Beyond the Scoresheet

Realignment and possible state tourney change

It may be the hockey offseason, but there has been plenty of logistical movement in preparation for next season. The NJIHL was forced into drastic realignment due to the Shore Conference’s withdrawal, and Morris County is realigning as well. Perhaps most significantly, njhockey.org has learned that the public state tournament could be divided under a proposal recommended by the state tournament committee. The proposal still needs approval from at least two more committees. Get ready for some changes … Continue reading Realignment and possible state tourney change…

Continental rescheduling

The revised schedule for the semifinal and final rounds of the NJSIAA Tournaments:

Saturday, 17 March 2007, Continental Airlines Arena

4:30 p.m. (4) Morris Knolls vs. (1) Randolph
6:30 p.m. (5) St. Augustine Prep vs. (1) Delbarton
8:30 p.m. (3) Bridgewater-Raritan vs. (2) Ridge
10:30 p.m. (3) CBA vs. (2) St. Peter’s Prep

Friday, 23 March 2007, Mennen Arena

6:00 p.m. NJSIAA Public Final
8:00 p.m. NJSIAA Private Final

Brackets available!

njhockey.org has published the state tournament bracket. We’ll analyze them later, after the Dynamo-Puntarenas match. Overseeding / underseeding report coming up …

Continue reading Brackets available!…

NJSIAA Tournament qualifiers

Not as polarizing as a Top 20 but more useful, here is a list of state tournament qualifiers and at-large hopefuls. I will finalize my suggested seeding (suggested, not projected) after at-large bids are announced.

Meanwhile, here are my at-large selections: Private: let them both in. Mo-Beard and St. Joseph Metuchen play in tough divisions and narrowly missed out. Both have beaten several teams that are in the tournament. I have no problem letting both of them in on the dance. Public: A bit tougher. I still think it’s pretty clear cut. Verona actually had almost no big wins (does Summit count?) but played a ridiculously tough schedule and lost five games by only one goal. I’m in favor. Middletown South lost to Princeton but otherwise consistently showed itself to be a public capable of playing at the upper levels of White Division play, which is enough for me. 6-1-2 record vs. public schools. Mountain Lakes plays in a ridiculously tough division, especially for a public. I was all set to let the Lakers in when I stumbled upon their 2-2 tie with Morris Hills and their 5-4 loss to Vernon. Now, I’m no Northern Conference apologist, but when you have a head to head win like that and a win over Fair Lawn, I guess you have to let the Vikings in. That leaves out Indian Hills. EDIT: To clarify, I looked at Indian Hills again. .500 in league play, 0-4 against very, very tough non-league competition. Only one bad loss. Split with Fair Lawn. Not a bad resume. And I think the NBIAL was stronger than the Northern Red this year. I might have to call it a toss-up between IH and Vernon. Which could result in neither getting a bid. Tough call here.
Brick - if you can’t get a .500 record playing in the White Division, there’s no point.
And you know what that means for the other eligible teams.

So that’s my take. In: Morristown-Beard, St. Joseph Metuchen, Middletown South, Verona, Vernon. We’ll see what the committee says.

Last update: 18 February 2007, 11:25 pm CT
Continue reading NJSIAA Tournament qualifiers…

Delbarton-Lawrenceville thoughts

my first thought when I finally clicked through and got the video to work? “Dude, this is awesome.” You have to love the 21st century - I could sit in an office in Texas (where it’s 60-something degrees) and watch a high school hockey game at a small rink in New Jersey (where it’s roughly 20 degrees). Just awesome. Major props to SportsNetAmerica for getting it done. (EDIT: This whole thing was supposed to be live. I hit the wrong button, so I figure it’s better late than never.)
Okay, so we’re through the first two periods (it’s 2-2, by the way), and here’s what I’ve got:

Continue reading Delbarton-Lawrenceville thoughts…

taking up more webspace

For those of you who like baseball, my latest creation (I handle the content, not the graphics) is up and running at http://www.myacesbaseball.com. Once our season starts May 16, the curious among you should be able to listen in to my games on the internet.

quarterfinal times

through a bit of sleuthing this afternoon while watching the Dominican Republic hammer Italy in baseball, I believe I have figured out the schedule for this weekend’s quarterfinals:

Saturday - South Mountain
4:15 pm (11) Notre Dame vs. (3) Pope John
6:15 pm (10) St. Augustine Prep vs. (2) Delbarton
Sunday - South Mountain
5:30 pm (5) Morristown-Beard vs. (4) Don Bosco Prep
7:30 pm (8) Bishop Eustace vs. (1) Seton Hall Prep
Sunday - Mennen Arena
6:00 pm (13) Clifton vs. (5) Montgomery
8:00 pm (9) Ridge vs. (1) Morris Knolls
Monday - Mennen Arena
6:00 pm (6) Bridgewater-Raritan vs. (3) Toms River North
8:00 pm (10) Indian Hills vs. (2) Randolph

Additionally, I am leaving the state tomorrow and moving to take a broadcasting job with the Alexandria Aces, an independent minor-league team in Alexandria, Louisiana. The timing is not great, since I will not be able to cover any of the 14 remaining hockey games, but I will try to keep results as up-to-date as possible and, internet connection permitting, will put together final rankings after the state title games.

I want to thank all the people who have asked about my job situation and wished me well or offered advice and suggestions, and maybe some of you will listen in this summer when our season gets underway May 16. As for next year, I cannot promise anything. I hope to continue hosting scores and standings at www.njhockey.org, as I did in college, but I imagine rankings and more detailed coverage will be beyond me.