As the heart of the winter sports season approaches, the High School North and High School South rivalry is just starting to heat up on the ice. The two hockey teams played down to the wire on January 16, but it was North who edged out South 7-5 in the game’s final seconds.
But the Fourth Annual David Bachner Memorial Game on January 12, in which the two teams played to a 3-3 tie, might be even more emblematic of their seasons.
Jason Kessler, Matt Strober, and Charles Singerhouse all scored for the Knights. Chris Clancey scored twice for South, while Adam Deslatte followed with one. North opened up the scoring in the first period and ended it in the third, but most of the game was up and down for both teams.
That seems to be the way the season has played out so far for both the Knights and the Pirates. North opened the season with three straight victories over Nottingham, Lawrence, and Steinert, but it has been a roller coaster from there.
The three-game streak was snapped in a big way after a 10-0 loss to Notre Dame on December 13. North rebounded, though, with a South Brunswick tie the following day and decisive victories over Princeton and Paul VI the next week. The squad played to alternating wins and losses until the January 12 game against South. The Knights currently sit at 9-4-2.
Part of North’s success can be attributed to the senior sextet of Strober, Kessler, Scott Abrams, Liam Corbett, Mailk Harris, and goalkeeper David Zohn. Strober leads the team in goals, assists, and total points with 15, 7, and 22, respectively. Kessler follows Strober with 10 goals, five assists, and 15 total points. Zohn has 89 saves.
The team’s underclassmen, though, have proven to be just as vital in keeping the Knights afloat. Garrett Weinberg, Alex Richman, Sam Engel, Eddie Accetta, and Charles Singerhouse are all consistent contributors who seem to be more than ready to fill the shoes of the graduating seniors come next season. Sophomore Greg Olsson is also making a name for himself with 11 total points.
At 8-6-1 this time last year, North was in a position to either finish strong or fall below .500. The team ended up at 10-11-1. The Knights are in a similar position this season. With a solid lineup and games against equal opponents, they have the chance to reach a different finish.
South has also had a roller coaster of a season. After an opening-day loss to Steinert on December 3, the Pirates cruised to three straight wins over Hightstown, Hamilton West, and Paul VI. A string of losses followed, though, leading up to the tie with North. South sits at 4-6-1.
In terms of age, this year’s Pirate team is fairly different from last year’s. South graduated several seniors, including Jon Plester, Joe Cangelosi, Alex Mangone, Carlos Alvarez, and Kyle Inverso. Only four are on the current roster. The squad is primarily made up of sophomores and juniors.
South’s youth, though, does not seem to be a problem. While seniors Karl Stafford, Chris Clancey, Mike Morabito, and Chris Colacello have used their experience to anchor the team, younger standouts like Andrew Holubec, Brian Tso, Matthew Sayde, Jonathan Matthews, and Adam Deslatte have proven to be key. Tso and Matthews lead the team in points, while Holubec has been a presence as goalie, sharing duties with Stafford.
South has seven games remaining. The team has yet to play Hopewell Valley, Lawrence, Pennsbury, Princeton, Tenafly, Hamilton West, and Notre Dame. It has a solid chance to finish what can be considered a rebuilding season over .500 and ultimately best last season’s 7-11-2 record. Each team’s next game is on Wednesday, January 23. North goes up against Robbinsville, while South will play Hopewell Valley.
