For the second time this season, Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) had a brush with added glory when it almost recorded the win of the season. Instead, the Colts settled for its second tie of the season against Delbarton School, this time at 5-5 in a Gordon Division game on Jan. 12. The score was capped by a goal from CBA’s Brendan van Riemsdyk with 1:51 remaining.
“I like the way we responded all game every time they scored a goal,” said senior center Chris Deatrick. “We never got down on ourselves. We have to keep playing like this every game.”
On Dec. 5, both teams played to a 3-3 tie, as Delbarton came back from a 3-1 deficit.
The ties are the only blot on Delbarton’s record against New Jersey teams in the last 56 games and both games were scary ones for Delbarton.
Delbarton also came back from a 2-1 deficit with less than four minutes left to win the NJSIAA Non-Parochial A title, 3-2, last season.
“They wore us down in that game,” CBA coach Ryan Bogan said. “We had a shorter bench and came apart at the end.”
But, CBA is off to a typically solid 8-2- 2 start this season and is 6-0 in Shore Conference A North Division play. It is 3-2-2 in the Gordon Division, losing to Don Bosco Preparatory High School, 6-4, and Gloucester Catholic High School, 5-4, rallying back from early three-goal deficits in both games.
“I actually thought we’d be better than we are right now. We’re underperforming,” Bogan said.
Outscoring opponents by an average of 7- to-2.75 goals a game, CBA rolled last week to A North victories over Howell High School, 4-1, and Freehold Township High School, 13-3, behind a well-balanced, explosive line led by Deatrick, who has 13 goals and 12 assists, and van Riemsdyk, a junior wing who has nine goals and 13 assists.
James van Riemsdyk, who is a former- Philadelphia Flyers forward that is getting back on the ice this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs now that the NHL lockout is over, and Trevor, who plays at the University of New Hampshire, are Brendan’s older brothers.
Senior wing Glenn Florczak has nine goals and a dozen assists. Junior wing Anthony Cusanelli leads the second line with seven goals and 10 assists. Bogan said greater depth than the team had a year ago has helped and his third line of junior center Bill Antonides and wings Brendan Murphy (sophomore) and Bob Hampton (freshman) “contributes more than other years.” Hampton had a goal and an assist in the earlier tie with Delbarton.
Balance showed in the recent tie with
Delbarton, as five different players scored and Deatrick said all three lines played well.
That comes despite the team taking its greatest losses to graduation on the attacking end, with the departure of center James Martello and left wing Dan Malafronte from last year’s 17-5-5 team that lost in the Gordon Cup semifinals to Don Bosco Prep, 4-1. They are now playing junior league hockey.
“We have a lot of senior leadership, seniors who went to The Rock (Prudential Center in Newark for the non-public state finals) and had the experience of playing in a championship environment,” Bogan said. “That heartbreaking loss motivated guys to have that drive this year. For this team, balance is absolutely the key. Having that kind of depth can’t be quantified. It makes it hard for opponents to shut down and having so much depth like this is great.
“Our biggest attribute is speed,” Bogan added. “But, when we can figure out how to get gritty and dirty, we may be a good team. That’s holding us back right now. And this year, any team can win.”
Certainly rolling up the sleeves is evident to Bogan when he points out the goals again, saying, “2.75 goals a game is too high to play on this level.”
Although Chris D’Alessio returns in goal, and Colin Kirkpatrick and R.J. Steer are back in the lineup as defensemen, Bogan said his defense overall has “had to struggle” and must raise its level to deny the goals that put CBA in an early hole in its losses. The next line of defensemen is young — sophomore Austen Pieri and freshman Jim Clifton.
“Everybody knows defense wins championships,” Bogan said, remembering that from last season.