Caseys hope tough schedule pays off Local hockey teams chase division titles BY VIN RAPOLLA Staff Writer Ken Carlson believes that in order for his Red Bank Catholic High School ice hockey team to be able to play well in the postseason, his players must be subjected to a high level of competition throughout the campaign. As a result, Carlson routinely sets up one of the toughest schedules in the state as a means of preparing his team. And while playing against such strong competition is certain to help improve his team in the long run (last year’s 11-14-2 season is proof of that, as the Caseys advanced to the Handchen Cup semifinals and the NJSIAA Round of 16), it does very little for a win-loss record early on. Thus far, the Caseys are 0-4 on the young season. But the record is deceiving, as out of those four losses, two have come to opponents who are ranked within the top 10 in the state, while the other two losses came against what may be the top two teams in their division (the Shore A Central). “We have one of the toughest schedules in the state,” said Carlson. “It may be my toughest yet, but we like to book a lot of the top teams in the state.” The Caseys opened up with a 4-2 loss against Monsignor Donovan (off to a fast 3-1-1 start), before falling to St. Augustine Prep (the fifth-ranked parochial school team in the state), 5-2, in their second game. RBC then fell to another state power, St. Peter’s Prep, 4-2, before dropping a 5-1 contest to Ridge on Friday. Ridge is the fourth-ranked public school team in the state, with 10 players back from last year’s 14-6-4 team. Although the team has not managed to win any of its opening matches, Carlson is happy with how his young team has played thus far. “I think we’re doing all right. We’ve seen some good spurts of hockey,” he said. “We’ve played some of the top 10 teams in the state well and played with them.” With a young team, Carlson will have to look to a handful of seniors to lead the way. Defensively, the Caseys look to seniors Bobby Arnold, Jarred Weigund and Chris Cho. Cho will not only be an important factor on defense, but is also a strong offensive player. Junior goalkeeper Matt Langer will also have his work cut out for him this season, playing against such a high level of competition. Offensively, the team is led by sophomore Jesse Krauss and junior Gregg Alessi. While Carlson is excited about his team’s level of play thus far, he knows that the squad has a long road ahead of it. However, he is confident that his team will come around and have a strong enough schedule to compete in the postseason. “We have some challenging games ahead,” said Carlson. “I keep telling the kids the better teams we play the better we’ll get, so it’s better to take our lumps now.” That being said, in order for his team to be successful, the Caseys will have to begin to manufacture some goals. With only seven goals in their first four games, this is one area Carlson and the team will need to improve on immediately. “We need to get more shots. We’re really working on that,” said Carlson. “If we can get some more shots on net, I know we can be very competitive with teams in our league. We can really give some teams a run for their money.” Next up for RBC is another strong team from Gloucester Catholic on Friday at the Red Bank Armory. Gloucester Catholic is off to a 2-3 start, with its losses coming against Middletown South (6-3), Mon Don (5-0) and Bishop Eustace (7-4). Gloucester has beaten Toms River North twice (6-4 and 6-3). After that, RBC will take on Morris Hills on Dec. 27 and Notre Dame on Dec. 29. Division races start to take form At 0-4, the Caseys find themselves at the bottom of the Southern Red Division standings, which are currently topped by St. Augustine Prep (4-0). St. Augustine has emerged as the team to beat here, having already posted wins over Monsignor Donovan (4-3), Bishop Eustace (4-3) and Middletown South (10-0). The Eagles are 2-3-0 early on, coming off an 8-15-2 season that saw them exit both the Handchen Cup and NJSIAA state tournaments in the first round. Mon Don, which suffered the same postseason fate as the Eagles in a 9-9-3 season last year, are 3-1-1 early on this winter, and playing well. Meanwhile, in the Southern White Division, Middletown North raced out to the early lead with a 5-0 start. The Lions have been impressive with wins over Brick (4-0), Rumson-Fair Haven (6-2), Red Bank Regional (6-3), Paul VI (5-1) and Verona (5-4). The Lions, coming off a 4-16-3 campaign, appear to be the team to beat here. RFH, under head coach Jerry St. Cyr, is off to a 2-2 start, having posted wins over Paul VI, 5-2, and Old Bridge, 4-2. They lost to the Lions and Wall Township, 3-2. The Bulldogs are coming off a 9-11-4 season that saw them improve throughout the year and reach the Dowd Cup semifinals. Next up for RFH is Friday’s match-up with Brick at the Ocean Ice Palace at 4 p.m. As for the Red Bank Regional Bucs of head coach Jay Lynch, they are 1-2 thus far, having beaten Toms River East, 3-2, and lost to Middletown North and Old Bridge, 2-1. RBR is coming off a 12-7-1 season that saw them capture the Southern Blue Division championship. RBR took on Brick on Tuesday and Wall yesterday, and will face off against Manasquan on Tuesday at the Red Bank Armory. The drop of the puck is at 8:15 p.m. The Gordon Conference is as strong as ever, with Seton Hall Prep (6-1), Delbarton (4-0) and St. Peter’s Prep (4-1) sitting atop the standings early on. But Pope John of Sparta (3-1-1) is right there with them, as are the Christian Brothers Academy Colts, who entered the year as the second-ranked non-public school team in the state. The Colts are 2-2-1 in the early going, following a 7-0 win over rival St. John Vianney, a 2-2 tie against Pope John, a 4-2 loss to Delbarton, a 5-1 win over Bergen Catholic and a 4-1 loss to Seton Hall Prep. The Colts took on St. Peter’s Prep yesterday, and will face off with Middletown North and South on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. St. John Vianney, like RBC, has struggled early on against a tough schedule, sporting a 1-5 record thus far. The Lancers, who will take on Delbarton on Saturday, beat Don Bosco Prep, 4-2, for their only win, in their season opener.