Mustangs need to return to their winning ways now

BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer

Miro Smerdolej has returned to the lineup for Brick Memorial’s hockey team after being away for a month with his native Croatian national team, which finished third in the World Junior Championships in Lithuania.

The standout got right back into the flow for the Mustangs with an early goal, but Bishop Eustace rallied for a 4-3 victory Sunday night at Ocean Ice Palace.

Brick Memorial (7-10) must go 3-0-1 in its next four games before the cutoff if it wants to return to the NJSIAA tournament, where it reached the public school finals last March.

"It’s not going to be easy," said coach George Kiernan after his defense continued to struggle. "I might have to throw some forwards on defense."

Brick Memorial took a 2-0 lead as Matt Miller followed Smerdolej with a goal of his own before Bishop Eustace closed out the first period with three unanswered goals off Nick Ferguson.

"We’re giving up too many odd-man rushes," said Kiernan. "They scored off two-on-ones and breakaways. The problem is we have a lot of offensive defensemen, guys who are converted forwards and we lack guys who can stay back. It’s been our Achille’s heel all season."

What makes it even tougher for the Mustangs is that Frank Ryan is suspended for three games for an altercation that happened on Sunday.

It was the second straight loss for Brick Memorial, which dropped a 6-1 verdict to Red Bank Catholic on Friday after taking an early lead on freshman Aron Campanile’s goal.

With the Mustangs off until a Sunday evening game against a resurgent Middletown South at Wall, Kiernan has time to rally his team and can be encouraged by Smerdolej "looking pretty good" and Joe Giles supplying leadership with his play on ice.

"He’s had a great season for us," said Kiernan. "Joe’s a hard worker who gives us 110 percent."