When the first round pairings came out for the Bergen County Tournament, Tenafly had to feel pretty good with its draw. The Tigers were matched with Ridgewood, and even though the Maroons were a hot team of late, they were a member of the Big North Gold Division, one that is not very highly thought of.
Two goals 54 seconds apart early in the second period proved decisive for Tenafly (7-3-2) in a 3-1 win over Ridgewood (9-5). Their reward? A quarterfinal date with top-seed Don Bosco.
“Look, we’ll be there,â€Â Tenafly head coach Andy Escala said. “We have absolutely nothing to lose. We’re going up against one of the best teams in the state. We’ll look at this as a tremendous learning experience for our guys. They’re not likely to see a better team the rest of the season.â€
Of course, if freshman goaltender Kyle Picinic plays as well as he did against Ridgewood, what many believe will be a one-sided affair could get dicey. Picinic made 30 saves, allowing only a second period power play goal by Ryan Carius. By that time, Tenafly was already up 3-0, something of a surprise to some.
Those two goals in the second were important for a couple of reasons. Sure, it took a 1-0 game and made it 3-0, but what you saw was Tenafly take advantage of a team that was back on its heels.
Jason Vanderlinden got the first of the two with a quick double move and a shot into the top corner. That one was a deflater for Ridgewood, but it wasn’t a dagger until defenseman Daniel Jason let one rip and scored at 3:21 of the second. That was what good teams do, smack an opponent when it is reeling.
“Ridgewood is a good team and we needed to go out and beat a good team,†Escala said. “Now, we get Bosco. Let’s go. you never know.â€