Despite graduating 11 players from last season’s Handchen Cup winners, the Red Bank Catholic High School ice hockey team still has plenty of talent in the fold and the Caseys are looking for another strong campaign.
Last February, RBC showed its mettle when it knocked off Brick, 4-2, to win the Handchen Cup Tournament, which teams from the Shore Conference A and B divisions compete for. Brick twice downed the Caseys in the regular season, but RBC turned the tables in the third match, led by Trevor Grossman, who scored a goal and posted three assists.
Grossman, who scored 16 goals a year ago, is back to lead coach Ken Carlson’s team, which is off to a 2-1-1 start, after winning 16 times last winter. The senior forward scored a hat trick in RBC’s seasonopening, 5-3 win over Middletown North, and scored his team’s only goal in a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Ridge.
The Caseys bounced back from that loss with a 7-0 whitewashing against Monsignor Donovan on Dec. 13 at the Red Bank Armory. After a scoreless opening period, the Caseys exploded for six goals in the second session. Mike Stickle led the way with three tallies and Kyle Gatta added a pair of goals.
RBC also battled Staten Island’s Monsignor Farrell to a 2-2 draw this season. Senior goalkeeper Chet Tooker was strong in net, making 38 saves, while R.J. Mangold and Brad Anderson lit the lamp for the Caseys.
Offensively, Carlson’s squad has a lot of firepower with Grossman, Stickle and Gatta, a junior. Jack Donleavy scored nine goals and added 10 assists a year ago and Christian Constantino is coming off of a five-goal, 10 assist campaign. Vince Bauman, Michael Hodge, Kyle Ross, Bobby
Stenson and Mangold are other key forwards.
With Tooker between the pipes, the Caseys are solid in goal. The blue line crew is experienced with seniors Joe Keane, Ed Conroy and Anderson. Sophomore Kevin Stickle, junior
Matt Smith and sophomore
Mike Consentino provide depth in goal.
In addition to its Shore A Division conference schedule, the Caseys have a line-up of formidable non-conference match-ups, including games against Morris Knolls, Princeton Day School, St. Joseph of Metuchen, St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City) and Montgomery.
RBC was slated to face off against Christian Brothers Academy on Monday and was to return home Tuesday, Dec. 20, to meet Morris Knolls. Princeton Day comes to visit the Red Bank Armory Dec. 29, followed by St. Joseph on Jan. 3.