There were no regrets on the Howell High School ice hockey team after its extraordinary 2008-09 inaugural season came to an end. It had been more successful than any of the Rebels could have ever imagined when they first put their skates on for tryouts back in November.
“We knew we had come far and we were proud of each other,” said defenseman Kevin Gaskill, one of the Rebels’ captains, after the team’s 4-2 loss to Brick Memorial High School in the state tournament. “We set the standard high for all of the other teams to follow.”
Those standards are high indeed. The Rebels were the best of the five Freehold RegionalHigh School District’s first-year teams. They won the Shore Conference C Division title with a 7-0-1 mark. They also won the Shore Conference Dowd Cup with a thrilling 9-7 come-from-behind victory over Wall High School at a jam-packed Red Bank Armory.
Howell won its first state tournament game (4-2 over Hanover Park) before falling 4-2 to a veteran Brick Memorial team in the round of 16 in the NJSIAA Public A tournament. The Rebels were 19-4-1.
“Overall, it was a great season,” said Coach Bill Daley. “We played well up to the final game. One of the biggest accomplishments was playing as a team.”
Gaskill said the Rebels’ goals changed as the season went on.
“As a team, our goals all season were to make the Shore Conference and state tournaments,” he said. “Once we made the Shore Conference Tournament, we had a whole new goal: we wanted to win it. We kept raising that standard for inspiration. It kept us fighting and working hard.”
And the Rebels kept on winning; enough to qualify for the Shore Conference and state tournaments, which gave them the opportunity to add more laurels to their memorable first season, the biggest achievement being the Dowd Cup championship.
“It was very intense,” said Gaskill. “When you looked up, there were Howell fans everywhere. You could feel the intensity in the locker room. We said, ‘We’re not going to lose.’ ”
A four-goal outburst in the third period led to the 9-7 triumph in the Dowd Cup championship. Gaskill said he was jumping for joy as the Rebels skated around the rink with the players holding the trophy over their heads.
Even the 4-2 state tournament loss to Brick Memorial was encouraging. The Rebels’ first varsity game was against the Mustangs and they lost that one 8-2.
“It was a great gauge to see where we were,” Daley said of the state tournament game with the Mustangs. “We went from minus-12 in shots on goal to plus-eight. It showed how much we improved.”
The future is bright for the Rebels. Twothirds of the conference’s most productive line should be back next year. Junior Dave Ramos scored 97 points and sophomore Joe Leiro had 55 points. Senior Mark Moskowitz had 85 points.
Starting goalie Zach Peras and backup James Bodeker are both freshmen. Peras won 14 games and had two shutouts, and Bodeker got the win in the Dowd Cup final.
Much of the credit for the way the Rebels played went to Daley, according to Gaskill.
“Coach Daley stressed that we work and play as a team, not as individuals,” he said. “We do everything as a team. We bonded and became like a family.”
As a senior, Gaskill is thankful that he got to be a part of history. Like everyone else who was playing for a FRHSD ice hockey team this winter, he did not think high school ice hockey was in his future. Then came word last year that starting in 2008-09 the FRHSD schools could field varsity teams.
“I never thought this day would come,” said Gaskill.
He said credit goes to the parents who make up the Regional Ice Hockey Association Inc. (RIHA), the nonprofit organization that is funding the interscholastic ice hockey program in the FRHSD.
“The parents have a lot of heart,” said Gaskill.
The interest expressed in five of the district’s six schools was overwhelming. There was no doubt there was a need for the sport in the district.
“Seeing that many kids come out (for teams) from the district was mind-blowing,” said Gaskill.
The sport wasn’t just popular with the players and their parents.
“There’s a lot of school spirit at Howell,” said Gaskill. “We had a good number of fans coming to every game, no matter where it was.”
And the turnout figures to be just as strong next year.
There is little question that ice hockey’s debut was the most successful of any firstyear sport in the district. Milestones that some new varsity teams take years to accomplish (first winning season, first state tournament appearance, first championship) were accomplished in a single year.
What Howell accomplished this year overshadowed everyone else, but that did not detract from what the other teams achieved. The district programs were not doormats for anyone.
Marlboro High School (12-7) and Manalapan High School (10-6-3) both qualified for the state tournament. Marlboro also qualified for the Dowd Cup competition.
Freehold Township High School ended up with a 10-10-2 mark and Freehold High School ended the season at 9-10-3.
All of the ice hockey programs are on good footing and the future seems bright for this new sport that will no doubt attract more players with each passing season.