MIDDLETOWN – Middletown Ice World has been a popular place this winter, as it plays home ice to two of the top teams in the Shore Conference, one being Middletown South.
With a 14-4-2 overall record and a 5-2-2 mark in divisional play, Middletown South finished in fourth place in Shore Conference A North behind crosstown rival Middletown North, Saint John Vianney and Wall. The Eagles claimed the No. 4 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament’s Handchen Cup and claimed a first-round shutout victory over No. 13 seed Manalapan, 3-0.
The Eagles and Lions play twice during the regular season. Middletown South won the first meeting on Nov. 28, 3-2, to begin the regular season. The two teams also closed out the regular season in the Mayor’s Cup on Feb. 6. The game ended in a 4-4 tie, so both teams can claim to be owners of the Cup in 2018.
The Eagles possess a lot of firepower on offense, starting with a trio of senior forwards who have all tallied over 40 points this season. Deven Ralph leads that attack with a team-leading 25 goals and 20 assists for a total of 45 points. Nick Lioudakis has 17 goals and 25 assists for 42 points, and Mike Racioppi has 13 goals and a team-leading 28 assists for 41 total points.
Sophomore defender Demitri Forand has tallied 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) and senior forward Craig Bahrs has 15 points (10 goals, five assists).
In goal, the Eagles possess a duo of juniors in Clay Simonsen and Adam Bloodgood. Simonsen has 219 saves this season and has a save percentage of 90 percent, while Bloodgood has 147 saves and an 85 save percentage.
Middletown South looks to keep its run in the Shore Conference Tournament going when it plays No. 5 seed Jackson Memorial in the semifinal round of the Handchen Cup at Jersey Shore Arena in Wall. The Eagles defeated Jackson Memorial, 8-4, on Jan. 30 in the only other meeting this season between the two teams.
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