By: Ken Weingartner
The South Brunswick High ice hockey season has been anything but a walk in the park so far.
Maybe that’s why coach Mark Kmiec spent part of the holiday break running through a park.
In this case, the park was Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and the distance was 26.2 miles.
Kmiec was among 9,000 people to participate on Jan. 9 in the 12th annual Walt Disney World Marathon. Kmiec, 31, finished in 754th place with a time of three hours, 52 minutes. He was 18th among all runners from New Jersey. Adriano Bastos of Brazil won the race in 2:19:16.
"It was a little off my goal; I was hoping to run it in 3:30," Kmiec said. "It was unseasonably warm. It was supposed to be 40 degrees at the start of the race - it started at 6 in the morning and 60 at the finish. It ended up being 60 at the start and 80 at the finish. I wasn’t quite ready for that."
The race took runners through the Disney World complex. It was Kmiec’s second career marathon; he ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C., in 4:13 in 1997. This fall, Kmiec is planning to participate in a half-triathlon. The event consists of a mile-and-a-quarter swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13-mile run.
"I took 20 minutes off my previous marathon time, so that was pretty good," Kmiec said. "I did a lot of training and I run an 18-mile race on Long Beach Island every fall. I do a lot of running and biking, outdoors things. It helps keep me sane. It’s a great motivator. The kids were really interested in how I did."
Unfortunately, the Vikings’ struggles on the ice continued last week. South Brunswick (1-7-1) lost 8-5 to Toms River North and 9-2 to undefeated Notre Dame.
The Vikes have gone 0-3 since returning from the holiday break, although the three losses came against teams with a combined 30-3-1 record. South Brunswick was without its top returning scorer, Mike Bowser, for most of the Toms River North game and the entire ND contest because of a concussion.
"We’re still trying to stay positive," Kmiec said. "We have a lot of young guys who are still learning the ropes. They’re working hard, but we’re playing a lot of good teams and the injury bug isn’t helping our situation. It’s been a tough go.
"We’re trying to get better every game. We’re seeing some improvement, but we’re also making some of the same mistakes we’ve been making all year. We’ve got eight or nine games left; there’s still a long way to go. We’re a better team than our record indicates. We have some good leadership on the team, and it’s starting to shine through."
Kmiec said seniors Bowser, Pete Saragnese and Sean Sirois have stepped up in the leadership roles.
"I’ve seen a lot of maturity from some seniors," Kmiec said. "Bowser and Saragnese have started talking to guys and trying to help them. Sean Sirois has stepped up. He’s more of a quiet leader, but he works hard and gives guys good example to follow. There’s not a lot of dissention, which is good. The kids are trying to stay together. That’s a positive thing."
South Brunswick’s offense has shown life since the break, scoring 11 goals in its three games, but there still is room for improvement.
"We really need to work on our passing," Kmiec said. "That’s how we generate getting out of our zone, good passing, and we haven’t really done that. Our offense is starting to click more, but (passing) is another area that’s hurting us right now."
Kmiec said that despite the team’s record, younger players weren’t guaranteed seeing additional ice time as the Vikings prepare for the future. Of course, the veterans shouldn’t feel comfortable, either.
"Ice time is up for grabs," Kmiec said. "It doesn’t matter what year you are, if you’re working hard on the ice and understanding what we’re doing, you’re going to play. As far as priority ice time, there is none anymore. If you’re effective on the ice, you’re going to play.
"We’re hoping to get rolling. We want to start turning around the season as much as we can."
In other words, the Vikings need to follow their coach’s lead and get on a good run.

