Home›High School›Wall›Wall Heads Into Post Season In Search Of Programâ€™s First State Title By Mike Ready

Wall Heads Into Post Season In Search Of Programâ€™s First State Title By Mike Ready

February 13, 2018

WALL – Last season, behind record-breaking forward Shane Haviland, Wall Township reached the state final for the first time in program history as the 10th seed before falling to top-seeded Glenn Rock in the NJSIAA Public B final.

It was an incredible run for the Crimson Knights that came on the heels of another program first when they skated through the field as the No. 3 seed to capture their first-ever Dowd Cup championship with a 3-1 victory over second-seeded Saint John Vianney.

Their loss in the state final ended a streak of eight straight wins including the Dowd Cup and the state tournament.

With the graduation of Haviland, along with captain Steven Karanassos, Kieran MacInnes, Luke Piazza and defenseman David Robberson, the Knights had some huge holes to fill this season but luckily for them they had enough big-time talent returning that they haven’t missed a beat and are currently ranked third in the Shore and No. 10 in the state while posting a 17-2-2 record.

A trio of senior forwards has been setting the ice on fire this season for Wall after making significant contributions a year ago. Zach Taratino led the Knights in scoring last season with 56 points and is currently sixth in the state in goals scored with 33, fourth in assists (43) and second in points with 76. A year ago he recorded 11 goals and 45 assists.

Ryan Burns, one of the best two-way skaters in the state, ranks right behind Taratino in points scored so far this season in third with 64 total points including 26 goals and 44 assists – second in the state. His 25 goals and 27 assist in 2017 could’ve been bettered but he spent a good portion of the final eight games patrolling the blue line. His play a year ago labeled him as a future star and he hasn’t disappointed.

The third member of the elite trio of scorers is Larry Hooper who has upped his game considerably from a year ago when he manned the second line scoring 14 goals and added 17. Already this season he’s scored 21 goals and assisted on 40 others. His ability to excel on power plays and penalty kills makes him invaluable to the team.

Senior Thomas Falletta (3g, 4a), sophomore Sean Kiewe (10g, 12a) and juniors Riley Haviland (6g, 3a) –

Shane’s younger brother – and Kyle O’Neil (4g) also have played significant roles on this year’s team.

Seniors front liners Noah Lozano (2g, 1a), Sean O’Beirne (3a), and Jack Textor (2g, 5a) and juniors Colin Gabuzda (1g, 2a) and Joseph Velke (3g) have contributed as well.

Junior defenseman Bobby Seelinger has been a fixture on the Knights top pairing on blue line since he first laced up his skates for Wall. Seelinger’s superior skating ability allows him push the puck up ice and attack the net as his eight goals and 12 assists so far this year will attest. He’s also adept at defending his own goal with immense authority.

Seelinger heads up a defensive unit that includes senior Nick Casias (1g, 5a) and juniors Sam Campbell (1g, 6a), Glen Puzo (1g, 1a) and Robert Curran (1g, 3a).

Second-team All-Shore netminder and three-year starter Logan Beattie has once again been stellar in the nets for the Knights. The junior goalie has made 281 saves on 411 shots on goal for a 0.927 save percentage this season after closing out his sophomore year with a 2.38 goals-against average in 25 starts. In the Dowd Cup he stopped 71 of 76 shots in three games helping secure the title for the Knights.

Wall finished third in the Shore Conference North division this season, four points behind CBA. The NJSIAA state playoffs will be seeded Feb. 13 with first-round games beginning Feb. 19 and 20.

On Thursday the Knights advanced to the second round in the Dowd Cup with a 7-1 thrashing of Brick Memorial. Burns picked up a hat trick scoring three goal along with three assists in the game to lead Wall past the Mustangs. Tarantino added two goals and four assists while Hooper also had four assists along with a goal. Kiewe added his tenth goal of the season while Textor and Curran each added an assist.

The second-seeded Knights will now face off against 10^th-seeded Freehold Township, a 4-1 winner over seventh-seeded Point Pleasant Boro on Tuesday, Feb. 13.