BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer
For ice hockey players like Anthony Zipfel of Brick Township High, there is no long summer vacation.
With school just a few weeks away, Zipfel finally is enjoying a breather before playing for the Mercer Chiefs of the AAA Atlantic Metro Division that starts after Labor Day. Zipfel, who starts his sophomore year next month, just finished playing as a defenseman for the Chiefs in a Junior League against players who are 3 and 4 years older.
"We did alright," he said. "We didn’t do that well, but we were playing against guys who are older and it’ll help us get ready for the [primary] season."
But the highlight of how Zipfel spent his summer vacation came back in late July when he played for a Mid-Atlantic Region team in the sophomore division that finished unbeaten in a Hockey Night in Boston showcase at the ICenter in Salem, N.H. Eight teams from Massachusetts and eight others from the Northeast region of the country competed.
Alex Gorden, Zipfel’s teammate at Brick Township entering his senior year, played on the Mid-Atlantic Region senior division team that just finished play over the weekend.
On the final day of his tournament on July 25, Zipfel played for the all-star game where his steady, reliable play in the six games played earned him a selection.
"It was fun. It was great," Zipfel said. "A few games in the beginning I didn’t play so well but after that I picked it up."
Certainly, playing with some of the best players in the region can give any player butterflies, but Zipfel met the challenge by playing on the last day in the all-star game.
"It shows me where I stand compared with other kids in the East Coast area. I feel pretty good. I held my own."
The 5-foot 11-inch, 190-pounder had to play for a spot on the Mid-Atlantic Region team back in late June by competing against 256 players from the New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut vicinity in six scrimmage games in Darien, Conn.
Zipfel kept his usual gritty, no-frills approach to games as an enforcer looking to break up other scoring threats.
"I always stay back. I’m not the scoring type," he said.
And when he made the team, the idea of being far away from home for a week did not faze him. He was selected in 2002 and 2003 for a Bantam team by Mission Express out of Plattsburgh, N.Y., to play in a series of weekend tournaments in the spring and summer in Canada — playing in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec and Ottawa.
"That was a great experience for him playing against kids who were talented but also were big. Most big kids in this country would be playing football," Zipfel’s dad, Ray, said. "But he still wants mainly to play for his school team. Win or lose, that’s something you never forget."
Brick Township last season struggled with only one victory as it was beset with injuries, and Anthony was a welcome addition as a freshman. He played primarily on the second and third lines, but late in the season was moved to a forward spot for a few games for the first time in his playing career. Anthony Zipfel is preparing to move back on defense for the Green Dragons when practices begin in November and feels he has benefited from another active summer.
"I think I definitely improved on conditioning," he said. "I’m faster and making better decisions."
For now, Zipfel is spending these days on dry land, conditioning — primarily running and some weight training — before playing for the Mercer Chiefs in games in New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut as well as his home state.