Pope John ice hockey slips into satisfactory season
SPARTA, N.J. — Recapping Pope John鈥檚 ice hockey team this past season, the Lions rebound from a rocky start to nearly a perfect finish earlier this year.
The team had begun the season 0-3 in December 2022, but by the end of January, the Lions held a 10-7-1 record and were ready to enter the final month of the regular season.
From the two big divisional wins over the Saint Joe麓s (Montvale) Green Knights to nearly tying the game against a top 3 state ranked opponent in the Delbarton Green Wave, the Lions were ready to make a final statement with less than five games to play before the playoffs begin.
Starting 2023 with a 2-1 loss to the Morristown-Beard Crimson was a tough thing to handle for the Lions, but it didn’t deter the team from its goal for the month of January: To head into February with a winning record.
篓We struggled early in the month with getting traffic in front of the net and getting rebounds on chances that we should have capitalized on,篓 said Lions Head Coach Ryan Brown. 篓We have a great defense this season; they can move the puck, control the pace of the game, and calm us down when it is needed. We麓re playing well right now, and I know it will continue if we play the way we want to and not let our opponents control the games ahead.篓
A big 3-1 win over the Saint Peter麓s Prep Marauders and a near tie to a top ranked Green Wave gave them the confidence to continue to win. The 9-1 win over the Oratory Rams was just the beginning of what was to come for a great month of January. Junior Henry Lee and his fellow JV teammates were able to show what they can do in this game as they will be the future of the program.
篓It麓s a great way to show what we can do, but also to gain experience for when we lose the seniors next season,篓 said Lee. 篓We want to continue what they have built for the program.篓
There was one problem and that came on January 11. After all the success the Lions were having, it seemed like no one could stop them in their division, but that changed when the Saint Augustine Prep Hermits came to Skylands Ice World. It was that 4-2 defeat to the Hermits that would erase any hope of winning the National division of the Gordon League. However, the Lions didn鈥檛 let that loss stop them from going on a three-game streak without losing.
篓We had to adjust a couple things during January that gave guys who hadn鈥檛 seen much playing time this season the time to prove themselves, which they did,篓 said Senior Gavin O麓Hara. 篓We have good chemistry, especially off the ice, which is very important to a team’s success.鈥�
Both the January 15 and January 23 wins over the Green Knights helped the Lions secure second place in the National as they entered February. The Lions ended January with a 2-0 shutout win over the Hunterdon Central Red Devils, achieving their goal with a record of 10-7-1 to enter February.
Senior Nate Meola led the Lions in 16 assists and 21 points as of January 31. Junior Robbie Myshkoff led the Lions with nine goals and senior Tyler Paluzzi held a .878 save percentage with one shutout in 16 games played. These three players were the leaders, statistically, for the team, but everyone stepped up and played a big role to help the team achieve their goal from the start of 2023, explained Meola.
篓The two big wins against Seton Hall Prep [the Pirates] were really big in getting us back on track before 2023 started, and we used that momentum in January,篓 said Meola. 篓We were short on the bench when we faced St. Joe麓s (Montvale) [the Green Knights], but the boys fought for the win, so it proved that this season is about the team effort, not about individual effort.篓
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