Verney expects to succeed in White Division
By: John Beisser
The Hillsborough High ice hockey program enters its second year of varsity status and the Raiders open the 2006-07 campaign with a home game vs. Cranford on Friday at Aspen Ice Arena in Flemington. Face-off is set for 6:00 p.m.
While a host of talented veterans return, there are two major firsts associated with the program. Head coach Pat Verney is in his first season at the helm, having taken over for Jeff Kampf and the Raiders are stepping up in class as Hillsborough will compete in the White Division of the New Jersey Ice Hockey League (NJIHL).
A year ago, Hillsborough ran roughshod through a plethora of out-classed teams in the NJIHL’s Blue Division en route to a 23-4 record, a second-place finish in the Somerset County Tournament and an appearance in the second round of the NJSIAA Tournament. Another big season this year could see the Raiders step up next season to the ultra-competitive Red Division, which is the highest skill level division.
Verney certainly brings a wealth of ice hockey experience to this position. Currently a substitute teacher in the Hillsborough district, Verney is a 1999 graduate of Hudson Catholic High School where he was regarded as one of the top ice hockey players in New Jersey high school history. How dominant an offensive force was Verney in his career? Some seven years after his graduation, the 301 career points he attained on the strength of 117 goals and 184 assists still rank fifth on the New Jersey all-time scoring list.
At Hudson Catholic, Verney played under one of the most successful ice hockey coaches in New Jersey history, Cory Robinson. A long-time, highly-successful coach at Hudson Catholic, Robinson took over as head coach at Fair Lawn High School following Verney’s graduation. A 2004 Rutgers University graduate, Verney entered the coaching profession while an undergraduate at Rutgers, where he spent five seasons (2002-2006) as an assistant under his former mentor, Robinson, at Fair Lawn .
Clearly, Verney has the necessary pedigree to lead the Hillsborough ice hockey program.
"I’m excited," Verney said. "The administration here in Hillsborough is great and there is a lot of excellent ice hockey played throughout Somerset County. There are a lot of good travel squads in the area and our team has a lot of talented, experienced players. Now, if we can combine coaching to that talent and get them to play like a team, I really believe the sky is the limit for this program."
Last Friday night, Verney found himself in a somewhat awkward spot as Hillsborough faced off against Fair Lawn in a tightly-contested scrimmage that resulted in a 3-3 tie.
"That was an interesting dynamic," Verney said. "I’m hugging my former Fair Lawn players as they’re coming into the arena. It was a very emotional night for me. I’m happy with how our players competed but it was an awkward night for me. There were just too many factors involved."
In the few weeks Verney has had to coach the Raiders, he has come away extremely impressed in all areas.
"The talent is obvious but they have also proven to be a very coachable team," he said. "Last year, competing in the Blue Division, didn’t really help them. They just over-matched so many of their opponents that it was really counter-productive. This year will be much more competitive in the White Division and that will be a god thing for our program."
Space does not allow mention of all of the players on Hillsborough’s talent-rich roster but it is obvious Verney will have plenty of tools to work with this season. Offensively, things start with the 1-2 punch of senior forwards Matt Janos, one of the top 10 leading scorers in the state a year ago, and Michael Lysyj, a strong and versatile performer.
"Matt is a very fluid skater, has terrific puck-handling ability and offensive touch around the net," Verney said. "He’s a playmaker and someone we are counting very heavily on. Michael is another very talented impact player. He has good size and offers a physical presence who is also one of the premier offensive forwards in the state."
Up front, Verney is also counting heavily senior forward Alex Merry as well as junior forwards Corey DeFranco and Joe Kubrak. Hillsborough’s top defenseman is senior Eric Psihoules, who suffered a shoulder injury two weeks ago that is expected to sideline him at least another couple of weeks. Sophomore defenseman John Cohn has been impressive in the early going.
In goal, the Raiders return a good one in junior Eric Visnovsky.
"Eric is a big kid who covers the net very well," Verney said. "He plays the angles very well and came up with some big saves vs. Fair Lawn."
Hillsborough was scheduled to travel to the Princeton Day School for a scrimmage yesterday (Wednesday) in a final tune-up before the opener vs. Cranford on Friday. On Saturday, the Raiders will travel to Montclair Kimberly Academy for a 6:45 p.m. tilt before returning home to meet Westfield on Monday at 4:45 p.m.
"I understand Cranford has goaltending and plays a slow-down defensive-type of system and I know Montclair-Kimberly is one of the premier teams around," Verney said. "I told the kids every team we play will be extremely well-coached so we have to ready every time out."

