Beyond the Scoresheet

Delbarton stays on top with 4-1 win over DBP

As expected, No. 1 Delbarton stayed on top of the state rankings with a 4-1 win over No. 2 Don Bosco Prep Sunday night before a paid crowd of 566 at the Ice Vault in Wayne. The killer goal came with just three seconds remaining in the second period, as Delbarton’s John Baicco scored in a 4-on-4 situation to restore the Green Wave’s two-goal advantage, and the issue was never in doubt after that.

Delbarton (9-1) extended its in-state unbeaten streak to 33 games (32-0-1) and is 65-1-1 in its last 67 games against New Jersey competition, dating back to 2009. The Green Wave now face four consecutive Gordon Conference games against South Jersey opposition, beginning Tuesday against Bishop Eustace. Don Bosco Prep (13-1) suffered its first loss of the season and returns to action on Friday in the quarterfinals of the inaugural Bergen County Tournament.

The first period was one-way traffic, with Delbarton almost setting up camp in the Don Bosco half of the ice and running up a 12-2 shot advantage. The Green Wave did not break the deadlock, however, until the 13-minute mark, as defenseman Tommy Muratore made a right-wing rush and threw the puck in front of the net, where forward Tommy Fowler was able to sweep it under Don Bosco goalie Jarred Liscio. Delbarton then stunned the Ironmen just 14 seconds into the second period, with Alex Hagerty feeding sophomore Chad Otterman in the left circle, and he rifled an impressive snap shot past Liscio up high.

Don Bosco Prep did get back into the game late in the period, aided by Delbarton penalties. Less than 30 seconds after Delbarton’s Colton Phinney made four saves on the game’s first power play, the Ironmen pulled a goal back when a point shot from Rory Garlasco slipped through Phinney, and Lucas Lappino was on hand to poke it home. The goal, with 4:01 remaining in the period, brought the Don Bosco students to their feet and raised the atmosphere of the game.

But they key play came in the final minute of the second period, as a Don Bosco power play was quickly nullified by a penalty, leading to a four-on-four situation. After Drew Melanson put in a long shift to get the puck deep, Green Wave forward John Baicco walked out of the left corner and made a slick move to fake out Liscio before sliding in a shot with just three seconds remaining in the period, restoring Delbarton’s two-goal advantage. The goal effectively killed Don Bosco’s momentum and set the stage for a third period that was short on drama.

The four-time defending private state champions put the game out of reach at the 5:48 mark, as Trevor Agostino whipped a rebound past Liscio up high to provide the final margin of 4-1.

Delbarton 4, Don Bosco Prep 1

Scoring

Shots

1st
13:00 Del #8 Tommy Fowler (#6 Tommy Muratore, #26 Trevor Agostino)
2nd
0:14 Del #21 Chad Otterman (#18 Alex Hagerty, #11 Davis Agostino)
10:59 DBP #25 Lucas Luppino (#8 Rory Garlasco, #9 Justin McKenzie)
14:57 Del #12 John Baiocco (unassisted)
3rd
5:48 Del #26 Trevor Agostino (#10 Chad Heal, #11 Davis Agostino)
Goalies
#1 Colton Phinney (Del) 14-13
#31 Jarred Lisco (DBP) 22-18
Power plays: Del 0-1, DBP 0-5

Game of the Year tonight!

The early candidate for regular-season Game of the Year in New Jersey takes place tonight when unbeaten No. 2 Don Bosco Prep (13-0) takes aim at top-ranked four-time defending private state champion Delbarton (8-1) at the Ice Vault.

It’s a little bit unusual to have the state’s top two teams meet only once during the regular season, but with Don Bosco Prep left in the National Division of the Gordon Conference and Delbarton in the American Division, Sunday’s matchup is their lone head-to-head meeting, which makes it even bigger.

We almost got to Sunday with both teams unbeaten, but Delbarton dropped its first game of the year during the week, falling 2-0 to Connecticut prep power Hotchkiss. The Green Wave still have a 32-game unbeaten streak (31-0-1) against New Jersey teams, dating back to the 2010 Gordon Cup semifinals. Going farther back, Delbarton is 64-1-1 against New Jersey teams since losing to CBA in January 2009, with both losses coming in the postseason against St. Augustine Prep. Over the last four-plus seasons, Delbarton’s in-state record is a remarkable 91-4-2. However, despite huge shot advantages in the last two games, the Green Wave were held to two goals against Morristown-Beard and were shut out against Hotchkiss, so they will need to find their scoring touch.

They will have to do so against one of the state’s top goalies, sophomore Jarred Liscio, who has been a big part of Don Bosco’s torrid start. The Ironmen survived two scares of their own this week, rallying late to beat St. Peter’s Prep 3-2 on a last-minute goal and then holding off Bishop Eustace 1-0 despite missing a few players. Despite the gaudy record, St. Peter’s Prep and Bergen Catholic (6-1 W) are the two highest-ranked teams Don Bosco has played this year, so Sunday’s game will be a different challenge altogether.

I’m excited to make the drive up from Philadephia to Wayne for this one, and I hear just about every hockey reporter in the northern part of the state and, more importantly, a ton of college hockey coaches will be cramming into the Ice Vault, so I advise arriving early for the 6:15 p.m. face-off. It is the very definition of a must-see game.

RIP Harry Shatel

It’s easy for me to lose touch with home sometimes, living in Texas and being engrossed in our soccer season. But I was jolted back tonight when I checked the Daily Record high school sports section and saw that Harry Shatel passed away on Saturday. (Daily Record article; Jane Havsy blog)

What a loss. A staggering loss. I know that whatever words I choose will ring hollow and fail to capture the magnetism and vibrancy of this great man. I know I would need weeks to research and write any sort of appropriate tribute. But I also feel a need to honor his memory and his leadership, and the best way I know how to do that is to write.

I grew up a Morristown baseball junkie. I played Morristown American Little League, I went to the Mott-Leeney baseball camp every summer, I watched Morris Majors games at Lidgerwood Park, and I dreamed of playing for Morristown High School. At Mott-Leeney, I met coach after coach from Morris County – older coaches and recent college players – who lived and breathed the game and loved teaching it to kids. I can’t help but feel that every one had been influenced significantly by Harry Shatel, just as every camper was.

I remember going to Morris County Tournament games as a kid, watching Harry give signs from deep in the dugout, seemingly in a corner so dark the opposition couldn’t see him, and I imagined myself playing for him. I always pulled hard for Morristown to come out on top and was devastated if they didn’t.

When I went to Delbarton in seventh grade, one of my biggest objections was that I wouldn’t be able to play for Coach Shatel. Of course, Delbarton provided the next best thing by installing Brian Fleury as head coach, but I couldn’t hold up my end of the bargain and ended up missing out on him too.

Nevertheless, I still maintain that the two best coaches I’ve ever had – and this is no indictment of the many great coaches I did have at Delbarton – were two I never played for: Brian Fleury and Harry Shatel. It often felt like those two men taught me more in an afternoon or over the course of a single game than I could learn anywhere else in a whole season. I cried when Coach Fleury died three and a half years ago, and I have felt the tears welling up again tonight.

After going to Delbarton, I came to know Harry Shatel not on the baseball field, but at the hockey rink. He served as an interim coach for Morristown in my first year covering Morris County hockey, and remarkably he seemed to remember me from baseball camp. When he started working as a scorekeeper and public address announcer, I had an excuse to spend long afternoons and evenings standing in the booth talking hockey, baseball, and life. To all the parents of goaltenders out there, if Harry missed a few shots here and there, it was only because he was telling a story about one of his kids or one of his former players or listening closely to a story from a visitor.

He knew every referee by name, and if he didn’t recognize them when they stepped on the ice, he made sure he knew their name by the time they had circled the ice once. He knew coaches, kids, administrators, and this was in his second sport! I know he was even more deeply connected to the fabric of baseball in Morris County and New Jersey.

While off in college and living outside New Jersey most of the time since, I have always looked forward to coming home for a few weeks in the winter and making time to go to Mennen Arena, hoping to catch up with Harry and other friends there. He would invariably greet me with a deep, friendly, comforting, growled, “Jon Yardley!” and give me a hearty handshake and pat on the back. He asked after my parents and my grades and my work, even my personal life, almost always addressing me directly by name while asking the question. He talked about his family, his trips to Florida, and of course baseball. He would always work in a question about a Rice player, to bring the conversation back to me, but the specifics really didn’t matter – we could connect talking about baseball, hockey, football, or whatever. More than anything else, he made you want to be a father and a coach, because he so reveled in the shared experiences with and accomplishments of his charges.

Those chats taught me so much. About coaching, about responsibility, about adulthood, about life. It’s corny, I know, but it’s true. I was moved by the warmth, kindness, and laughter he displayed not just once, but constantly, year after year. I feel I learned the most from using him as an example and taking implied advice from his stories. But one direct piece of advice sticks out in my memory: When I was looking for broadcasting jobs, I remember Harry telling me, “Don’t be in such a hurry to get to the top.” He was warning me that it’s easy to get caught up in the destination rather than enjoying the journey.

If anybody has enjoyed his journey, it is Harry Shatel. I and thousands of others in Morris County, New Jersey, and throughout the country are devastated by the news of his passing. But we should take comfort in the knowledge that his journey touched each of ours, and we will always be thankful for his presence in our lives.

Thoughts and prayers go out to Kitty, Bruce, and the entire family tonight. I never played for Harry Shatel, but I consider him a coach, mentor, and friend, and I miss him already.

Going abroad, back in a week

After escaping the northeastern travel nightmares last week and finding time to write a report for Hockey Night in Boston that will appear by January 13, I’m skipping town once more.

This time I’m leaving the country for a week’s vacation, not taking my computer, and will return next Sunday, January 9. Please continue to email any and all scores to jty [at] njhockey.org. I cannot get scores or maintain the site without the help of a lot of dedicated fans, parents, and coaches, so I want to thank them once again and ask for your help over the next two weeks.

Safe driving and happy hockey-watching! Talk to you next week.

Dropping the puck on 2010-11

I’ve posted the standard information for 2010-11, linked above. The breakdown of team schedules by division is available by clicking here. I turned in my HNIB Preview in mid-November, and it should be available in local rinks some time during the first two weeks of the season. As always, pre-season rankings are really inexact, but here’s what I went with:

1. Delbarton (27-1)
2. St. Augustine Prep (14-7-2)
3. CBA (22-3)
4. Don Bosco Prep (10-12-3)
5. Seton Hall Prep (12-9)
6. Gloucester Catholic (15-4-2)
7. Morristown-Beard (17-7-2)
8. Randolph (14-8-4)
9. Toms River South (25-2-2)
10. Middletown South (16-6-2)

When I have a choice, I don’t rank any teams until two weeks into the season, but HNIB requires a preseason ranking, so there you go. Let the debating begin.

I’ve also gone over enrollment figures from the NJSIAA and determined what I expect to be the Public A/B splits for the 2011 state tournaments. I came up with 106 public schools playing varsity hockey this year, so there should be 53 eligible on each side. Here are changes from last year’s alignment, most notably South Jersey powers Middletown South and Brick Township dropping down to Public B, where they should immediately be among the favorites:

UP from Public B to Public A
Lawrence (new co-op with Ewing)
Ocean Township (new co-op with Shore Regional)
Wayne Valley 1,080
Freehold Boro 1,078
Wall 1,056

Mount Olive 1,050
(UPDATED with Law co-op, Mount Olive stays Public B)

DOWN from Public A to Public B
Millburn 1,044
Middletown South 1,031
Brick Township 1,029
Wayne Hills 999

If you note any inconsistencies or mistakes in any documents or the enrollment breakdowns, please send an email to jty [at] njhockey.org.

Projected seeds, 2010

It’s the most important day of the New Jersey hockey season, and everybody is getting ready to start speculating about state tournament positioning. Thanks to a partial holiday today, I had some time to go over the list of qualifiers and draw up some seeding projections.

If you note a factual mistake (team qualified/not qualified or in the wrong public bracket), please post a comment or email me at jty [at] njhockey.org and let me know. If you disagree with the way I’ve ranked things, please post a comment and explain why. I need logic founded on results, but I will consider making a change if there’s a strong argument. Remember, only results through today’s 2/15 cutoff can be considered for seeding!

With all that in mind, here we go:

PRIVATE
As always, the private field was slightly easier to seed, but the split Gordon Conference really threw a few wrenches into the process. I don’t know if RBC and MonDon deserve at-large bids, but I’ll put them in anyway.

1. Delbarton – This was an easy one.
2. Gloucester Catholic – Lost to DBP and tied SA, but their head-to-head win over CBA was key
3. CBA – Just missed out on No. 2
4. Morristown-Beard – Head-to-head win over SHP keeps them here despite loss to Chatham
5. Seton Hall Prep – No surprising wins, and they pay for their surprising loss to MB
6. Pingry – 0-1-1 vs. MB dropped them this far; close games with MB gave them edge over DBP
7. St. Augustine Prep – Could certainly have been higher and played well down the stretch; tie vs. Paul VI hurt
8. Don Bosco Prep – Two one-goal losses to SA in December; losses to MB, PJ, BC hurt
9. Paul VI – Wasn’t sure what to do with these guys; they tied SA in their only non-league game
10. Pope John – Finish ahead of SPP in Gordon; beat SJMet, RBC; lost to Ran, MK, SJV
11. St. Peter’s Prep – Also improved down stretch, beating MD and RBC and tying DBP, but still finished behind PJ
12. Red Bank Catholic (at-large) – Lost one-goal games to PJ, SPP; fourth among non-CBA teams in Shore A
13. Montclair Kimberley – Beat DPC, tied SJMet, recent loss to Livingston makes them a question mark
14. Monsignor Donovan (at-large) – If I let RBC in, I have to let MonDon in. They might both miss out.
15. St. Joseph Metuchen – Likely to finish just behind Paul VI; split with MonDon, loss to Ridge hurt
16. Bergen Catholic – Showed potential in wins vs. DBP, SPP
17. DePaul Catholic – Lost 3-2 to MKA in rare non-league test
18. Bishop Eustace – Difficult schedule but 2-18-1 doesn’t deserve a home game

PUBLIC A
This was a really difficult one. I felt solid about the top and bottom, but the middle stretch from 7-26 or so was very hard. It was tough to separate teams from the same conference in many cases, and I tried to avoid setting up games between regular season division rivals. I’ve included my picks for at-large bids (Ridge, Wayne Valley, Clifton)

1. Morris Knolls – They did tie Jef, Kin, and Ran but are unbeaten vs. publics and finished tied for first in state’s toughest division
2. Montgomery – No losses in Public A, two ties vs. Hboro, second in very competitive Skyland
3. Hillsborough – Lost to Rid down stretch but finished third in Skyland
4. Randolph – Came on down the stretch; only bad loss was to Peq in December; beat SJV 3-0
5. Brick Memorial – Slightly crowded here. BM won Shore A and went 1-0-1 vs. Bri; tied SJV; lost to How, Mtgry, Jef, RBC
6. Middletown South – Third in overall Public A and just beat Brick; went 2-1 vs. top Shore C teams; only game vs. north was 3-2 win vs. Sum; crushed SJV twice
7. Brick Township – Losses 6-1 to BM and 4-2 to MidS; also slipped up in tie vs. TRN; beat SJV 2-1
8. Morristown – Split w. Jef; beat PC (6-1), Spa, Rwood; only bad loss to Peq in early December
9. Freehold Township – Beat Ste, Kin to open year, then won Shore C despite 0-1-1 vs. How; tied SJV, Mah; lost to Sthrn, Ocn
10. Howell – Only losses to Mlpn, Bri, MidS; 1-0-1 vs. FrT but 2nd place; beat BM, SJV (4-1), TRS, Wall, PC (9-4)
11. Manalapan – 1 loss since mid-December, went 1-0-1 vs. How, beat MidS on Saturday; beat WWPS twice, tied Lak and lost to Rbville early; tied Wall; crushed Sthrn
12. Roxbury – losses to Mad, Hboro, Bri, Peq on Saturday; beat Para; tied Vero
13. Westfield – Beat Vero, Rid, HV in non-league; lost to Mad; tied BR
14. Ridge (at-large) – Strong second half, finished 4th in Skyland; beat WE, John, GL; tied MK; lost to West, BM (twice)
15. Bridgewater-Raritan – Only bad loss to WatH in December; 5th in Skyland; tied West; won Mclr tourney
16. Montclair – Beat Rmpo, no bad losses, 2nd in Mclr tourney
17. Fair Lawn – Lost to Mclr in tourney; hot second half (8 unbeaten); lost to Hksck, Rwood, Cli all in December; beat Rwood, tied Hksck in 2010
18. Tenafly – Only non-league loss to BR; fifth in Mclr tourney
19. Middletown North – Won series vs. rival MidS but inconsistent and lost to Spa, Cra; wins vs. OB, Ste, WWPS, Pri
20. Clifton (at-large) – If only to increase tournament scoring average; beat Sum in only non-lg. and finished just ahead of WayV (split head-to-head) in division
21. Wayne Valley (at-large) – Props for playing in Tri-County’s more competitive division; beat Nut, IH in non-lg.
22. Ridgewood – Likely to win division; split with Hksck, FL; very inconsistent; lost to BM, Mor, WE at Jef tourney; tied WM, DPC
23. Hackensack – Likely to finish 2nd behind Rwood; split with Rwood, 1-0-1 vs. FL, 1-0-1 vs. Bay; lost to Kin, Nut non-league
24. Bayonne – Inconsistent – tied Passaic leader PcV and last place WayH; best win was Cli in Dec; worst loss SJMont (0-1-1)
25. Toms River South – Struggled against good teams in losses to TRN, How; 1-0-1 vs. Wall earns respect via Wall’s results (beat HV, tied BM)
26. West Windsor-Plainsboro North – Best wins vs. Ste (2-0); 0-2 vs. HV; terrible non-conference schedule
27. Steinert – Got in on last day and likely to finish fourth in Colonial; no strong wins
28. South Brunswick – Losses to Paul, SJMet in lg. play, FrT; beat JPS twice
29. Old Bridge – Fourth in NJIHL South, tied Liv; lost to BR, MidN
30. Livingston – Beat MKA for only good win; tied OB
31. WWPS – 0-6 non-lg.; lost to Mlpn twice, BR
32. Jackson Memorial – 3rd in combined Shore B (split w. Sthrn); lost to WWPN, JPS
33. Southern Regional – 4th in combined Shore B; beat FrT but lost to TRN, Mlpn (8-1)
34. Newton-Lenape Valley – Split with Ber, 2-1 vs. Vern

PUBLIC B
Also a tough one choosing between all the very good Morris County and NBIAL A teams, then trying to mix in the many mid-level squads from Passaic and Union Counties and on down the state.

1. Ramsey – 1st in most competitive Pub B division; beat Kin, Rid, SPP; lost to Ran, DBP
2. Kinnelon – Strong second half; lost to Rmsy, Rmpo, FrT; 1-0-1 vs. Ran, beat Cha, Jef; tied MK
3. Jefferson – Beat GR, WM, Hboro, BM; split with Cha, Mor
4. Chatham – Hurt by late ties with Sum, Spa; big wins over MB, Jef, WE, Cra
5. Glen Rock – Hurt by losses to Jef, Rwood; 11-2-1 down stretch but lost to Mah
6. Northern Highlands – Likely to tie with Rmpo for 3rd (teams split); very impressive wins vs. Mtgry, RBC, plus head-to-head GD over Rmpo (9-5); lost to SPP
7. Ramapo – Beat Kin, Rid and tied SPP but hurt by non-lg. results (tied Nut, lost to Mclr)
8. West Essex – Tied Mtgry and won division but hurt by no big non-league wins and tie w. Mclr, losses to MKA, RBC, Rid, Cha
9. Passaic Valley – Best team in Passaic County but played 0 games vs. non-league NJ opponents
10. Lakeland – Tied Mlpn in December, crushed Vern Sunday in only non-lg. results
11. West Milford – Lost to Kin (6-3) and Jef (2-1) in non-lg. results that earn some respect for all Passaic teams
12. Summit – Strong second half and favorite for UCIHL title but lost to Cli, Spa, MidS
13. Wall – Beat HV, Mboro; tied BM; lost to MidS, How; tied Mlpn
14. Hopewell Valley – Won Colonial but no good non-lg. wins; lost to Wall, West, Hboro
15. Mahwah – 2-3 vs. big NBIAL tms; tied FrT in only major non-lg. game; beat Reg (4-1); close to Ten (tied Pri, which is worse than HV)
16. Sparta – Best wins Sum, MidN; key losses Ten, Mor; tied Cha
17. Nutley – 6 ties make tough to judge; lost to GL, WayV; barely beat Dmnt
18. Verona – Tied Ten, Rox; lost to West; beat Cra, ML, Peq
19. Johnson – 1-1-1 split w. Sum but no good non-lg. wins – scheduled strong but lost to Hboro, MK, SPP, Rid
20. Governor Livingston – Beat Nut, Mad; tied Ber, WMC; lost to Mor, Rmpo, Rid
21. Cranford – Best win MidN; also beat Ber, Pri; lost to Vero, Cha, Hboro
22. Madison – Basically an honorary UCIHL member; lost to Spa, GL; beat West, NLV; tied Sum
23. Rumson-Fair Haven – Fifth in combined Shore B; beat Mboro; tied SJV; lost to RBC, MidS
24. West Morris – Beat Ber, Rbville; behind Rox in Haas; lost to Mor (5-4); 0-2 vs. Mad, tied GL
25. Freehold Boro – Finished behind Mboro; beat Ocn; 2-0 vs. Hight
26. Ocean Township – Beat FrT, WWPS; lost to FrB, Mboro
27. Robbinsville – Best win Mlpn; edged WWPS for Valley; split with Pri, Hight
28. Bernards – Lost to Cra, Peq, WMC; tied GL; 0 big non-lg. wins
29. Mount Olive – Bad losses to Pars, NLV; best win Vern
30. Old Tappan – *added after receiving additional results* PkV best win; none over a .500+ team
31. Hightstown – Best results win vs. Rbville, tie vs. Ste; 8 of 10 wins vs. Ewi (4), Law (2), Not (2)
32. East Side – I love these guys but this is unavoidable; 0 wins vs. winning teams

NOTE: The NJSIAA lists its Public A/Public B breakdowns in this document. However, the document omits two teams in Public A (Jackson Memorial, Monroe) and two in Public B (Jackson Liberty, Sparta). It also includes an extra team, Wallkill Valley (JV only), in Public B.

Ice Vault tripleheader

I hit up the Ice Vault tonight for a scheduled quadrupleheader that ended up having three games, including two headliners: Bergen Catholic-Don Bosco Prep and Ramsey-Northern Highlands. I was warmly received by all, and it was great to put faces with names in several different instances.

For the record, I believe this was my first visit to the Ice Vault in four years, going back to a state game and the NBIAL Cup finals in 2006.

On to the games …

Continue reading Ice Vault tripleheader…