Ice Hockey: Top 15 Rankings for 1/3/14

The holiday tournaments are over, it’s a new year and things are starting to sort themselves out regarding the Bergen County Tournament, as fellow Ace Jim McConville reported on the other day. I saw a lot of hockey last week, seemingly spending an entire week at the Ice Vault seeing some of the best teams in the state. I saw Ramsey and Morris Knolls go scoreless for nearly 42 minutes before Nick Botta sent home the game-winner; I saw Paramus Catholic come back with a gutcheck win over the same Morris Knolls team after unexpectedly falling to DePaul one night earlier; and though I didn’t see it, I read about Bergen Catholic’s Ryan Wisocky scoring what might turn out to be a season-changing goal with 10 seconds left to lift the Crusaders past Summit in a must-win situation. I even saw the final period of Ridgewood’s near-upset of Chatham, something to build on after a tough week ‘Wood coach Mike Lucchesi said. After a perfect week, we have a new team in our Top 5, but for the third week in a row, there are no newcomers to the bunch (DePaul, you were close).

On to the Top 15… 

1. Don Bosco (4-1-1) — Last week: 1
What they’ve done: Simply put, not much lately. The Ironmen haven’t taken the ice since their Dec. 22 comeback win over St. Joseph of Metuchen, but still have a strong hold on the No. 1 spot in the North Jersey rankings. Hunter Garlasco and Dylan Healey remain Don Bosco’s leading scorers with seven points a piece — Garlasco has three goals and four assists, while Healey has one goal and a team-best six assists.
What’s ahead: Don Bosco will take on Seton Hall Prep (1-4) on Sunday and Princeton Day (6-1-1) — a team that has tied Morristown, 3-3, this season — on Monday.

2. Ramsey (9-1) — Last week: 2
What they’ve done: The Rams have been busy since our last rankings and made it through Judgement Week against the Mennen Division with a 2-1 record — beating Morris Knolls and Kinnelon, while losing to Randolph in the battle of then-unbeatens. Coach Bob Toy remained level-headed after each outcome. “Nothing is won in December,” he would say after the Kinnelon win… “It’s a December loss and we have to get back to work,” he’d say after the Randolph loss. I wouldn’t be surprised to see both Randolph (Public A) and Ramsey (Public B) in the state finals later this year. Ramsey would probably like to start getting increased production from its second and third lines against the tougher competition, as first linemates Alex Whelan, Connor DiTomaso and Nick Botta have combined for 23 goals and 22 assists this year, with Whelan leading the way with 12 G and 8 A. Toy also cited room for improvement in the power play department after going 0-for-2 against Randolph. The defense — headed by Jim Hunt, Chris Butryn, Anthony Pedulla and Brandon O’Callahan — has remained lights out through all 10 games, allowing just four goals this year. Ramsey also tacked on a 5-1 win over West Milford on New Year’s Day to move to 9-1.
What’s ahead: Ramsey was scheduled to play Ramapo tonight and DePaul on Sunday, but all games are probably going to be snowed out tonight. The Rams’ next big game will come on Jan. 10 when they take on Big North Green title contender Wayne Hills. Both teams are currently 7-0 in league play and will likely both enter the Jan. 10 meeting at 9-0.

3. Glen Rock (9-1) — Last week: 3
What they’ve done: Rock was one of the big winners of the week, going 3-0 with wins over Roxbury, Ramapo and Northern Highlands. Coach Sergio Fernandez was not happy with how Glen Rock played in its 6-5 win over Roxbury, relinquishing a 4-1 lead before prevailing in the third, but his team has a solid hold on the No. 3 team in Bergen County right now. Matt Roy continues having a big year with 12 goals and 10 assists, Matt Jorgensen has added four goals and a team-best 11 assists and Michael Buckel has struck for nine goals.
Looking ahead: With just one game against Tenafly remaining before the Bergen County Tournament cutoff, Glen Rock is likely cemented in the No. 3 spot. A possible semifinal meeting with Ramsey would be a good one… in what would be a battle for Best Public School in North Jersey (our coverage area… which excludes Randolph, who currently owns that statewide distinction — and by the way, Glen Rock plays Randolph on Jan. 24.)

4. Bergen Catholic (4-5) — Last week: 4
What they’ve done: What a wild season it’s been for Bergen Catholic… and we’re only in early January. After four straight losses — albeit to very, very good teams — and in desperate need of a win last week, it was Ryan Wisocky (and Tyler Antonucci with the assist) who came to the rescue with a game-winning goal with 10.5 seconds to go to beat Summit, 2-1, and put BC right back in the Bergen County Tournament discussion. Honorable mention goes to goalie Peter Negron (91.5 save % this year), who made 34 saves and from what I heard, a few real tough ones, to preserve the win. I was tempted to drop BC in the rankings, but really, look at their five losses — Delbarton, Bosco, CBA, Chatham and Morristown. If Bergen Catholic gets in, it is probably a favorite to reach the Bergen County semifinals.
What’s ahead: The Crusaders are scheduled to play Bishop Eustace (1-3) on Saturday (weather-permitting) and Gloucester Catholic (2-5) on Monday before the Jan. 7 cutoff. I say they win both and get the No. 4 seed in the county tournament.

5. Wayne Hills (8-2) — Last week: 7
What they’ve done: For the record, Wayne Hills, Paramus Catholic or Kinnelon all could have been in the No. 5 spot this week. Kinnelon could make the argument that it beat Hills, but Kinnelon’s 2-6 record is starting to become a little too hard to ignore. Meanwhile, since that wild 7-6 loss to the Colts on Dec. 23, Wayne Hills shutout Ridgewood (who just gave Chatham all it could handle), 2-0, and rocked DePaul (a team coming off that upset win over Paramus Catholic), 11-1. Wayne Hills’ offense is firing on all cylinders, averaging 6.2 goals per game, getting the most productivity from Peter Beckwermert (12 goals), Danny Reidel (11 goals), Sean Coleman (11 assists) and Josh Filipovits (8 assists).
What’s ahead: Wayne Hills was scheduled to meet Lakeland tonight at the Ice Vault, but that’s probably not happening due to the weather. They’ll play Mahwah on Sunday… but the one likely circled on the calendars in that Jan. 10 meeting with Ramsey. That’ll be one of the biggest regular season games of the year and a chance for Wayne Hills to really make a statement. The defense, while it hasn’t been bad through 10 games, needs to be better to compete with the Rams. Just think, Ramsey’s given up 4 goals all year, to Wayne Hills’ 25 goals allowed while playing nearly the same schedule (Ramsey’s is actually a little bit tougher after the Ice Vault Tourney). The Pats did just shutout Ridgewood though. Looking forward to Hills-Ramsey.

6. Paramus Catholic (8-1) — Last week: 5
What they’ve done: It’s pretty much a rule that you have to drop at least a bit if you lose to an unranked team, which Paramus Catholic did last week, 6-3, to DePaul (which, by the way, was a 4-3 game until DePaul added two empty-net goals). But that certainly wasn’t the same team I saw one night later when the Paladins skated past Morris Knolls, 4-3, and were, in my opinion, the better team over the final two periods. Coach Keith Bland, goalie John Pitera (awesome game vs. MK) and forward Matt Lepinski (2 G vs. MK and 15 this year) all said basically the same things — they underestimated DePaul and didn’t show up. The win over Morris Knolls was even more important after that loss, because had PC dropped two in a row to non-Big North Gold teams, the schedule critics (me being one of them) would have had even more ammo. The Paladins dismissed the idea they can’t play with quality teams. They can — but they have to show up.
What’s ahead: It was going to be another interesting week for Paramus Catholic, but snow is likely going to take away tonight’s game vs. River Dell/Westwood. They will play RD/WW though on Sunday (it was supposed to be 2 games vs. them in 3 days) and then we finally get that showdown with Ridgewood on Jan. 8 — one day after the Bergen County cutoff date. After Ridgewood lost three games in the Ice Vault Tourney that game lost a bit of its luster, but it’s still a huge game for both teams in the Big North Gold as both teams remain undefeated in league play.

7. Kinnelon (2-6) — Last week: 6
What they’ve done: Two games since our last rankings and the Colts have been shutout twice, courtesy of Ramsey and St. Joseph of Metuchen in the Ice Vault Tourney. Their game against Morristown scheduled for Thursday was postponed due to snow. Kinnelon really has had one of the toughest non-Gordon schedules I’ve seen this year. The six losses are to Chatham (twice), Randolph, Morris Knolls, Ramsey and St. Joes (Met.).
What’s ahead: Speaking of the schedule, it’s not going to get much easier for the Colts as undefeated Randolph and West Morris Mendham (6-1-1) are up next.

8. Ramapo (5-4-1) — Last week: T9
What they’ve done: No team really played itself into the No. 8 spot this week, as Ramapo makes the jump up one spot despite falling in its last two games to Glen Rock, 3-1, and Roxbury, 5-3. They beat Brick, 8-2, in the Ice Vault Tourney opener (and Ridgewood lost to them, which is why ‘Po makes the jump)… kind of a shocking margin of victory until I heard Brick was missing some players (and then Brick tied Indian Hills and beat Ridgewood later in the tournament). The Raiders have enough offensive talent with Jason Ruggiero and Sean Soderlund each with 10 goals on the year (Ruggiero’s got 11 assists, too) to make some noise over the next few months, but as of now, they still lack that one signature one that would solidify themselves as “contenders” in the Big North Green, Bergen County or state tournaments.
What’s ahead: Ramapo would have had a chance for that signature win tonight against Ramsey, but snow appears to be foiling that plan. The Raiders will take on West Milford on Sunday then Lakeland and Mahwah next week.

9. Ridgewood (5-4) — Last week: 8
What they’ve done: Last time we checked in, Ridgewood was 5-1 and gearing up for a big Ice Vault Tournament. But ‘Wood dropped all three — all coming by two goals — to Wayne Hills (2-0), Brick (3-1) and Chatham (4-2). Three straight losses warrant a drop in the rankings. It was the loss to Chatham that showed what Ridgewood is capable of though. Coach Mike Lucchesi admitted he and the team would take it as a “moral victory” after leading Chatham, 2-1, in the second period and keeping it a one-goal game until a late Chatham score put the game away. The shutout loss to Wayne Hills was probably most surprising, though that might have more to do with Wayne Hills just being a very good team than anything else.
What’s ahead: ‘Wood is scheduled to face Dumont/Demarest on Saturday and then the big one… vs. Paramus Catholic on Jan. 8, a game that will determine who the team to beat is in the Big North Gold.

10. St. Joseph (4-4) — Last week: 11
What they’ve done: One of the more interesting teams right now in Bergen County as tournament time approaches. Larry Mahurter’s squad upped its win streak to four games with a 3-1 win over Monsignor Farrell (N.Y.) in the Ice Vault Tourney before having that streak snapped by Park Regional (8-2-1), 3-1. Part of reason behind the four-game win streak was the balanced attack the Green Knights were getting. Ryan Grieco, Nick Haubner and Matt Cocciadiferro all lead the team in goals with four a piece, while Grieco, Stephen Coscia and Matthew McNamara all have a team-high five assists. Another big reason behind St. Joes’ recent success has been the stellar play in net from Phillip Babb, who is currently stopping just below 93% of the shots he sees.
What’s ahead: St. Joseph was scheduled to play Northern Highlands today (probably not happening) and then will meet Pascack Valley on Saturday in their final game before the Jan. 7 cutoff. The Green Knights are very likely to have the necessary résumé to qualify for the county tournament where they figure to be placed somewhere in the No.8-seed range.

11. Mahwah (5-4-1) — Last week: T9
What they’ve done: The Thunderbirds lost to sub-.500 Mount Olive (4-5) in the Ice Vault Tourney but remained alive for the Bergen County tournament with a 6-2 win over Paramus (1-5). They struck bad luck with some injuries earlier this year, but are essentially guaranteed a spot in the Bergen County tournament with (likely) just one game to go before the Jan. 7 cutoff. After Mike Matos (7 G, 7 A) and Marty Kapoian (5 G, 9 A), Mahwah needs other secondary scorers to emerge in the absence of previously-leading scorer Tyler Gutierrez (ankle).
What’s ahead: The weather is likely wiping out the Thunderbirds’ matchup with Indian Hills tonight, leaving just a meeting with Wayne Hills on Sunday in their only game before the cutoff. Win or lose, Mahwah will be at or above the necessary .500 mark for consideration.

12. Lakeland (5-4) — Last week: 12
What they’ve done: The Lancers reached the Montclair Invitational final after back-to-back wins over Tenafly, 6-2, and Montclair, 5-2, and had they had a little better performance in that final against West Morris Mendham, they would have made a jump in the rankings (they lost, 9-3). Still, first-year coach Nick Crouch has Lakeland moving in the right direction, with Nick Brown and his eight goals leading the way. Danny and Sean Mullin have proven to be dangerous offensive threats as well.
What’s ahead: I was really looking forward to Lakeland’s game against Wayne Hills tonight, but again, the weather isn’t cooperating. It would have been a great measuring stick for the Lancers. They’ll likely be back on the ice Saturday for another good one, though, when they take on Indian Hills. Then they’ll have Jefferson, Ramapo and DePaul before the Passaic County tournament.

13. Indian Hills (4-4-2) — Last week: 14
What they’ve done: The only reason the Braves aren’t in the No. 12 spot is that Dec. 7 loss to Lakeland, 3-2, because right now, Indian Hills is playing the best hockey it has played all season. From 1-4-1 to 4-4-2, the Braves have played themselves right back into tournament consideration, but still have a bit of work left to do to pretty much guarantee their spot. And don’t think the return of Alex Linquito and the Braves’ recent hot streak is just a coincidence. It’s tough for any team to go through stretches without their leading scorer, especially one as prolific as Linquito. And remember, they were 40 seconds away from tying Ramapo just before they went on this streak — and if I remember right, that was without Linquito. Indian Hills is averaging over 5.5 goals per game during its 3-0-1 stretch, getting production from Linquito (10 goals this year), Michael Mauer (8 goals), Zac Schults and Kenny Wray (9 assists each). And of course, Josh Welte in net continues to play at a high level, stopping 91.2% of the shots he sees this year, while allowing just over two goals per game.
What’s ahead: The scheduled game vs. Mahwah tonight is likely off, so the Braves will return to the ice on Saturday against Lakeland — a huge game for Indian Hills to get above .500 before the Jan. 7 cutoff for the county tournament. The revenge factor will also be there for the Braves after falling to Lakeland early in the season.

14. River Dell/Westwood (6-2-2) — Last week: 13
What they’ve done: River Dell suffered its first few setbacks of the year last week at the Essex County Holiday Tournament, falling to Verona/Glen Ridge, 4-2, and Livingston, 7-0, before tying Nutley, 3-3. The trio of River Dell-Westwood/Ridgewood/Paramus Catholic — the consensus top three teams in the Big North Gold — went 1-6-1 against non-Gold teams in the past week, with PC’s win over Morris Knolls being the lone win of the bunch. River Dell/Westwood will be in the county tournament, but it has yet to put up a statement win this year, beating up on a weak league schedule through the first month of the season.
What’s ahead: If River Dell/Westwood wants to make a statement, it will have its chance on Sunday when it takes on Paramus Catholic (they were also scheduled to play today, but that’s probably not happening). A win over the Paladins would really go a long way in bettering their seed for the Bergen County tournament.

15. Tenafly (4-2-2) — Last week: 15
What they’ve done: Tenafly flirted with exiting the rankings this week, but its 3-2 win over Fair Lawn in the consolation game of the Montclair Invitational kept them in the Top 15. Prior to that, the Tigers tied Montclair, 2-2, and fell to Lakeland, 6-2. In the win over Fair Lawn, Jason Vanderlinden struck for two goals while Jake Bernstein added one. Eric L’Heureux supplied a pair of assists and goalie Kyle Picinic made 14 saves for the win.
What’s ahead: Outdoor hockey at 7 p.m. on Sunday vs. Glen Rock at the Englewood Field Club (assuming Tenafly’s Friday game against Verona/Glen Ridge is postponed). After that, it’s Northern Highlands and Paramus next week.

On the verge…
DePaul (3-5): Would have made it with a better showing against Wayne Hills (an 11-1 loss) after that upset win over Paramus Catholic.
Pequannock (5-3): Very close. One more good week at the Panthers are in. Won’t be easy though with West Morris Mendham, Park Regional and Morris Knolls up next.

Biggest jump: Wayne Hills (No. 7 to No. 5)
Biggest drop: Mahwah (T-9 to 11)
Team to keep an eye on: No. 13 Indian Hills
Newcomers: None
Dropped out: None