Clearview ice hockey wins SJHSHL Tier I title for 1st time in over 2 decades
MULLICA HILL, N.J. — Clearview Varsity Ice Hockey won the Tier-1 South Jersey High School Hockey League Championship title for the first time since 2001. Although they were Tier-2 Champions in 2015, this is their first Tier-1 Championship win in 20 years.
It took talent. It took belief in themselves and each other. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. Most of all, it took heart.
鈥淭his team has had a very unique journey to the top,鈥� says Head Coach, Michael Wolk, Jr. 鈥淲e had a very limited roster this year, only playing with 12 players which includes a goalie. Typically an ice hockey team has at the very least 15聽plus聽a goalie, so needless to say these guys had to have their endurance and physical shape in top form the entire year.鈥�
When there were injuries and absences, they played with a mere seven. Wolk says that is unheard of in ice hockey. Despite these challenges, the team ended their regular season with a 13-1 record, outscoring opponents 101-36 and entering the playoffs as the #1 seed.
In the first round of playoffs, they were defeated by Shawnee. Since the league runs in a double elimination format, Clearview still had a fighting chance. But, it wouldn’t聽be easy. 鈥淚nstead of a path to the championship that would only be three games, this loss made our path six,鈥� Wolk says.聽鈥淭he last three years we lost the championship 鈥攖wice in overtime,鈥� he continues. 鈥淲e needed to remember what it felt like to be that close and not finish.鈥�
Wolk believes the first Shawnee loss was actually a blessing in disguise.聽鈥淲e really did some soul searching as a team. Our senior Captains of Connor Reagan, Mario Leone, and Vinnie Marco really stepped up here.鈥� He also praised Assistant Coach Mike Westerlund for sharing a story inspired by an old Navy slogan 鈥� Don鈥檛 Give Up the Ship. 鈥淎ny time we felt like we were lacking, we turned to that motto.鈥�
The team battled their way toward the finals, beating Cherokee, Washington Township, and Eastern before meeting Shawnee once again. To win, they had to defeat Shawnee not once, but聽twice.聽鈥淲e won our first game 3-0, and the final game 3-1, all behind some of the best goaltending I’ve ever seen from our senior goalie, Logan Graham,” Wolk says. “The two most important games of the year, in front of two sold out crowds, he let in only one goal. All of that on top of only allowing 36 goals in the regular season over a 14 game stretch.鈥�
Clearview finished their 2021-22 season with a record of 18-2.聽The top line of Mario Leone, Connor Reagan, and Nicholas Rockey carried the team with a combined total of 143 points in goals and assists during the regular season, plus 40 points in the playoffs. 鈥淏oth of these numbers are record shattering for our club. They were basically averaging four goals a game,鈥� says Wolk. 鈥淭o put this in perspective, the next top line from Eastern had a total of 84 points.鈥�
As with most area high schools, Clearview Ice Hockey is technically a聽club, not a school sanctioned sport.聽“Meaning, we do not play in the NJSIAA and are not technically run by the school. We just kind of use their name,” Wolk explains. “Quite honestly,聽you would never know that ice hockey wasn’t a school sanctioned sport. Our principal Keith Brook and athletic director Mike Vicente do everything they can to support us.”
That school pride shines through as the Clearview community celebrates theses boys, their coaches, and their聽 amazing victory. 鈥淎ll year other teams, parents, alumni, fans, league administrators were saying that we didn’t have enough guys to win or go far in the season,鈥� Wolk says. 鈥淚 kept telling these people, and the team, that while we only have 12 guys, it’s ‘The Proper Twelve.’ This is another little motto that we carried with us towards the end.”
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