High school ice hockey in New Jersey
Ice Hockey is currently played by approximately 161 high school varsity teams in NJ. Teams are divided into conferences: the Gordon Conference, Big North Conference, New Jersey Ice Hockey League, Morris County Secondary School Ice Hockey League, Union County Ice Hockey League, Skylands Conference, Greater Middlesex Conference, Colonial Valley Conference, Shore Conference, Independents, and Prep Schools. Most of these leagues are divided into divisions. A State Championship Tournament is organized at the end of the season by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.[1]
Divisions
Hockey is one of the few sports in the state with "rolling divisions". The divisions can change every year depending on the performance of the teams and new teams formed. The divisions are arranged by geography and skill level. Typically, the last place team in a higher division will be moved into the lower division, with the first place team of the lower division moving into the higher division.
Gordon Conference
- American Division
- National Division
Big North Conference
- Gold Division
- Green Division
- Silver Division
- White Division
New Jersey Ice Hockey League
- Northern Division
- Western Division
Morris County Secondary School Ice Hockey League
- Mennen Division
- Halvorsen Division
- Haas/Charette Division
Union County Ice Hockey League
(no divisions)
Skyland Conference
(no divisions)
Greater Middlesex Conference
(no divisions)
Colonial Valley Conference
- Colonial Division
- Valley Division
Shore Conference
- Shore A North
- Shore A Central
- Shore A South
- Shore B North
Independents
(no divisions)
Independence League (prep)
(no divisions)
source.[2]
State Tournament
The NJSIAA crowns state champions in three categories; Private, Public A, and Public B. Through 1994, public and private schools played in one state tournament; however, private schools dominated the tournament due to their ability to recruit the best players in the state without geographical limitation. Beginning in 1995, the NJSIAA held separate private and public tournaments, crowning a private and public champion, with these champions playing each other for the overall state championship. In 2005, the NJSIAA eliminated the overall state championship game because a public school had won only once, in 1997. Similarly, in 2008, the Public Tournament was divided into A and B categories based on school enrollment as the smaller schools generally were unable to compete with the larger schools. http://www.njhockey.org/
To qualify for the State Tournament, teams must have played a minimum of 10 games and compiled a record of .500 or better record by a date set by the NJSIAA, usually around February 15. Teams within four games of .500 may petition for an at-large selection to the Tournament. The NJSIAA may select a maximum of 3 public and 2 private teams for an at-large birth. All members of the Gordon Conference earn automatic entry to the Private Tournament. http://www.njsiaa.org/SPORTS/Icehockey.aspx
In recent years, Delbarton and Randolph have been the dominant private and public hockey programs in the state. Delbarton has appeared in 13 of the last 19 Private School Championships, winning 8 of the last 12; while Randolph has appeared in 11 of the last 15 Public A Championships (8 of the last 9), winning 7 of the last 11. Coincidentally, these two schools are located just seven miles apart in Morris County. http://www.njhockey.org/
State Championship History
State Championship Finals 1976-Brick 3, Chatham Township 2 (OT) 1977-Brick 3, Livingston 2 1978-West Essex 6, Livingston 3 1979-Brick 2, Seton Hall Prep 1 1980-Livingston 1, Brick 0 (OT) 1981-Montclair 6, Brick 5 1982-Livingston 4, Montclair 2 1983-CBA 3, Seton Hall Prep 0 1984-St. Joseph (Montvale) 7, Brick 6 1985-St. Joseph (Montvale) 4, Brick 2 1986-Brick 2, Delbarton 1 1987-Montclair 4, Delbarton 2 1988-Montclair 2, St. Joseph (Montvale) 1 1989-Delbarton, St. Joseph (Montvale) - Game Cancelled/Co-Champions See Frozen Flashback 1990-Brick 2, Montclair 1 1991-ST. JOSEPH (Montvale) 3, Delbarton 2 (OT) 1992-Delbarton 3, St. Joseph (Montvale) 2 (OT) 1993-Toms River North 6, Delbarton 2 1994-CBA 6, Don Bosco Prep 1 1995-CBA 4, Montclair 1 1996-CBA 5, Brick 0 1997-Brick 4, Seton Hall Prep 0 1998-Seton Hall Prep 3, Brick 2 1999-Seton Hall Prep 3, Brick 1 2000-Hudson Catholic 4, Bayonne 2 2001-Bergen Catholic 8, Clifton 1 2002-Delbarton 1, Brick 0 2003-Bergen Catholic 6, Randolph 4 2004-Seton Hall Prep 8, West Essex 0
Public Finals
1995-Montclair 2, Chatham 1 (OT) 1996-Brick Township 5, Chatham 4 1997-Brick Township 2, Brick Memorial 1 (OT) 1998-Brick Township 2, Montclair 1 1999-Brick Township 5, Randolph 1 2000-Bayonne 6, Summit 3 2001-Clifton 2, Bayonne 1 2002-Brick Township 5, Randolph 1 2003-Randolph 7, Brick Memorial 0 2004-West Essex 0, Ridge 1 2005-Morris Knolls 4, Randolph 1 2006-Randolph 2, Montgomery 1 (OT) 2007-Randolph 5, Bridgewater-Raritan 4 (OT)
Public A
2008-Ridge 5, Watchung Hills 0 2009-Randolph 1, Ridge 0 2010-Toms River South 2, Randolph 1 2011-Randolph 1, Montgomery 0 2012-Randolph 3, Morristown 1 2013-Randolph 4, Bridgewater-Raritan 1
Public B
2008-Kinnelon 5, Jefferson 1 2009-Ramsey 2, Kinnelon 0 2010-West Essex 3, Hopewell Valley 0 2011-Chatham 7, Middletown South 3 2012-Summit 2, Tenafly 1 2013-Chatham 3, Morristown 0
2014-Morristown 1, Ramsey 0 2015-Middletown North 5, Ramsey 4
Private Finals
1995-CBA 5, Delbarton 0 1996-CBA 4, Seton Hall Prep 3 1997-Seton Hall Prep 4, Delbarton 2 1998-Seton Hall Prep 3, Delbarton 1 1999-Seton Hall Prep 1, Delbarton 0 (OT) 2000-Hudson Catholic 2, Seton Hall Prep 1 2001-Bergen Catholic 3, Christian Brothers 2 2002-Delbarton 2, Seton Hall Prep 1 2003-Bergen Catholic 2, Seton Hall Prep 1 2004-Seton Hall Prep 3, St. Peter's Prep 1 2005-CBA 2, Delbarton 1 (OT) 2006-Delbarton 3, Seton Hall Prep 1 2007-St. Augustine Prep 3, St. Peter's Prep 1 2008-Delbarton 5, St. Augustine Prep 1 2009-Delbarton 7, Christian Brothers 0 2010-Delbarton 7, Gloucester Catholic 2 2011-Delbarton 3, St. Augustine Prep 2 (OT) 2012-Delbarton 3, Christian Brothers 2 2013-Delbarton 4, Don Bosco 0 2014-Christian Brothers 4, Morristown-Beard 4 (Co-Champions) 2015-Christian Brothers 4, Delbarton 3 (OT)
| 1-Jim Dowd, Brick (1987) | 375 | 189 | 186 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Pat Slocum, Cranford (1996) | 316 | 190 | 126 |
| 3-Chris Bellino, Verona (1993) | 315 | 203 | 112 |
| 4-Pat Verney, Hudson Catholic (1999) | 301 | 117 | 184 |
| 5-Adam Shemansky, Notre Dame (2007) | 278 | 137 | 141 |
| 6-Brett Conrads, Newton (2014) | 277 | 171 | 106 |
| 7-Dave Barbossa, Hudson Catholic (1987) | 276 | 155 | 121 |
| 8-Phil Infusino, West Essex (1990) | 273 | 166 | 107 |
| 9-Bryan Bowser, Notre Dame (1997) | 273 | 139 | 134 |
| 10-Dale Scherholz, Hightstown (2000) | 271 | 153 | 118 |
| 11-Bobby Acropolis, Brick (2000) | 265 | 131 | 134 |
| 12-Chris Ohlweiler, Chatham Township (1983) | 258 | 124 | 134 |
| 13-John Demers, Notre Dame (1989) | 257 | 179 | 78 |
| 14-Andrew Redvanly, Pascack Valley (2004) | 256 | 156 | 100 |
| 15-Pat DiMarco, TRN (2) & Peddie (1990-4th year) | 256 | n/a | n/a |
| 16-Andy McLaughlin, Seton Hall Prep (1988) | 248 | 113 | 135 |
| 17-Dale Reinhardt, Delbarton (2004) | 246 | 119 | 127 |
| 18-Derek Maguire, Delbarton (1990) | 242 | 110 | 132 |
| 19-Dave Bodson, Bayonne (2000) | 241 | 114 | 127 |
| 19-Elie Klein, Watchung Hills (2007) | 241 | 129 | 112 |
| 21-Dave Infantino, St. Joseph Regional (1989) | 238 | 118 | 120 |
| 21-Mike Kronfeld, Tenafly (2006) | 238 | 114 | 124 |
| 23-Charlie Mule', TRE (2014) | 237 | 137 | 100 |
| 23-Ryan Enrico, St. Peter's Prep (1998) | 237 | 141 | 96 |
| 25-Derek Scheuer, Paramus Catholic (2000) | 236 | 102 | 134 |
Scoring Champions
| Year | Name, School | Points | Goals | Assists | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | John Hanifin, Don Bosco Prep | 98 | 62 | 36 | |
| 1980 | Ed Towers, Morristown Beard | 98 | 53 | 45 | |
| 1981 | Don Julich, Livingston | 89 | 44 | 45 | |
| 1982 | Don Julich, Livingston | 91 | 40 | 51 | |
| 1983 | Chris Ohlweiler, Chatham Township | 88 | 30 | 58 | |
| 1984 | Bruno Bisiacchi, Hudson Catholic | 111 | 66 | 45 | |
| 1985 | Jim Dowd, Brick | 113 | 58 | 55 | |
| 1986 | Jim Dowd, Brick | 98 | 47 | 51 | |
| 1987 | Jim Dowd, Brick | 115 | 62 | 53 | |
| 1988 | Jeff Ohlweiler, Chatham | 112 | 67 | 45 | |
| 1989 | Ken Blum, St. Joseph Montvale | 109 | 50 | 59 | |
| 1990 | Casey Kutner, Dwight-Englewood | 90 | 55 | 35 | |
| 1991 | Casey Kutner, Dwight-Englewood | 119 | 75 | 44 | |
| 1992 | Casey Kutner, Dwight-Englewood | 110 | 64 | 46 | |
| 1993 | Paul Giblin, Bergen Catholic | 116 | 76 | 40 | |
| 1994 | Brian Martin, Roxbury | 84 | 42 | 42 | |
| 1995 | J.J. Picinic, Bergen Catholic | 104 | 59 | 45 | |
| 1996 | Pat Slocum, Cranford | 115 | 67 | 48 | |
| 1997 | Dave McKenna, Bayonne | 81 | 36 | 45 | |
| 1998 | Adam Dilly, Mendham | 102 | 70 | 32 | |
| 1999 | Dave Bodson, Bayonne | 99 | 40 | 59 | |
| 2000 | Tyler Reinhardt, Livingston | 111 | 52 | 59 | |
| 2001 | Tyler Reinhardt, Livingston | 96 | 51 | 45 | |
| 2002 | Adam Tousant, Hightstown | 82 | 49 | 33 | |
| 2003 | Andrew Redvanly, Pascack Valley/ Matt Feinbloom, Montville | 92 | 49 | 43 | |
| 2004 | Jacob Simon, West Orange | 84 | 30 | 54 | |
| 2005 | J.T. Baxter, Morris Knolls | 89 | 47 | 42 | |
| 2006 | Anthony Yelovich, Clifton | 99 | 52 | 47 | |
| 2007 | Dean Combos, Jefferson | 95 | 51 | 44 | |
| 2013 | Grant Jozefek, Mendham | 103 | 51 | 52 |
References
External links
- New Jersey High School Hockey
- New Jersey Scholastic Hockey Online
- New Jersey High School Ice Hockey Hall of Fame
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