MIDDLETOWN – Despite its stunning early exit in the Dowd Cup of the Shore Conference Tournament, Middletown North did a lot of good things on the ice this season.
They captured the Shore Conference A North title over proverbial powers such as Saint John Vianney and Christian Brothers Academy, one of the most prolific offenses in the state in Wall and, of course, their crosstown rivals Middletown South.
“A North was one of the tougher divisions in the state this year,” Middletown North head coach Matt Clemente said. “The guys really pulled together and played well as a team. We had some guys kind of step up out of nowhere and take on big roles to help us along the way.”
One of those players was sophomore forward Chris Repman, who leads the offense with 39 points (20 goals, 19 assists).
“We expected him to have an improvement off his freshman year and when we sat down as a coaching staff before the season, we tried to forecast what could happen during the season. We did not see him having 40 points at this point in the season. Him stepping up and carrying our offense more or less helped us get to where we are.”
Senior forward Justin Skelly scored 11 goals and dished out 16 assists for a 27-point season. Senior forward Brad Heuer (21 points, 10 goals, 11 assists) and junior forward Anthony Taveras (21 points, 9 goals, 12 assists) also had 20-point seasons while senior forward Kurt Kroeper also scored 10 goals.
The Lions are led defensively by a pair of dynamic goaltenders in senior Jake Frontera and sophomore Matt Corella. Frontera piled up 196 saves in tune to an 87 percent save percentage, while Corella actually posted better numbers (212 saves, 92 percent save percentage). Clemente will generally rotate the goalies or ride whoever has the hot hand.
“Having a duo like that where it doesn’t really matter who is in net that we knew we are getting a solid performance and getting a chance to win every night, they both provide that,” Clemente said. “Some teams might find it difficult depending on the personality of the goalies to run a two-man system. Both of these guys get along with each other and they’re both team-first guys.”
With a lot of younger players on the varsity level, Clemente credited the JV program for doing a good job in preparing players to play at the varsity level when the time comes. That pipeline of talent should keep Middletown North a threat on the ice for the foreseeable future.
Middletown North earned the No. 3 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament’s Dowd Cup, but were upset on their home ice by 14th-seeded Rumson-Fair Haven, 3-2, in overtime in the first round.
Now the Lions will shift their attention to the NJSIAA State Tournament and hope to make a run at a state title.
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