Boys Ice Hockey: Can’t-miss games for Dec. 9-14

MONDAY, DEC. 9

Pope John at Bergen Catholic, 3

Monday starts with a rematch of the second round, Non-Public tilt last season that Bergen Catholic held on late for a 3-2 win. Bergen Catholic couldn’t have asked for a better start to the new season in three games. The team opened the 2019-20 campaign with a massive 4-1 win against Delbarton. The Crusaders then went on to beat St. Peter’s Prep and St. Joseph (Met.) by a combined score of 12-1. Pope John is 0-1 after dropping the season opener against Notre Dame.

Christian Brothers at Gloucester Catholic, 3:30

Christian Brothers’ 2019-20 started on a very high note with an eye-opening 9-3 win against Manasquan and the team followed that with a 3-3 tie against St. Augustine. Gloucester Catholic, on the other hand, opened the season with a 4-1 loss to Delbarton but bounced back three days later with a 5-1 win against St. Joseph (Pa.). These two teams have split the last four meetings dating back to the 2016-17 season.

Delbarton at Don Bosco, 6:30

It’s not only a rematch of the 2019 Gordon Cup final but the Non-Public final as well. Don Bosco swept the season series from Delbarton last winter, winning all four meetings. So far, Don Bosco has yet to allow a goal en route to its 2-0 start. It scored a total of nine goals in the wins over Seton Hall Prep and St. Augustine. Delbarton fell in its season opener to Bergen Catholic and responded with a three-goal win against Gloucester Catholic.

TUESDAY, DEC. 10

Manasquan at St. John Vianney, 5:45

This will be the first meeting between these two since the 2015-16 season. Manasquan suffered a 9-3 loss in its first game against Christian Brothers. The group was right back on the ice the next day and took down Jackson Liberty, 9-4. St. John Vianney topped Middletown South 6-0 in the season opener before tying Hun 4-4 a few days later.

Middletown South at Middletown North, 7:30

Middletown South dove into the 2019-20 season with three games in a span of four days this past week. It dropped the first against St. John Vianney but won the last two against Pingry (4-1) and Jackson Memorial (4-2). Middletown North has appeared in just one game so far and that was a 3-1 loss against St. Rose. Middletown North has won the last three meetings between the two.

Chatham at Morris Knolls, 8

Chatham has played twice so far this season and has yet to put a game in either the win or loss column. Both games against Madison and Morristown ended in ties. Morris Knolls started its state-title defense with a 2-1 loss to Ramapo but a 6-1 victory against Morristown-Beard followed two days later. Both teams have split the last four meetings going back to the 2017-18 season.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 11

Don Bosco at Christian Brothers, 5

These two Gordon Conference foes are very familiar with each other. They meet twice a season and Don Bosco has won three of the last four matchups since late 2017. Connor Sedlak had a big season debut for the Ironmen with two goals and four assists. Evan Brown, Leighton Biesiadecki and Zach Wagnon have combined for seven goals through two games for Christian Brothers.

St. John Vianney at Randolph, 6

St. John Vianney has had quite a balance offensively through two games with seven different players lighting the lamp. Dom Troisi currently leads the group with four and Jeff Ricci has five assists. Randolph is off to a solid start with three wins in its first four games. The only loss so far is to Princeton Day but the wins have come over Vernon, Morristown-Beard and Mendham. JT Zangara has six goals already and freshman Zach Gallo has seven points.

Westfield at Glen Rock, 6:45

Westfield was shut out by Summit 2-0 in its first game of the season but responded with a 7-0 victory against Montclair Kimberley. This squad lost plenty of key pieces to graduation so a good start to the season will be key for Westfield. Glen Rock suffered a tough welcome into the McInnis Division with a 10-0 loss to Summit.

Southern at Howell-Matawan, 6:45

Southern has only played in one game so far and it was a strong one, a 6-0 win against Freehold Township. In all, six different players found the back of the net. Howell enters the week with a 1-1-2 record. The win came in the season opener against Old Bridge and the team tied Wall (2-2) and Roxbury (2-2) in its last two games. These two met once last season and played to a 2-2 tie.

THURSDAY, DEC. 12

Montclair at Montclair Kimberley, 3:45

Montclair has gone six days between games after topping West Essex, 2-1, to open the new season. Three days after a Monday tilt with Livingston it will match up with its rival in Montclair Kimberley. Montclair Kimberley is having a tough start with an 0-3 record and a goal differential of -22. These two went head-to-head twice in 2018-19 and Montclair took the last one 4-3 after the two tied in mid-January.

Bergen Catholic at St. Augustine, 4

Bergen Catholic’s offense has gotten quite a jolt with the addition of freshman Aram Minnetian, who has already netted eight goals through three games. Brendan McCaskey has been stout in goal with only two goals against on 51 shots. St. Augustine is 1-1-1 through three games and this matchup will be four days since a 3-0 loss to Don Bosco. St. Augustine is 2-1-1 in its last four games against Bergen Catholic.

Northern Highlands at St. Joseph (Mont.), 6:30

Northern Highlands collected its first victory of the season Sunday night 7-3 over Pascack. It had gone 0-1-2 in its first three with a loss to Paramus and ties against Suffern (N.Y.) and Lakeland. Aidan Connoly leads the team in points with seven and Jake Auerbach has a team-high three goals. St. Joseph (Mont.) downed Paul VI 9-0 in its first game and most recently tied Paramus 1-1 on Sunday.

FRIDAY, DEC. 13

Mendham at Monroe, 3:45

Both teams enter the week without a win and one could possibly land that in this matchup. Mendham tied Kinnelon 1-1 in its first game but then got dropped by Randolph 7-1 in the next. Monroe fell to St. Joseph (Met.) in its only game so far. It plays Colonia on Monday before meeting Mendham on Friday.

Rumson-Fair Haven at Toms River North, 4

These two teams dive into Monday with undefeated records. Rumson-Fair Haven blanked Ocean Township 9-0 in the season opener but has a tough test against Westfield on Monday. Toms River North has been a bit busier with wins against Lacey, Howell and Freehold Boro. The team’s goal differential sits at +16 in those wins.

Princeton at Paul VI, 4:30

Princeton’s 2019-20 campaign began on Dec. 4 with a 12-2 win against Lawrence. That’s the last game action it has seen but it has a tilt against West Windsor on Monday before this matchup. Paul VI has played in two drastically different games so far. It dominated in the season opener against Nottingham in a 6-1 win but was then dominated in a 9-0 loss to St. Joseph (Mont.).

Pingry at Hillsborough, 6:15

Pingry split its first two games, losing to Middletown South 4-1 and downing Hunterdon Central 4-1 this past Friday. Eric Bush has two goals so far and is tied for the team lead in points with Jared Kordonsky with four apiece. Hillsborough began its quest to return to Prudential Center with a 1-1 tie against Skyland Conference rival Ridge.

Wayne at Mahwah, 7

It hasn’t been the start Wayne has wanted. A loss to Ridgewood Sunday dropped the team’s record to 0-3 and the team won’t play during the week until this tilt on Friday. Mahwah, meanwhile just picked up its first win against Ramapo. The team is now 1-1-1 on the year with a tie against Indian Hills and a 6-3 loss to Ramsey.

Lakeland at Indian Hills, 8

This game will be Lakeland’s first in six days since a 1-1 tie against Northern Highlands. Before that, the team defeated Wayne and Ramapo by a combined score of 7-1. Ben Kopacki has had a hot start in goal with a .980 save percentage. Indian Hills blanked Jackson Memorial 6-0 on Sunday to pick up its first win. Ties against Ramsey (4-4), Mahwah (3-3) and West Milford (3-3) preceded that. Rory Maurer and Thomas Moskal have combined for eight goals and eight assists.

Ramapo at Ramsey, 9

Ramapo won its first three games out of the gate but has dropped the last two to Lakeland and Mahwah in the span of three days. The team is allowing 1.6 goals per game so far. Ramsey has won three in a row after a 4-4 tie against Indian Hills, scoring a total of 20 goals in the process. The team’s offense is averaging six goals per game.

SATURDAY, DEC. 14

Morristown-Beard at Madison, 8:15

Morristown-Beard heads into Monday in search of its first win after a 5-3 and 6-1 losses to Randolph and Morris Knolls respectively. The Crimson are a -7 in goal differential and two games early in the week can help the team build steam entering this game on Saturday. Madison tied Chatham 3-3 on opening weekend and earned a 3-0 win over Sparta on Saturday.

Ridge at Hunterdon Central, 9

Ridge came out flying in its first three games of the year, each coming over the span of four days. The Red Devils netted 28 goals and gave up just four. Things came back down to earth with a 1-1 tie against Hillsborough but Ridge is still undefeated. Hunterdon Central was looking for a better start than 0-2. The Red Devils have given up eight goals and have scored only two in the losses to Pingry and Watchung Hills. Both teams are 2-2-1 against each other in the past five meetings.

Brian Bobal may be reached at bbobal@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Brian on Twitter @BrianBobalHS. Like NJ.com High School Sports on Facebook.