No. 2 Ramsey shown here celebrating one of Alex Whelan’s three goals during the Rams’ 4-1 win over Wayne Hills last Friday night in a showdown of the Big North Green’s last two unbeaten teams. (MICHAEL KARAS/Staff Photographer)
The Bergen County tournament has arrived, with the opening round kicking off tonight at the Ice Vault in Wayne with a quadruple header. The schedule for tonight’s action is at the bottom of the page. Not too much change in the rankings since last week, a little shuffling here and there, but plenty of teams can start making significant moves — or falls — over the next week during the county tournaments. Plenty of teams are entering the tournament hot. You have the obvious teams like Ramsey and Glen Rock… and Don Bosco, despite the recent loss to Delbarton, is still the favorite. But others like Ridgewood, Indian Hills, Mahwah, St. Joseph and River Dell/Westwood are all coming in with momentum, setting up for some great tournament games. And what do we make of Paramus Catholic’s recent slump? The pressure is back on the Paladins as we enter the BCT, but last time they were faced with some adversity, PC knocked off Morris Knolls. And as I’ll get more into this below, but Bergen Catholic remains a mystery team and highly unpredictable. It’s going to be a fun week. Keep in mind, in the opening round of the Bergen County tournament last year, all four underdogs upset the higher-seeded teams. Tonight that’s No. 9 River Dell/Westwood, No. 10 St. Joseph, No. 11 Tenafly and No. 12 Pascack Valley.
On to the rankings…Â
1. Don Bosco (5-2-1) — Last week: 1
The Ironmen only played one game since last week’s rankings, falling to Delbarton, 3-1 (with empty-netter), at the Ice Vault on Sunday night. The Ironmen’s lone scorer of the night, Greg Jandoli, promised Bosco would be back and was adamant that they would see the Green Wave three more times — meaning once more in the regular season and twice in the Gordon Cup and state tournaments — possibly in the state finals for the second straight year. It was a strange first meeting, with Bosco outplaying Delbarton in the first and third periods, but coach Greg Toskos wasn’t happy with the second-period performance where the Ironmen allowed 20 shots. There were a few turning points Sunday night. 1. The Ironmen struck first early in the second period, but immediately surrendered the game-tying goal 40 seconds later. 2. Don Bosco failed to capitalize on a pair of penalties in the third, even with a 5-on-3 for over a minute. And 3. Obviously allowing the go-ahead goal, which came just two minutes after failing to convert on the power play opportunity. There were a few other momentum-swinging plays… First, Hunter Garlasco had a great look at the net near the right post in the first but sent a shot wide left, and second, Chris Moreira had a pair of goals waived off (the first one was very, very close to counting), including one in the final minutes which would have tied the game. Bosco can beat Delbarton, but the Ironmen have to get better… and that’s pretty much what Jandoli said afterwards. I still think Bosco is the second best team in the state right now, slightly ahead of CBA (but they’ll be meeting in the Bronx in two weeks to decide for themselves). They’ll begin their quest to three-peat as Bergen County champion this Friday in the quarterfinals against a team to be determined.
2. Ramsey (13-1) — Last week: 2
It was the second goal of another eventual hat trick for Alex Whelan in Ramsey’s 4-1 win over rival Wayne Hills which exhibited the type of “chemistry†that is so often described by longtime teammates. Nick Botta gained possession near the top of the defensive zone with Whelan streaking ahead near center ice. Botta ripped one off the left boards and the puck arrived perfectly in-stride with Whelan, who proceeded to gain possession and dangle his way to the center of the offensive zone. Now alone with Hills goalie Peter Petrozza in a one-on-one, Whelan took care of the rest and found the back of the net. It was exactly the kind of play which makes the Rams so dangerous and so tough to beat. The Whelan-Botta-Connor DiTomaso line is so dynamic and capable of changing a game any time they take a shift. Even in the loss to Randolph this year, this line controlled possession when they were on the ice… they just didn’t score. Two nights after Ramsey’s big win over Wayne Hills to seize control of the Big North Green, Whelan figured he did enough scoring for the weekend and proceeded to dish out six assists in the Rams’ 8-2 win over DePaul. He’s now got 20 goals, 18 assists and is probably the favorite right now to repeat as North Jersey Player of the Year. And Tyler Harmon and Ryan Faulkner remain the top two goaltenders in terms of goals allowed average, both surrendering just 0.50 goals per game, while Harmon tops the area leaders in save percentage at 96.7%.
3. Glen Rock (13-1) — Last week: 3
Glen Rock is currently on a 10-game winning streak when no other team in North Jersey (that’s Bergen, Passaic and a bit of Morris, for all you out there on Twitter) aside from Ramsey has even reached double-digit wins yet. ‘Rock cruised to three more wins since our last rankings, outscoring its opponents, 29-3, against Robbinsville once and Old Tappan/Hasbrouck Heights twice. In their Jan. 11 win over Old Tappan, Matt Roy registered his 100th career point in the 13-3 win and now has 19 goals and a North Jersey-best 20 assists this season. His 39 points are also currently tied for most in North Jersey, but he’s not the only one lighting up the scoreboard for Glen Rock as Matt Jorgensen (26 points), Michael Buckel (26 points) and Jake Kinney (25 points) give ‘Rock a formidable quartet of playmakers. You just know they want a crack at Ramsey in a possible BCT semifinal showdown that would decide who the top public school team in North Jersey is. An interesting tidbit to point out on Glen Rock, since its 6-5 win over Roxbury on Dec. 26, Roxbury hasn’t lost — and that includes a 2-2 tie vs. Kinnelon and a 2-0 win over Morristown. They weren’t happy with their performance that night, but that win is looking better and better with each passing week.
4. Bergen Catholic (6-6) — Last week: 4
The strange and unpredictable Bergen Catholic season continued last week, though it played just once — suffering a 5-2 loss to St. Peter’s Prep. Though SPP is the Gordon National division leader and 7-4 this year, the loss was a bit of a letdown after the Crusaders earned their way into the Bergen County tournament with three big wins. Evan Wisocky (5 goals, 3 assists) and Kyle Marano (4 goals, 4 assists) lead BC with eight points each, while Joseph Brown has added a pair of goals and a team-best five assists. Brian Ayers, Tyler Antonucci and Zach Larsen all have four goals a piece, as BC continues having a balanced attack. Bergen Catholic will have to win one game in the Bergen County tournament (on Friday) to likely get its rematch with Don Bosco earlier than its already-scheduled regular season contest on Jan. 30.
5. Wayne Hills (9-3-1) — Last week: 6
For the record, I originally had Ridgewood in the No. 5 spot this week, but Wayne Hills’ 2-0 win over ‘Wood happened too recently ago (Dec. 27) to justify them moving ahead of the Pats. No one has really seemed to take control of the No. 5 spot in the rankings all year. The Pats went 1-1 since our last rankings — the loss to Ramsey, 4-1, the win against a red-hot West Milford team, 5-3, with a hat trick from Sean Coleman. Against Ramsey, they just had no answer for Alex Whelan (3 goals, 1 assist), but really, the backbreaker in that game was the goal allowed at the end of the second period to Jim Hunt. It was a shorthanded goal that gave the Rams a 3-1 lead heading into the final period — a huge momentum-swinging goal. Wayne Hills tried different things, like putting both offensive stars Danny Reidel (16 goals, 15 assists) and Peter Beckwermert (17 goals, 13 assists) together on the same line at times, but to no avail. If Wayne Hills wants to contend for the Green Cup later this season, the defense is an area that can improve. Against the three best teams the Patriots have faced this year (Morris Knolls, Kinnelon, Ramsey), they are allowing five goals per game — all losses. And then there’s that peculiar tie to Mahwah, 1-1, on Jan. 5, which has been detrimental to Wayne Hills regarding state rankings. They’ll now be turning their attention to defending their Passaic County title, where they are overwhelming favorites.
Ridgewood’s Ryan Carius shown here during the Maroons’ 1-0 win over Paramus Catholic last week.
6. Ridgewood (9-4) — Last week: 7
Ridgewood couldn’t have picked a better time to start playing its best hockey of the year, with the Bergen County tournament starting on Friday. If there are no upsets in the opening round, Ridgewood would see No. 3 Glen Rock in the quarterfinals — a rematch of a Dec. 1 contest won by Glen Rock, 4-1. Freshman J.P. Kelly scored the biggest goal of his young career last Wednesday night to propel ‘Wood to a 1-0 win over Big North Gold rival Paramus Catholic, 1-0, but it was really Ryan Carius who made the play with a beautiful backhanded pass toward the front of the net to give Kelly the opportunity. Here’s a video of it. Ridgewood took the momentum from that win over PC and rattled off two more wins this week over Passaic Valley and Paramus, upping its win streak to four. The Maroons are 8-3 in their last 11 with losses to Wayne Hills, Brick and Chatham — all by two goals. Alex Linton remains Ridgewood’s leading scorer with 10 goals and five assists, while Andrew Seiter has added seven goals and five assists. Goalie Mickey Legg is allowing 1.92 goal per game while stopping 91.6 percent of the shots he sees, including a game-saving stop to preserve the win over Paramus Catholic last week.
7. Kinnelon (4-7-1) — Last week: 5
Since upsetting Randolph, 1-0, on Jan. 4, Kinnelon is 1-1-1 — losing to West Morris Mendham, tying Roxbury and beating Sparta. The Colts remain highly unpredictable, but the talent is obviously there if they can skate with — and beat — Randolph. Hunter Ledwith is the team’s leading scorer with eight goals and six assists, but the Colts have only generated 29 goals in 12 games — seven of which came in a win over Wayne Hills. Sean Grant is second on the team in goals with five and Aaron Segnollo has nine points (4 goals, 5 assists).
8. Indian Hills (6-4-4) — Last week: 9
The unbeaten streak has reached eight straight (5-0-3), as Indian Hills continues to refuse to lose. In a contest featuring two of the hottest teams in North Jersey last Friday night against West Milford, the Braves tied the Highlanders, 1-1, getting their lone score from leading scorer Alex Linquito (14 goals, 4 assists). One night later, the Braves cruised to a 13-0 win over Wayne Valley, getting a hat trick from Linquito. Indian Hills currently has a trio of 18-point scorers, as Mike Mauer has 10 goals and eight assists and Kenny Wray has provided four goals and 14 assists. The playmaking point-scoring trio will take aim at St. Joseph in tonight’s Bergen County tournament opening round in probably the game I’m most looking forward to seeing. A win could earn them another crack at Ramsey in the quarterfinals. Remember how that first meeting went? If you’re too lazy to click, that was the game Indian Hills goalie Josh Welte stood on his head and made 51 saves on 52 shots, keeping Indian Hills in it ’til the end. Welte currently has a 91.5 save percentage while allowing just two goals per game. And in their eight-game unbeaten streak, the Braves are allowing just 1.62 goals per game.
9. Mahwah (7-4-3) — Last week: 10
The Thunderbirds are currently in that second-tier of Bergen County teams that are playing very well entering the Bergen County tournament, along with Indian Hills, St. Joseph and River Dell/Westwood (who they’ll see in tonight’s opening round). In their last seven games, the T-Birds are 4-1-2, including impressive ties over Wayne Hills and Indian Hills. Since our last rankings, Mahwah has beaten Wayne Valley, 6-1, and shut out Ramapo, 4-0. Mike Matos (10 goals, 9 assists) and Marty Kapoian continue carrying the offensive load in the absence of Tyler Gutierrez, while Zac Orton, Zac Toy, John DeMarco and Luc Roberts are all proving to be capable threats as well. Goalie John Kapoian is stopping 90% of the shots he sees while allowing 2.34 goals per game. Tonight’s BCT showdown with River Dell/Westwood is an interesting cross-division matchup between a middle-of-the-pack Big North Green team (Mahwah) against an upper-echelon Big North Gold squad (RD/WW).
10. Paramus Catholic (9-2-2) — Last week: 8
After a 7-0 start, Paramus Catholic is just 2-2-2 in its last six games and questions have arisen once again about its level of competition. The last six games are rather strange, too, including a shocking loss to DePaul, an upset win over Morris Knolls, two disappointing (to them) ties to River Dell/Westwood and Fair Lawn, and one big loss to Ridgewood, 1-0. Unlike some of the other middle of the pack teams in the Bergen County, the Paladins aren’t entering the tournament playing their best hockey… but a few wins over the next week could change the perception surrounding PC right now. With Matt Lepinski (18 goals), Brian D’Erario (11 goals, 18 assists), Kevin Booth (5 goals, 11 assists) and Derek Sabato (11 goals, 12 assists), the playmakers are there, but the Paladins have, at times, gone in offensive funks against higher-quality opponents. One of most consistent Paladins all year has been sophomore goalie John Pitera, who remains one of the top netminders in North Jersey with his 92.1 save percentage and 1.27 goals against average.
St. Joseph shown here prior to its game against Pascack Valley last Sunday. The Green Knights went on to win, 4-1.
11. St. Joseph (7-4-1) — Last week: 11
After an 0-3 start, St. Joseph has now won seven of its last nine (7-1-1) and probably deserves a bump in the rankings, but it’s that opening night 4-1 loss to Paramus Catholic which is currently keeping the Green Knights out of the Top 10. In their last nine games, SJR has been one of the top defensive teams in North Jersey, allowing just 10 goals in that time. There are some who believe St. Joseph got a bad draw in the county tournament (the No. 10 seed), but tonight it can make a statement when it squares off with No. 7 Indian Hills. They also aren’t the same team that started 0-3, as senior defenseman Steven Schapiro has made his return after a five-month battle with cancer. Since his return, the Green Knights are 3-0 with two wins over Pascack Valley and one over DePaul — and coach Larry Mahurter has called Schapiro his top defenseman on more than one occasion. Right behind Schapiro anchoring the defense has been goalie Phil Babb, who really is putting together a terrific season in net with a 1.36 goals against average and 92.8 save percentage. Leading the Green Knights offense has been Ryan Grieco (6 goals, 7 assists), Zach Teats (7 goals, 4 assists), Matthew McNamara (3 goals, 8 assists) and Stephen Coscia (4 goals, 5 assists). St. Joseph enters the BCT are a serious sleeper, but might run into Don Bosco if it pulls off an opening-round upset tonight.
12. River Dell/Westwood (8-2-3) — Last week: 12
The CardinalHawks just keep winning and now have an overall record nearly identical to Paramus Catholic… and better record in the Big North Gold at 8-0-2. Who saw that coming this preseason? Since picking up that big tie against PC on Jan. 5, River Dell/Westwood has rattled off two more wins over Hackensack and Bayonne and will now meet Mahwah tonight in the opening round of the Bergen County tournament in another possible statement game. Jason Conroy (8 goals, 7 assists), Brett Connon (8 goals, 6 assists), Rich Myers (7 goals, 2 assists), Greg Rassam (6 goals, 1 assist) and Jack Schaefer (1 goal, 8 assists) all are among River Dell/Westwood’s leading scorers and goalie Chris DeTitta, in his first year as full-time starting netminder, is allowing just two goals per game while stopping 90.5 percent of the shots he sees. A win over Mahwah tonight would be another big step in the right direction for the co-op program.
13. Ramapo (6-7-1) — Last week: 13
Mired in a four-game losing streak last week, Ramapo got back on track with a convincing 7-0 win over Lakeland, fueled by a four-goal performance from Jason Ruggiero and three assists from Sean Johnson. Ruggiero (15 goals, 10 assists) and Sean Soderlund (11 goals, 10 assists) continue to be the Raiders’ leading scorers. One night after its shutout win over the Lancers, Ramapo fell to Mahwah, 4-0, and after failing to qualify for the Bergen County tournament, Ramapo isn’t scheduled to play again until Jan. 24 when they meet rival Indian Hills in what will be a rematch of one of the best games I’ve seen all year played in front of 1,100 fans.
14. Lakeland (7-6) — Last week: 14
With an opportunity to make a move up the rankings, Lakeland was shutout against Ramapo, 7-0, last Friday night. The Lancers have yet to put together a streak — winning or losing — of more than three games all year. In his first year running the show, coach Nick Crouch has already equaled Lakeland’s win total (7) from last year and in what was possibly a Passaic County tournament semifinal preview last Saturday night, the Lancers handled DePaul, 7-3, getting a big-time three-goal, two-assist performance from Danny Mullin and a pair of goals from Corey Calendrillo. Mullin has 9 goals and 12 assists on the year, while teammate Nick Brown has found the net 12 times. The Lancers, the No. 2 seed in the upcoming PCT, will meet No. 7 Wayne Valley in the opening round on Friday.
15. Pequannock (8-5) — Last week: 15
Pequannock holds on to its spot in the Top 15 after going 2-1 since our last rankings, with that lone loss coming to Morris Knolls, 6-3. The Panthers are a tough team to evaluate, since 1. I haven’t seen them play, and 2. It seems they stumble any time they square off with higher-level of competition with losses to West Morris Central, West Morris Mendham (twice), Roxbury and Morris Knolls. They do have a pair of 19-goal scorers in Jake Tengi and Rocky Rovero, and the two have combined for 34 assists as well, with Tengi dishing out 20 helpers. To make a move in the ranks, though, Pequannock needs to start compiling some wins against tougher competition.
On the brink…
Tenafly (6-3-2): The Tigers will have an opportunity to rejoin the Top 15 with a win tonight over Ridgewood in the opening round of the Bergen County tournament. Tenafly is on a two-game win streak after wins over Northern Highlands and Paramus. Jake Bernstein (9 goals, 8 assists), Eric L’Heureux (6 goals, 11 assists) and Jason Vanderlinden (10 goals, 6 assists) are Tenafly’s three leading scorers.
West Milford (4-7-2): Don’t let the record fool you, the Highlanders will be a threat in the Passaic County tournament as a dangerous No. 4 seed. They just tied Indian Hills, 1-1, five days ago then played Wayne Hills two nights later and lost, 5-3, allowing an empty net goal to Danny Reidel with 1.8 seconds left. If goalie Ross Mantione is on his game, West Milford can make a run in the PCT, starting Friday night against Clifton. Joey Fenui leads the team in scoring with 13 goals and nine assists.
Fair Lawn (5-7-1): After a 2-7 start, the Cutters are 3-0-1 in their last four, and it’s that tie that may be the most impressive, coming against Paramus Catholic, 2-2, on Jan. 10. Mark Williams (17 goals, 15 assists) and Justin Ritter (15 goal, 10 assists) are both putting together strong offensive seasons.
TONIGHT’S BERGEN COUNTY TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
All games at the Ice Vault in Wayne
- (8) Mahwah vs. (9) River Dell/Westwood, 5:45 p.m.
- (5) Paramus Catholic vs. (12) Pascack Valley, 6:30 p.m.
- (7) Indian Hills vs. (10) St. Joseph, 7:45 p.m.
- (6) Ridgewood vs. (11) Tenafly, 8:30 p.m.