Young Old Bridge squad still has shot at playoffs
Knights need a Rumson loss tomorrow night
to qualify
VERONICA YANKOWSKI Old Bridge’s Shannon Robinson waits for her chance to compete in the 3,200 at the Meet of Champions at Princeton University on Sunday. On the boys’ side, the Knights’ 4×400 relay team took second, while Dan Harding took sixth in the 3,200, Tim Paule took fifth in the 800, and Rich Lafergola took fourth in the 1,600. For the girls, Kim Henry took sixth in the 55 hurdles, and Stephanie Zottoli took sixth in the 1,600.
With the clock ticking down on its season, the Old Bridge High School ice hockey team is hoping that Rumson-Fair Haven will lose tomorrow evening so that the Knights can qualify for the New Jersey Interscholastic Ice Hockey League’s Southern Red Division playoffs.
The Knights have generally played better than their 5-8-7 record might indicate, but a five-game losing streak in the middle of the campaign cost Old Bridge a berth in the state tournament.
Tuesday’s 5-0 loss to Toms River East eliminated the Knights’ hopes of getting themselves into the tourney.
Following the losing streak, the Knights went out and tied four consecutive games: Brick Memorial, Rumson-Fair Haven, St. Peter’s and Toms River North. Of its seven ties, the Knights had the lead with less than 90 seconds to play in four of them.
"Our guys had a real tough stretch; we were struggling on the ice, and the flu went through the team," coach Drew Campbell said. "The kids tried to play through it, but it was a tough time for them."
Old Bridge is, however, a relatively young team that is still finding its way. Bright spots abounded for the Knights, particularly the emergence of freshman netminder Chris Padula, forward Tim Parker, who scored eight goals, and steady defenseman David Lee, both sophomores.
"We had a lot of growing pains," Campbell said. "We took untimely penalties and played inconsistently, yet that happens with young teams. Next year we’ll need to be much more disciplined, but our future is bright."
Juniors John and Joe Cona and Matt King will be among the Knights’ leaders next winter.
Joe Cona, a forward, came on late in the season and now has five goals and seven assists. John Cona and King, who suffered a separated shoulder in the Toms River East game, are reliable blueliners who can contribute to the offense.
In addition, sophomore forwards Eugene Picco and Chris DelPlato showed good two-way skills.
Old Bridge will lose several key senior leaders, including top scorer Nick Oritski, who has 13 goals, including a game-winner against Brick Memorial with 26 seconds remaining, and 12 assists.
Defenseman Evan Aronowitz played through a variety of nagging injuries while logging plenty of minutes as the Knights’ mainstay on the blue line. Hard-working forward Frank Petroc will also be missed.
"We still have a chance to get in the divisional playoffs, and I hope for the seniors’ sake that we do," Campbell said. "Hoping that another team loses is not the ideal way to get in, but if it happens, we’ll take it."
Meanwhile Old Bridge has two regular season matches remaining, tomorrow against St. Augustine, Richland, at home and Tuesday when Red Bank Catholic visits.