MCT to get underway with quarterfinal matchups
There are a couple very familiar matchups set for the quarterfinal round of the Mercer County Ice Hockey Tournament that gets underway on Tuesday.
No. 4 seeded Hopewell Valley/Montgomery and No. 5 Hamilton Tri-op will open the tournament at 4 p.m. at the Mercer County Skating Center, which will be the site for the entire tourney.
Then at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, two longtime Colonial Valley Conference rivals No. 1 Robbinsville/Allentown and Notre Dame will face off.
Here is a look at Tuesday’s games.
NO. 5 HAMILTON TRI-OP (106-2) VS NO. 4 HOPEWELL VALLEY/ MONTGOMERY (9-9-1)
What makes this an interesting game is these two just played each other on Saturday and the Hamilton crew came away with a 1-3 win.
Hamilton has 10 wins and that is the most by a township school since Steinert won eight games back in 2013-14. Hamilton has won 7-of-9.
But, it’s no fun playing team in four days.
“It’s a double-edged sword,’’ said Hamilton coach John Patterson. “We’ve played twice this season and both games were nail biters. On one hand, my guys should feel confident knowing we can play with a team as good as Hopewell. On the other hand, they know pretty well what we bring so there’s not going to be a lot of surprises on Tuesday.’’
If there’s a surprise, it’s that Hopewell Valley/Montgomery has lost 5-of-6.
“It’s tough to win if you can’t score,’’ said HVM coach Jeff Radice. “So, we will be looking to improve on cashing in our opportunities. We have to find a way to produce more offense, while remaining accountable in the defensive end as well.’’
Hamilton has some significant wins this season and would like to make some noise in the MCT’s.
“We’re playing with some confidence and I’m looking forward to the playoffs,’’ said Patterson. “But there are always things to work on and we talk about those things constantly with the guys. There’s always something you could do a little bit better.’’
Hopewell Valley/Montgomery will be looking to take this ice with a very short memory.
“We know we are in for a battle,’’ said Radice. “The result of Saturday’s game means nothing, clean slate on Tuesday.’’
While HVM will be looking for a fresh start, Hamilton will be looking for more of the same.
“We have to keep playing with the same intensity we had Saturday night,’’ said Patterson. “They are wellcoached and I know they are going to be ready to play. We have to be disciplined, make good decisions with the puck and capitalize on our scoring opportunities.’’
It should be a tight one and goalie play could be the key.
(10-6-2)
The last 10 meetings of these two legendary programs has the Irish holding a 6-3-1, and every year it’s one of the most intense rivalries in the county.
Robbinsville/Allentown has been the most dominant team in the CVC this season going 9-1 in the conference. Ironically the one loss was to the Irish.
Always tough meeting for a third time in a season.
“It closes the gaps between the teams each time you play them,’’ said Robbinsville/Allentown coach Dan Bergan. “No matter what the records every year it’s still Notre Dame vs Robbinsville-Allentown and that’s a lot of fun.’’
Fun, exciting and always intense best describes the
time these two are on the ice.
“Robbinsville is a very good balanced team that can throw waves of good players at you,’’ ND coach Mike McVey. “We need to play a disciplined game and not give them anything easy. Again, we will rely on our goaltending to put us into a position to win.’’
Both teams possess solid goaltending. R/A had Zander Wiley, who has been a real workhorse for them. The Irish have Cole Werthman, Michael Busa, Griffin Schaefer and Nathan Mayer who have played well between the pipes.
“Their high end talent. (Cole) Werthman and (Gavin) Frith can turn a game upside down,’’ said Bergan. Then again, so can
Zander Wiley, the Core 4, JP Sferra and others so it should be epic.’’
Robbinsville/Allentown’s Core 4 are defensemen: Raymond Corneau, Brendan Goddeyne, Colin Rubin and Jack Morgan, and they have withstood just about every challenge.
Both teams have lost key players to injuries and it has been difficult for both teams at times.
ND was 1-11-1 but has won the last two games and looks to be playing with more confidence.
“I’m very happy how some of the guys have stepped up,’’ said McVey. “There’s a handful of players that probably wouldn’t have seen much ice this season that are now playing a regular shift. I think the nerves are settling and they are just playing hockey. This will be a big help for us when we head into next year healthy.’’
Bergan knows the Irish are getting better.
“They key for us will be to play lock down defense and capitalize on offense when we can,’’ Bergan said. “We still have some firepower, no doubt.’’
These games have a few fireworks, too.
By the Numbers
Goals: Charlie Luizza (R/A) 17, JP Sferra (R/A) 13, Gavin Frith (ND) 8, Mike Kuzma (ND) 6
Assists: Sferra (R/A) 16, Zach Duggan (R/A) 15, Charlie Luizza (R/A) 14, Luke Gensinger (R/A) 14, Jaiden Gingras (R/A) 14, Chase D’Angelo (ND) 2, Mike Kuzma (ND) 2, Vincenzo Labianca (ND) 2, Severio Sugerek (ND), 2
Saves: Zander Wiley (R/A) 442, Cole Werthman (ND), 185, Nathan Mayer (ND) 134