey schedules, warm weather, and teams pulling out of the Gordon Conference, it must be summer, right? Okay, not so much.

With word coming down today (via the highschoolsports.net schedules) that Hudson Catholic will be allowed to play an independent schedule, we are officially ready for the 2005-06 season to begin. And while rankings will not begin (as always) until the second Saturday in December, with white/blue rankings arriving even later, it is about time to figure out which teams are legit. So here we go, with the first half of my season preview. I have talked to less than half of the state’s coaches, so cut me some slack come February when one of my pretenders is still unbeaten.

Today, the regional leagues. So we start at the bottom of my standings page with the North Bergen Interscholastic Athletic League. And, before you ask, I know the teams are divided into two divisions. But since they play identical schedules (two games against each league opponent, regardless of division), it is fair game to use a single table.

NBIAL
The league boasts one of the state’s buzz-worthy public schools, Indian Hills (16-3-7, #12 W/B). If you have forgotten one of my favorite stories from last year, the Braves were 11-0-7 (NHL-style shootouts, anyone?) in February last year before head coach Phil Murphy added Northern Red teams St. Joseph Montvale and Clifton to his schedule, and the Braves played respectably but lost both contests. Point made, Murphy has the No. 1 non-league schedule of any public school this year (see the Dec. 1 issue of Hockey Night in Boston for a closer look) and plenty of talent returning to the defending NBIAL Division II champions.
Although Indian Hills has its sights set on the statewide public rankings, there are several NBIAL teams capable of giving the Braves a run for their money. Fair Lawn (18-6-4, #13 W/B) and Ramsey (18-4-4, #14 W/B) each finished just one point behind Indian Hills in the standings last year, and several coaches tabbed Ramapo (10-11-3) to finish in the top half. After that, it seems a virtual pick’em for the remaining six teams. Wayne Hills (9-10-4) won two overtime games to take the Division I playoff title last year.

Contenders: Indian Hills, Fair Lawn, Ramsey, Ramapo
Pretenders: Northern Highlands, Mahwah, Old Tappan, Wayne Hills, Pascack Valley, Demarest

MCSSIHL Mennen
This ought to be the league’s top non-Gordon division once again, although the Southern Red could provide stiff competition. Defending public state champion Morris Knolls (24-3-3, #8) returns four top players and should be the favorite to repeat as Mennen Cup champions, but nothing comes easily in this division. Morristown-Beard (19-5-3, #9) was virtually even with Knolls last year, but its personnel is unproven, and the Crimson will not host any games at Twin Oaks this season. Randolph (20-7-1, #10) will be the deep, fast team it always is, but the Rams still have to answer the scoring question. Chatham (20-7, #12) might have the edge on Randolph, by returning four of its top players. Finally, Morris Hills (13-11-1, #9 W/B) moves up to the Mennen Division for the first time ever but loses only one contributor from last year’s team. All five teams might rely on their respective top lines for offense … the division could come down to one top line (Knolls) against a deeper, more defensive team (Chatham, Randolph).

Contenders: Morris Knolls, Morristown-Beard, Randolph, Chatham, Morris Hills
Pretenders: I know it’s a cop-out, but they’re all legit

MCSSIHL Halvorsen
This division has changed personalities in the last few years, with the emergence of a stronger Mennen Division. Mendham (12-13) drops from the Mennen Division and should challenge Mountain Lakes (11-11-4, #10 W/B) for the division title. My dark horse is West Morris (7-13-1), which has been steadily adjusting its level of play to the upper divisions. Pingry (9-12-3) has only missed the Mennen Cup playoffs once since 1998, but the Big Blue is 1-6 in tournament play in those years. I know nothing about Jefferson (5-10-6) at this point, but reputation insists they will be trying to avoid the drop to the Haas Division.

Contenders: Mendham, Mountain Lakes, West Morris
Pretenders: Pingry, Jefferson

MCSSIHL Haas/Charette
I’m breaking my own rule here by lumping the two divisions together when they play unbalanced schedules, but it seems a disservice to handicap the Haas ahead of the Charette when the latter was clearly a stronger division last year.

In the Haas, Roxbury (14-9-1) managed an unbeaten league season last year but was awful out of league and was upset by the Haas Cup tournament’s No. 8 seed. The Gaels did give Ridge quite a scare in the state tournament. Expect promoted Pequannock (17-5-4) to be Roxbury’s biggest competition. Defending Haas Cup champion Park Regional (13-10-2) won the title as the lowest seed last year but remains in the Charette Division. Why? Morris County has switched multiple teams plenty of times before. Montville (7-15-1) and Madison (8-11-2) could also have strong seasons.

Contenders: Roxbury, Pequannock, Park Regional, Montville, Madison
Pretenders: Kinnelon, Morristown, Parsippany Hills, Parsippany, Mt. Olive

CVC Colonial
This is one of the state’s most interesting divisions, with both Princeton (19-5-1, #3 W/B) and Steinert (15-8-2, #7 W/B) moving up to take on established programs Notre Dame (23-3) and Hopewell Valley (17-10). The Little Tigers (great individualism, by the way; it would have been much easier to just copy Princeton University’s nickname and colors, but PHS wears blue) upset imperial Notre Dame in overtime in the MCT final last year. Both upstart publics have adventurous schedules. But props to the veterans as well, as Notre Dame and Hopewell play some good competition. I would like to see Notre Dame against some Gordon Conference opposition now that the big guns have room on their schedules.

Contenders: Notre Dame, Princeton, Steinert, Hopewell Valley
Pretenders: again, a cop-out. This is the beauty of multi-division conferences.

CVC Valley
I know next to nothing about the teams in this division as well. WWPS (7-13-2) ought to be the best of the bunch, and I’d rank Hightstown (10-9-2) just behind. I think WWPN (5-13) could really struggle, while Ewing (8-13-2) might not be able to cope with the tougher schedule.

Contenders: WWPS, Hightstown
Pretenders: Ewing, WWPN

CVC Patriot
Lawrence (3-14-1) takes the drop for the first time. This three-team division is one reason I wish the CVC was split 6/5 instead of 4/4/3. Nottingham (7-12-1) ought to be competitive, but it’s hard to see Hamilton (1-23) being a factor. I like the Hornets’ non-league schedule though; much more inventive than Ewing, Lawrence, or Nottingham.

Contenders: Nottingham, Lawrence
Pretender: Hamilton

Check back tomorrow for the NJIHL preview.