Beyond the Scoresheet

Friday results

the last full day of 2005 has 16 games, and here are the early results:

my NBIAL debut

Indian Hills 1, Ramapo 1
I’m pretty sure this was my first NBIAL league game Wednesday, as I traveled north of the border to Sport-O-Rama in Monsey, New York for the clash between intra-school-district rivals Ramapo (6-0-1) and Indian Hills (6-1-2). It was about what I expected of the NBIAL: dense, physical, hard-nosed hockey with not a lot separating the two teams, but I would have loved to see some more scoring chances. Even with 12 power plays, the teams combined for only 30 shots. I won’t go so far as to say there were more cheap shots than shots, but the game was chippy at times, and both coaches had words for the officials after the final whistle. Oh yeah, and they tied 1-1.

The teams played at a fast pace but did not race end to end, instead controlling the game in spurts. Ramapo had the best chance of the first period, ringing the left post with 5:26 remaining. Scoreless into the second period, Indian Hills goalie Anthony Tabbacchino made a good save on Ramapo’s Robbie Sorrenti in the first 30 seconds. After being outplayed in the early part of the second period, Indian Hills took a 1-0 lead past the halfway mark. Working on an ineffective power play, forward Brad Montalbano stepped up with pace at the red line, gained the offensive zone, skated around a defenseman, and feinted to his backhand before sliding a forehand shot that trickled through the pads of Ramapo’s Dan Menken.

The emotional goal sparked the game a bit, and even a casual observer could see jawing going on after several big hits. Ramapo finally tied the game with just 6.3 seconds remaining in the second period. Still in the offensive zone after a power play, Matti Makela fed linemate Sorrenti in front, and he one-timed the puck behind Tabbacchino.

The physical play continued early in the third period, and Ramapo had a shorthanded rebound goal disallowed because the net was dislodged, and the Raiders were unable to capitalize on two power plays late in the period. Both teams had trouble getting shots on net from the points, and the game ended in a 1-1 tie, disappointing both teams. Indian Hills, a bit banged up after four tough game in eight days, tied Ramapo for the third consecutive game and has not beaten the Raiders in the last five years (0-5-3). Still, the Braves beat Fair Lawn and Ramsey and are just one point behind Ramapo, which has yet to play Ramsey for the first time.

Indian Hills 1, Ramapo 1

1st
none
2nd
8:25 IH (pp) #22 Brad Montalbano (#11 Tim Aberle)
14:54 Rmpo #28 Robbie Sorrenti (#17 Matti Makela, #10 Zander Pindyck)
3rd
none

Goalies
#38 Anthony Tabbacchino (IH) 16-15
#30 Dan Menken (Rmpo) 14-13

Power plays: IH 1-6, Rmpo 0-6

SCIAA Semifinals – the curses continue

Both SCIAA tournament semifinals produced shutout upsets on Tuesday, with Central Red powers Bridgewater-Raritan and Ridge falling to first-year program Hillsborough and 2003 champion Montgomery, respectively.

Montgomery 3, Ridge 0
In their previous meeting Dec. 10, No. 17 Ridge beat Montgomery despite missing two players due to suspension. If anything, the Red Devils were expected to inflict more damage on the White Division Cougars in this meeting. But Montgomery (6-1) got two power-play goals in the first 5:42 en route to a surprising 3-0 win over Ridge (4-2-2) in the day’s first game at Bridgewater Sports Arena.

The Cougars opened the scoring through Mike Yetter at the 2:46 mark when he stole the puck as a Ridge defenseman tried to clear it and quickly snapped a shot underneath Jon Lyons before the Red Devil goalie could react. Given another power-play opportunity less than three minutes later, Montgomery needed only 20 seconds to convert. This time Sean Hover’s point shot trickled off the inside of Lyons’ pad and into the net for a 2-0 margin. After killing a Ridge power play, the Cougars struck again with an element of fortune at 9:53. Mike Violette threw a blind backhand in front of the net from the right corner. The puck caromed off a Ridge defender and on goal, where Lyons made the initial save. Robbie Sparno was first to the rebound, however, and tapped it in at the back post for a commanding 3-0 lead.

The remainder of the game was a blur of power plays, turnovers, and solid goaltending. Coasting with a 3-0 lead, Montgomery was able to get the puck deep in the zone and rely on its forecheck to slow down the opposition. Ridge forwards, in contrast, were too often dispossesed while stickhandling into the zone and lacked the tape-to-tape passes necessary to get through the netural zone with space. Sophomore goalie Ian Healey had a tremendous game for Montgomery, stopping all 25 shots he faced, including 20 saves over the final two periods.

Hillsborough 1, Bridgewater-Raritan 0
The second game was expected to be the closer contest, and it did not disappoint. First-year program Hillsborough (8-0) condemned No. 1 seeds to an 0-3 all-time record in the tournament with a 1-0 upset of No. 10 Bridgewater-Raritan (6-1) in a pulsating semifinal.

A first-year program with a lot of junior hockey experience, Hillsborough skates just four seniors and relies on its top line, especially junior Michael Lysyj, for most of its offense. The Raiders served early notice they would not be intimidated when they were able to kill off a power play just 15 seconds into the game. Perhaps the most crucial play of the first period, however, came just past the halfway mark. Raider goalie Eric Visnovsky came out for a loose puck, but with pressure from each team, his clearance was deflected toward the empty net. Visnovsky’s helmet flew off, mandating a stoppage of play and, in this case, nullifying a Panther goal.

Bridgewater-Raritan had a slight edge in even-strength play during the first period and early in the second period, but the game completely changed at the 6:02 mark. Hillsborough forward Alex Merry took advantage of a defensive slip to skate in against Gary Biggs with a semi-breakaway. Biggs reacted well to save Merry’s wrist shot, but a sliding Bridgewater-Raritan player inadvertently knocked the puck into his own goal, sending Hillsborough and its crowd into rapture. The Panthers almost tied the game within two minutes, as Visnovsky made a sprawling toe save on Chris Caravanos after a deft backdoor pass from Kevin Tino. The remainder of the period was all Hillsborough, as Biggs made a ridiculous total of 16 saves, at least half of them in the final five minutes.

Having skated three lines most of the game and playing with desperation, Bridgewater-Raritan was able to turn the tables in the third period. The Panthers had four minutes of power-play time from the 7:15 to the 11:29 marks of the third period, forcing nine saves out of Visnovsky. After stopping three chances in a row on the first power play, he made the game’s biggest save on the second by getting across his crease to deny Tino, who had snuck to the back post for a rebound. The defending champions pulled Biggs with 1:08 to go but never came close to tying the game.

Montgomery 3, Ridge 0

1st
2:46 Mtgry (pp) #20 Mike Yetter (#12 Jim Yetter)
5:42 Mtgry (pp) #7 Sean Hover (#20 Mike Yetter)
9:53 Mtgry #2 Robbie Sparno (#19 Mike Violette)
2nd
none
3rd
none

Goalies
#35 Ian Healey (Mtgry) 25-25
#45 Jon Lyons (Rid) 19-16

Power plays: Mtgry 2-5, Rid 0-6

Hillsborough 1, Bridgewater-Raritan 0

1st
none
2nd
6:02 Hboro #18 Alex Merry (unassisted)
3rd
none

Goalies
#32 Eric Visnovsky (Hboro) 29-29
#23 Gary Biggs (BR) 29-28

Power plays: Hboro 0-4, BR 0-5

Beard drops Gordon foe

Morristown-Beard 5, Bergen Catholic 2
No. 5 Bergen Catholic became the first Gordon Conference team this year to lose a game to a non-Gordon opponent, dropping a 5-2 decision Monday to No. 18 Morristown-Beard at the Ice House in Hackensack. The Crimson played their best game of the year by using accurate shooting and superior goaltending to earn an important victory.

After a scoreless first period that saw only eight combined shots on goal, the offenses woke up in the second period. Crimson forward Greg Alberti deked around BC goalie Jesse Adler just 10 seconds into the period for a 1-0 lead, but the Crusaders’ Danny Picinic deflected in a back-post pass just eight seconds later to re-tie the game 1-1. Bergen Catholic went on the power play soon after, but Mikey Minskoff reached Corey Schneider’s clearance in the right face-off circle and snapped a low shot under Adler’s blocker to make it 2-1. Morristown-Beard (4-1) added to its lead just a minute later, when Alberti’s wraparound pass went through the crease and, with Adler unsure of where the puck was, Matt Kruvant wristed the puck into a virtually empty net.

After a mid-period series of odd-man rushes that entertained but produced no shots, Morristown-Beard took a commanding three-goal lead with just 2:18 left in the stanza. Curling behind the net, Alberti placed a perfect pass on the tape of cutting forward Turner Paine, who one-timed a shot into the top right corner. Things continued to happen in flurries, with a slashing penalty against Beard, and another Crimson player was given an unsportsmanlike conduct minor on the play. The Crusaders only needed 16 seconds to score with the 5-on-3 advantage, as Picinic scrambled home the rebound of Brian Giblin’s point shot, making the score 4-2.

Morristown-Beard essentially sealed the game 1:39 into the third period, as Greg Alberti beat Adler from the left corner with a power-play wrist shot. Bergen Catholic (1-3-1) upped its intensity for the rest of the period, but the outstanding form of John Yanchek (20 saves) kept the Crusaders at bay, and intensity finally turned into frustration toward the end of the period, as Morristown-Beard had four power plays in the period.

Morristown-Beard 5, Bergen Catholic 2

Scoring

Shots

1st
none
2nd
0:10 MB #19 Greg Alberti (#9 Sam Altiero)
0:18 BC #20 Danny Picinic (#31 Drew Arndt)
2:29 MB (sh) #4 Mikey Minskoff (#23 Corey Schneider)
3:26 MB #5 Matt Kruvant (#19 Greg Alberti, #21 Dan Shurts)
12:42 MB #3 Turner Paine (#19 Greg Alberti, #12 John Donnally)
13:42 BC (pp) #20 Danny Picinic (#16 Brian Giblin)
3rd
1:39 MB (pp) #19 Greg Alberti (#9 Sam Altiero)

Goalies
#30 John Yanchek (MB) 22-20
#1 Jesse Adler (BC) 23-18

Power plays: MB 1-6, BC 1-5

Randolph 3, Chatham 0

Randolph 3, Chatham 0
Another day, another Mennen Division battle. Randolph and Chatham beat the storm Thursday, with the Rams wearing down the Cougars for a 3-0 victory. Randolph dominated most of the game, finishing with a 33-11 shot advantage. Typically, the Rams’ team speed and aggressive forecheck proved decisive. Despite a barrage of second-period penalties that produced six power plays, the game remained scoreless and, really, without any noteworthy scoring chances until the third period. Chatham goalie Ben Kepler showed quick reflexes to keep the game scoreless, while Dan Diamond was solid but untested in the Randolph goal.

The breakthrough came just 50 seconds into the third period. Randolph defenseman Kyle Krannich, pinned against the right boards in his defensive zone, backhanded a bank pass out of the zone to forward Rob Kral. He advanced into the offensive zone and past the right face-off circle before dropping a pass for trailer Ed Keenan, whose wrist shot trickled through the pads of the heretofore solid Kepler. Randolph had to kill a Chatham power play before adding to its lead, but the Rams finally put the game away midway through the period. Third-line center John Beatrice controlled the puck in the low slot before snapping a shot past Kepler’s blocker. The Rams capitalized on the momentum to score again just 13 seconds later, with Ricky Roma setting up Kral for the clinching goal.

In some sense, not much has changed in the Mennen Division; Randolph still has tremendous speed and depth but lacks dominant scorers, while Chatham seems one step behind.

Randolph 3, Chatham 0

Scoring

Shots

1st
none
2nd
none
3rd
0:50 Ran #16 Ed Keenan (#9 Rob Kral, #3 Kyle Krannich)
7:42 Ran #19 John Beatrice (#17 Chris Maloney, #11 Chris Tamminga)
7:55 Ran #9 Rob Kral (#22 Ricky Roma)

Goalies
#1 Dan Diamond (Ran) 11-11
#34 Ben Kepler (Cha) 33-30

Power plays: Ran 0-4, Cha 0-6

freezing at the Cron Tournament

I bundled up in a turtleneck, two fleeces, and a jacket, and I still froze my butt off at the Cron Tournament Wednesday night. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I fought through an hour of traffic to get there for the last two periods of Mendham’s surprisingly lopsided 7-1 win over West Essex. Sean Hermann scored twice for Mendham to finish as the tournament’s leading scorer with six goals and four assists. During the break, I enjoyed some real hot-stove baseball (fireplace baseball, if you want to get technical) fireside while reading Five Seasons, by Roger Angell. I’m only partway through it, but so far I highly recommend the series of pieces on the 1972-76 baseball seasons. His elocution is amazing.

Morris Knolls 3, Old Bridge 1
This was an intriguing contest between two teams with a combined record last year of 44-6-5. Pregame focus centered on enigmatic Old Bridge forward Nick Geraci, who was on the roster but not the ice to start the game. With Geraci absent and Old Bridge dressing just 13 players, Morris Knolls (4-0) looked to be strolling along after a persistent rebound goal from Tommy Tomensky just 55 seconds into the game. But Old Bridge did not back down for the rest of the period, and the game exploded into life at the 10:32 mark. Golden Eagle forward Justin Lewandowski knocked an Old Bridge defenseman into goalie Travis O’Brien at the whistle, and O’Brien remained on the ice as tempers started to flare. Geraci picked this moment to arrive, and, 10 seconds later, he drew the first of three Morris Knolls penalties in the period.

Set to open the second period with 40 seconds of 5-on-3 action, Old Bridge (3-1-1) was slow to line up for the face-off, huddling for a team cheer, and was assessed a delay-of-game penalty. Still, the difference in the Knights was readily apparent, as Geraci’s presence made defenseman and captain Ryan Melis (who showed some class by shaking hands with all four Knolls coaches before the game) more willing to go forward and the whole team more assertive. This aggression led to penalties, however, and Morris Knolls had five virtually consecutive power plays in the early part of the period. The Golden Eagles finally cashed in at 6:44, with Dan Duda patiently waiting for a lane to clear before dropping a great backdoor pass down low to Steven Jones, who slotted it behind O’Brien.

The penalties continued immediately, as Knolls took a five-minute boarding penalty just 10 seconds later. For the period, Knolls skated 5-on-3 for almost 2:30, while Old Bridge had 3:49 of consecutive power play time thanks to the major penalty. Yet the Knights were unable to get a single shot on Morris Knolls goalie Josh Ofner during the lengthy power play, even against Knolls’ second-line penalty killers. Old Bridge got one more power-play chance in the period, and Ofner truly rose to the occasion as the difference in the game, although he did get some help when Geraci wrang a wrist shot off the post. By my unofficial tally, Ofner made at least nine saves in the game on Geraci alone.

Morris Knolls essentially put the game away just 34 seconds into the third period on a brilliant individual goal from Dan Duda, who stepped up perfectly to intercept a pass at center ice, sped around one defenseman, and beat O’Brien with a high wrist shot. Old Bridge had four more power plays late in the game, finally breaking Ofner’s shutout bid with an even-strength goal at 14:14. Melis made an excellent pass from the right point to Geraci in the lower left circle, and he one-timed a high shot past Ofner. But Knolls hung on, despite nine Old Bridge power plays, for the win.

Morris Knolls won its fourth consecutive Cron Tournament title, a feat surpassed only by the five consecutive championships St. Joseph Metuchen won from 1993-97. Ofner was named MVP for the second consecutive year, this time stopping 25 shots in the championship game and 47 of 49 for the tournament. Knolls extended its winning streak against public schools to 12 games. The loss broke an 18-game regular-season unbeaten streak for Old Bridge, which lost in the public round of 16 to Middletown North last year and was eliminated in the Southern Blue cup on a shootout.

Morris Knolls 3, Old Bridge 1

Scoring

Shots

1st
0:55 MK #41 Tommy Tomensky (#44 Steven Jones)
2nd
6:44 MK (pp) #44 Steven Jones (#14 Dan Duda, #11 Danny Coiro)
3rd
0:34 MK #14 Dan Duda (unassisted)
14:14 OB #12 Nick Geraci (#22 Ryan Melis)

Goalies
#33 Travis O’Brien (OB) 21-18
#33 Josh Ofner (MK) 26-25

Power plays: MK 1-5, OB 0-9

Monday at Mennen

I caught the first two games at my home rink, Mennen Arena, Monday, both crucial games for Mennen Division teams.

Morristown-Beard 3, Randolph 2
In the first game between the three teams who appear to be actively chasing Morris Knolls in the Mennen Division, the Crimson were slightly fortunate to come away with a one-goal win. Neither team shot well on the day, and Beard (2-1) held off a spirited third-period comeback for the 3-2 win over Randolph (1-1).

After a fairly even first period that saw Randolph use its speed to produce a swarming forecheck but fail to cash in on any opportunities, Morristown-Beard took control of the game in the final minute. After Dan Swenson made a save on Crimson forward Greg Alberti, Dan Shurts controlled the rebound in the right face-off circle, deked between one defender’s legs, and lifted a backhand over Swenson’s glove at the near post for a 1-0 lead. Then came the crushing blow, after a penalty against Randolph with 0:03 remaining in the period. Beard head coach John Puskar pulled his goalie for an extra attacker on the offensive-zone face-off. That decision, combined with a slow clock start, set up Pat Yannotta for a bad-angle slap shot from the right corner that snuck through Swenson at the buzzer.

The game appeared to swing in Morristown-Beard’s favor early in the second period. With the Crimson on the power play, Ram defenseman Ricky Roma stole the puck in the neutral zone and skated in against John Yanchek with a brekaway. Skating in from the left side, Roma deked to his backhand, but Yanchek made a sprawling glove save at the right post to preserve the 2-0 lead. The Crimson added to their lead just one minute later on their third power play of the game. Yannotta was again the key figure, keeping the puck in the offensive zone with a gloved knock-down at the blue line before whipping a shot on net. Swenson made the save, but Sam Altiero was on hand to slot in the rebound. Randolph increased its pressure, aided by two power plays, and had a 26-15 shot advantage through two periods but remained in a 3-0 hole.

After killing an early penalty in the third period, Randolph came to life on a strange goal at the 4:04 mark. Ed Keenan’s wraparound attempt was deflected straight up in the air. With Yanchek down to protect against the wraparound, he lost sight of the puck, which caromed off his back and into the crease, where Greg Da Silva was on hand to tap it in. The Rams got to within a goal just 1:36 later, as forward Rob Kral rode a defender inside from the right boards and squeezed a bad-angle wrist shot between Yanchek’s glove shoulder and the crossbar for a terrific goal. Randolph only got more aggressive and confident as the period wore on, but never seriously tested Yanchek; his second-period save on Roma turned out to be the key play.

Randolph will turn its attention to another crucial division clash with rival Chatham on Thursday, while Morristown-Beard could have trouble with Mountain Lakes, a tough defensive team, the same day.

Morris Hills 4, Pingry 2
It is far too early in the season to be talking about must-win games, but Morris Hills’ contest against Pingry was as close as you can get. In their first season in the Mennen Division, the Scarlet Knights played well but lost their first two divisional contests. They have yet to suit up all three first-line forwards in a league game, with the trio of Jon Gaffney, Scott Shapiro, and Joe DiScala each missing a game.

It did not matter which two were playing in the first period, however, as Pingry (1-1-1) took advantage of an uninspired Morris Hills (2-2) team to take a 2-0 lead. Leading forward Dan Ambrosia opened the scoring at the 2:43 mark for John Magadini’s team, creeping out from behind the net and backhanding a shot through the legs of Ilya Schuf. Big Blue forward Dan Weiniger scored a similar goal midway through the period, skating out from the opposite corner and roofing a wrist shot past Schuf’s glove. Morris Hills outshot Pingry but, setting the tone for the game, took three penalties in the first period.

The Scarlet Knights got two power plays early in the second period, however, and although they did not score, Gaffney and Shapiro seemed to come to life. Late in the period, Gaffney hit Shapiro with a pass at center ice, and the latter stickhandled through the slot before backhanding a shot over Pingry goalie Bard Riccardi. (On a side note, Bard? Are you serious? Only at Pingry. All name jokes aside, and with no offense to his parents, he played well.) Pingry went on the power play with 1:41 left in the period, and Hills’ frustration showed a bit when Gaffney was called for closing his glove on the puck in the offensive zone. But Shapiro won the resulting neutral-zone face-off and wristed a shot from the high slot that caught Riccardi by surprise, tying the game.

The tying goal seemed to give Morris Hills confidence in the third period, and Gaffney scored probably the best goal I’ve seen this season to get things started. He intercepted a pass in his own right face-off circle and took off, skating past three defenders and deking past a fourth before beating Riccardi with an elaborate move and tucking the puck in on the left side. Soon after, he skated in alone on Riccardi with a semi-breakaway and deked to his backhand, this time, turning away in celebration. But Riccardi made a diving lunge at the puck to save a goal, despite Gaffney’s protests that it had crossed the line. Nevertheless, he sewed up the game with 7:08 remaining on another shorthanded strike, this one a lightning-quick wrist shot from the left wing.

Like most games this season, the game was marred by penalties, but Morris Hills pulled out the win to stay on pace for a state tournament berth. Pingry has now squandered multiple-goal leads in both league games it has played, but the Big Blue are much improved over past seasons.

Morristown-Beard 3, Randolph 2

Scoring

Shots

1st
14:22 MB #21 Dan Shurts (#19 Greg Alberti)
15:00 MB (pp) #10 Pat Yannotta (#19 Greg Alberti)
2nd
3:52 MB (pp) #9 Sam Altiero (#10 Pat Yannotta)
3rd
4:04 Ran #26 Greg Da Silva (#16 Ed Keenan, #10 Derek Ranger)
5:40 Ran #9 Rob Kral (#15 Ed Keenan)

Goalies
#30 John Yanchek (MB) 35-32
#31 Dan Swenson (Ran) 17-14

Power plays: MB 2-4, Ran 0-4

Morris Hills 4, Pingry 2

Scoring

Shots

1st
2:43 Pin #26 Dan Ambrosia (unassisted)
8:41 Pin #17 Dan Weiniger (#14 Andrew Krill)
2nd
12:09 MH #10 Scott Shapiro (#9 Jon Gaffney)
14:01 MH (sh) #10 Scott Shapiro (unassisted)
3rd
1:34 MH #9 Jon Gaffney (unassisted)
7:52 MH (sh) #9 Jon Gaffney (unassisted)

Goalies
#33 Bard Riccardi (Pin) 29-25
#1 Ilya Schuf (MH) 19-17

Power plays: Pin 0-6, MH 0-4