Hockey: 2014-15 North Jersey Season-in-Review, Part I — In-depth look at the All-North Jersey package

The season has ended and award season is upon us, with Part I of the the North Jersey Season-in-Review taking a look at the Player, Team and Coach of the Year, in addition to our first, second (with writeups) and third team (Aces exclusive) All-North Jersey selections and our All-Freshmen Team picks.

Part II will include a look back at our Games of the Year and Part III will provide one more in-depth look at our final Top 15. Be on the look out for those soon here on Aces.

It was another thrilling season in North Jersey hockey filled with a number of unforgettable moments.

See you all next year.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Alex Whelan, Ramsey

Player of the Year: Alex Whelan, Ramsey, senior, forward
The stats: After putting the final touches on one of the most prolific careers in New Jersey history, Whelan ended with 265 career points after posting a North Jersey-best 49 goals and 32 assists. After a freshman season in which Whelan burst on to the high school scene with 17 goals and 19 assists, he began to really start making a name for himself his sophomore season when he amassed 36 goals and 32 assists. I took over the hockey beat prior to his junior season and the first thing our former hockey writer Andy Vasquez told me was, “Watch out for Alex Whelan.” With the spotlight now very much on him, Whelan did not disappoint as a junior, erupting for 43 goals and 37 assists while leading Ramsey to the Public B state final. Following his junior year, he was now unanimously regarded among the state’s elite players, committed to national power Quinnipiac, and warranted the utmost respect — and defensive attention — of every team, player and coach that faced Ramsey this season. Often facing double- and triple-teams as a senior, Whelan delivered an 81-point season, while leading the Rams back to The Rock, with many clutch and timely goals along the way. He scored at least once in his final 18 games, including twice in the state final.
The quote: “I’ll say this, Alex certainly has the longevity as far as public school players go. He was able to shepherd his team to two state finals and four state final fours, and he was our leader for much of that time… that’s got to put him right up there [with the best players in Bergen County history]. Is he the best ever? I’m not going to be that presumptuous, but he’s certainly up there. There may have been better single seasons, some may have had better years individually, but to be a Player of the Year three straight years, to be the face of four straight final four teams, he’s definitely right up there with the best of the best.” — Ramsey coach Bob Toy
The info: It might be the first time in Record history that one individual took home Player of the Year honors in three straight seasons — in any sport (on a side note, I remember another impressive feat, somewhat on this topic, from a few years ago — involving another Ramsey athlete, in fact — when Lexi Knief won our POTY award in two sports, softball and soccer. She’s now Penn State’s leadoff hitter).

Toy said he has known Whelan since long before he arrived at Ramsey and coached him on a fifth grade youth team in 2007-08 (Toy’s first year at Ramsey) and said, “he’s always been that special type of player. He could always just score goals. He worked to become the skater and player he is today, but even back then, he was a prolific scorer. But more importantly, there was a will to win that was always present. Alex did not like to lose and that has always been a motivator for him. Some kids are just like that, and Alex certainly was, and still is. Whether it’s scoring goals or block shots, Alex does whatever it takes to win.”

Perhaps most evident of that statement was how he fought until the final second — quite literally — in this year’s state final when his last-ditch effort at a game-tying goal crossed the goal line just hundredths of a second after the final horn sounded. He didn’t quit, he fought… right until the very end.  “His will to win overtook games sometimes,” Toy said. “He wasn’t always successful at it, but it was never because of a lack of effort. He never showed any quit until the last tick of the clock in his high school career. That defines Alex Whelan and tells you everything you need to know about him. That what makes Alex Whelan, Alex Whelan.”

The will and desire to score goals — and his Ramsey pride — apparently aren’t limited to simply just the ice either, as Whelan made his varsity lacrosse debut (as did the entire Ramsey team) in Wednesday’s 12-5 win over Demarest. He scored twice… exactly 16 days after scoring twice at the Prudential Center in the Public B state final. As Toy said, “he could always just score goals.”

And on a personal level, which I wrote about last year, he has remained one of the most humble superstars I’ve had the pleasure of covering. What a career.

* * *

TEAM OF THE YEAR: Bergen Catholic Crusaders

Team of the Year: Bergen Catholic Crusaders
The stats: Bergen Catholic only finished 14-12-1, but it was how the Crusaders finished the year which earned them both Team of the Year honors and The Record’s No. 1 spot in the final Top 15 poll. After a 4-7-1 stretch to open the year, Bergen Catholic finished 10-5, including two wins against Don Bosco, one against eventual state champion CBA, and one each against both St. Josephs (Met. and Mont.). Bergen Catholic reached the Gordon Cup final as a No. 7 seed after upsetting No. 2 Don Bosco and No. 3 CBA along the way and reached the Non-Public state semifinals as a No. 10 seed. The Crusaders also snapped an 11-game losing streak against Don Bosco this season and will enter next season riding a two-game win streak against the Ironmen. Senior forward Kyle Marano was named to first team All-North Jersey with a team-high 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists),  junior forward Evan Wisocky was named to second team All-North Jersey following his 14-goal, 14-assist season, and sophomore defenseman Diarmad DiMurro joined Wisocky on second team All-North Jersey after emerging as one of the top young talents and most dangerous offensive defensemen in the area. The Crusaders went a combined 5-2 in the Gordon Cup and state tournament, nearly matching the number of wins they had in such games in the previous five seasons combined (6).
The quote: “As we started putting those wins together, we saw how dangerous we really could be. Going into those games late in the year, we had some swagger. I think you need that to reach the levels we reached this year. Going into every game, I don’t think there was any doubt in that locker room. We expected to win and we kept getting the same results.” — Bergen Catholic’s Kyle Marano

* * *

COACH OF THE YEAR: Sergio Fernandez, Glen Rock

Coach of the Year: Sergio Fernandez, Glen Rock
The stats: Glen Rock went 21-4-3 — with one of the most competitive non-conference schedules in North Jersey (played Morristown, Morris Knolls, Randolph, Summit, St. Joes Met., Cranford, Montclair and Paramus Catholic in the regular season, in addition to seeing St. Joseph Mont. three times, Ramsey twice in two tournament games and Nutley once in states) — and finished in first place in the Big North Freedom Division at 10-0-1, marking the third straight year the Panthers have gone unbeaten in league play. Glen Rock also captured its third straight Freedom Cup title by beating eventual Non-Public state quarterfinalist St. Joseph for the third time this season. The Panthers reached both the Bergen County and Public B state semifinals as the No. 3 seed in each tournament, before falling to Ramsey in one-goal games both times. Glen Rock accomplished all this with just four seniors and one just year after losing a pair of first team All-North Jersey selections in Matt Roy (31 G, 33 A last season) and Matt Jorgensen (17 G, 30 A last season) and one second team All-North Jersey pick in Mike Buckel (24 G, 25 A). There were a number of sophomores and freshmen who saw significant ice time for Glen Rock this season.
The quote: “[Creating the same depth] was the biggest challenge coming into this year. To develop that chemistry again on our top two lines. Once we filled those roles, the other lines had to be accounted for, though, and it was about figuring out which kids to plug in where. Some of the young guys struggled at first and it was tough early on. But we tried creating that same depth. … I really don’t look at this as something for myself. It’s about my coaches and I and the players we have here. We have two former players [Rob Amos and Alex Baldini] on staff and they’re so helpful and important to what we do here.” — Glen Rock coach Sergio Fernandez

* * *

FIRST TEAM ALL-NORTH JERSEY

F: Alex Whelan, Ramsey, sr.
The three-time Record Player of the Year will go down as one of the best in state history after a record-breaking 265-point career. While guiding the Rams to their second straight Public B state final, Whelan scored a state-best 49 goals, added 32 assists and scored at least one goal in his final 18 games this season, including twice in the state final.

F: Hunter Garlasco, Don Bosco, sr.
Garlasco became one of just a handful of Ironmen in program history to surpass the career 100-point milestone this season with 10 goals and 23 assists while competing in the Gordon Division. Finished with 30 goals and 76 assists in his career, while helping lead Don Bosco to its fourth straight Bergen County title.

F: Kyle Marano, Bergen Catholic, sr.
A key part of the Crusaders’ resurgence, Marano scored a team-best 35 points (14 G, 21 A) for the Gordon Cup finalists and Non-Public semifinalists. Scored the game-winner against Don Bosco in the Gordon quarters and provided two goals and two assists in BC’s 6-2 win over St. Joseph (Met.) in the state Round of 16.

F: Brandon Rosario, Glen Rock, sr.
Playing hurt all year (shoulder, wrist) according to coach Sergio Fernandez, Rosario finished with a team-best 21 goals, including two in Glen Rock’s Freedom Cup final win over St. Joseph, and 20 assists. He ends his career fifth all-time in program history in points, with 117 (59 goals, 58 assists).

F: Tyler Gutierrez, Mahwah, sr.
Always a scoring threat and team leader for the T-Birds, Gutierrez struck for 26 goals and 18 assists to surpass the career 100-point milestone (after missing 17 games his junior year) and finish sixth all-time in Mahwah history in total points with 117 — an almost dead-even split at 59 goals and 58 assists.

F: Danny Mullin, Lakeland, jr.
“He really came into his own this season,” coach Nick Crouch said of Mullin, who broke out for 22 goals and 21 assists for the Passaic County champion Lancers. Unable to play club hockey because he’s Lakeland’s starting quarterback, Mullin already has eclipsed 100 career points (110) in three seasons.

D: Brandon O’Callahan, Ramsey, jr.
Ramsey coach Bob Toy called O’Callahan “one of our most underrated superstars” at one point this season. Not relied on to score much with Whelan and Nick Botta up front, O’Callahan anchored a defense that allowed just 26 goals in 30 games. O’Callahan provided five goals and 14 assists offensively.

D: Tom LaMacchia, Glen Rock, jr.
“Clearly one of the top defenseman in North Jersey, if not the state,” coach Sergio Fernandez said of LaMacchia, one of the highest-scoring blueliners in the area with 14 goals, including the overtime game-winner against Nutley in the state quarterfinals, and 20 assists.

D: Nick Andresini, St. Joseph, jr.
After an injury to one of the Green Knights’ top defensemen, it was Andresini who stepped up and logged even more minutes while keeping the SJR defensive unit of the best in North Jersey, especially late in the year when 15th-seeded St. Joe’s reached the state quarters for the first time since 1999. Also provided two goals and a team-best 16 assists.

D: Jake Bernstein, Tenafly, sr.
A four-year starter and two-year captain, Bernstein was the driving force behind the Tigers’ turnaround from a 1-6 start to a state tournament berth. While logging over 40-plus minutes per game, Bernstein posted a 15-28-43 slash line, proving to be one of the top scoring defensemen in North Jersey.

G: Josh Welte, Indian Hills, sr.
“What he meant to our team was second to none,” coach Anthony Tabbacchino said of Welte, who was peppered with 607 shots this season, but often stood tall, allowing only 44 goals with a .928 save percentage and 2.03 GAA. Was the leading force behind Indian Hills’ 14-8-2 season, which included a 13-4-2 run after a 1-4 start.

G: Tyler Harmon, Ramsey, jr.
Guided Ramsey to another Public B state final while surrendering just 26 goals on 418 shots, good for a 0.95 goals against average and 93.8 save percentage. Also recorded 13 shutouts.

* * * * *

SECOND TEAM ALL-NORTH JERSEY

F: Danny Reidel, Wayne Hills, sr.
Reidel capped his brilliant four-year career with an even 25 goals and 25 assists despite missing over a handful of games. He helped lead the Patriots to the Public B Round of 16 for the third straight year.

F: Chris Dressler, West Milford, so.
There was no sophomore slump with the Highlanders’ prolific scorer, as Dressler finished with a team-best 30 goals while adding 16 assists and helping lead West Milford to an at-large state tournament berth. Through two years, Dressler has amassed 85 career points.

F: Joey Fenui, West Milford, sr.
Fenui finished his career with 144 career points after posing a team-best 53 this season. He struck for 27 goals and 26 assists.

F: Nick Botta, Ramsey, sr.
Sometimes overshadowed on the front line by Alex Whelan, Botta capped his brilliant four-year career as one of the best to ever roll through Ramsey with over 100 career points. This season, Botta struck for 14 goals and a North Jersey-best 34 assists.

F: Chris Mazzella, Don Bosco, jr.
Struck for a team-best 17 goals and added 15 assists from out of the Gordon Conference and will be one of Bosco’s most prominent offensive players next season.

F: Evan Wisocky, Bergen Catholic, jr.
One of the most dangerous skaters in North Jersey any time the puck is on his stick, Wisocky struck for 14 goals and 14 assists this season, with many of those points seeming to come at big times in big games.

F: Jake Kinney, Glen Rock, so.
The super sophomore is halfway through what could be the best offensive career in Glen Rock history. After posting 16 goals and 30 assists this season (a team-best 46 points), Kinney is already in eighth place in program history in total points with 81. He’s chasing his brother Jimmy’s career total of 141.

F: Marty Kapoian, Mahwah, jr.
When Kapoian and Gutierrez were on the ice together, there weren’t many better duos in North Jersey, with that pair leading the charge to a near-upset of Glen Rock in the state tournament Round of 16. Despite missing about a month with injury, Kapoian still finished with 15 goals and 15 assists.

F: Pete Lombardi, St. Joseph, so.
Lombardi highlighted St. Joseph’s balanced scoring attack with 21 goals and 16 assists and the sophomore scored twice in the Green Knights’ upset 5-2 win over Don Bosco in the Non-Public state quarterfinals.

D: Connor Healey, Don Bosco, sr.
While Don Bosco was an uncharacteristic 0-2 in the postseason, the Ironmen’s defense was a strength for the majority of the year, evident by shutting out CBA and holding Delbarton and Ramsey to one goal each, and Healey was a big reason why. Also provided three goals and eight assists.

D: Diarmad DiMurro, Bergen Catholic, so.
The numbers coming out of the Gordon Conference aren’t overwhelming (two goals, nine assists), but DiMurro emerged as one of the top offensive defenseman in North Jersey this season. Made a name for himself with his overtime game-winner against St. Joseph in the Bergen County quarterfinals.

D: Harry Bahrenburg, Ridgewood, jr.
Coach Mike Lucchesi says Bahrenburg has “very skilled [and] top-notch talent” after the junior logged major minutes this season while posting seven goals and eight assists for the Patriot Cup champions.

D: Stephen Bressi, Don Bosco, sr.
The first team All-Bergen selection posted two goals and four assists, though was a key part of a defense that surrendered just 2.29 goals per game while taking on one of the most challenging schedules in the state.

D: Chris Wands, Lakeland, so.
His name will forever live in the Passaic County history books after scoring the overtime game-winner in the county final to give the Lancers a 4-3 win over Wayne Hills. Finished with five goals and 10 assists in addition to playing shutdown defense against opponents’ top forwards.

G: Matt Rosario, Glen Rock, jr.
Emerged as one of North Jersey’s best goaltenders this season with a 1.97 goals against average and 91.1 save percentage while seeing 460 shots (allowed 41 goals) . Posted a shutout in the Freedom Cup final win over St. Joes with 22 saves in what was essentially a 1-0 game (GR scored empty-netter at buzzer).

G: Alexei Masanko, Don Bosco, so.
Masanko posted a 2.29 goals against average and 90.6 save percentage on 427 shots. Posted a 22-save shutout against eventual state champion CBA and was arguably the biggest reason Don Bosco captured its fourth straight county title, with Masanko making 32 saves in the 2-1 win over Ramsey.

* * * * *

Third Team All-North Jersey
(Varsity Aces Only)

F: Cooper Telesco, Ridgewood, jr.
F: Jon Hoogendoorn, Indian Hills, jr.
F: Shane Davison, Lakeland, jr.
F: Ryan Grieco, St. Joseph, jr.
F: Jack Jordan, Ramsey, sr.
F: Justin Rosario, Glen Rock, jr.
F: Joe Verboys, Don Bosco, sr.
F: Eric L’Heureux, Tenafly, sr.
F: J.P. Kelly, Ridgewood, so.
F: Steven Tillie, Passaic Valley, sr.
D: Griffin Meyers, Glen Rock, sr.
D: Chris Scott, Ramsey, sr.
D: Joey Ferrante, Fair Lawn, jr.
D: Kevin Booth, Paramus Catholic, sr.
D: Dan Whritenour, Kinnelon, sr.
D: Michael Brosnick, Wayne Hills, sr.
D: Kyle Andreniuk, Lakeland, jr.
D: Tyler Antonucci, Bergen Catholic, sr.
G: Robert Massimi, St. Joseph, sr.
G: John Pitera, Paramus Catholic, jr.
G: Sean Komjian, Lakeland, jr.

* * * * *

All-Freshmen Team

Freshman of the Year: Julian Tallier, Tenafly
Tallier helped turn Tenafly’s season around after a 1-6 start to help lead the Tigers to a hard-earned state tournament berth. He finished the season with 12 goals and 25 assists for 37 points, which was second-most from a Tenafly freshman in program history. Coach Andy Escala said Tallier “has the best hands I have seen in my 17 years coaching” and “as he grows and matures, he could be one of the best offensive talents in the area.”

Runner-up: Jared Moss, Mahwah
Moss came in to start for the Thunderbirds in the ninth game of the season and never gave the job back. He started 16 games, finished 9-6-1 and finished with 377 saves, an 88.0 save percentage and a 3.00 goals against average.

Best of the Rest
Forwards: Mickey Burns, Don Bosco; Graham Garlasco, Don Bosco; Mike McCusker, Indian Hills; Shane Ciongoli, Mahwah; Eddie Corvelli, Glen Rock, Matt Maselli, Glen Rock; Tsubasa Konishi, Glen Rock; Alex LoPresti, Passaic Valley; Dean Hulbert, Wayne Hills; Mark Perez, Wayne Valley; Joe Konvit, Northern Highlands; Matt Tomko, Paramus/Lyndhurst/Hackensack.
Defenders: Nicolas Arcaroli, Bergen Catholic; Joe Polcaro, Bergen Catholic; John LaMacchia, Glen Rock; Nick Carabin, Mahwah; Ryan Pych, West Milford.
Goalies: Stephen Brennan, Pascack Valley; Jake Moran, Paramus/Lyndhurst/Hackensack.

PART II of the North Jersey Ice Hockey Season-in-Review coming soon…