Brick Hockey Club team reaches District finals
BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer

Brick Hockey Club's 16 AA team is the last tournament qualifier still competing after sweeping through its three games in the Atlantic District tournament.

Kevin Carmichael scored two goals, including the clincher for a 4-2 lead, as the Brick Hockey Club beat Haverford, Pa., 4-3, in the final game. The victory moves Brick into the best-of-three championship series against the survivor of the losers' bracket.

Jeff Sowell scored another goal and Mark Rivera drilled home a shorthanded score while Mike Mulcahy played a solid game in goal. Trevor Van Riemsdyk bolstered the defense.

"They work hard and really understand hockey and what we try to teach them," said head coach George Colwell. This same age-group team two years ago finished fifth in the nationals. "We instill some discipline and they're smart. They've been playing the game together awhile."

Brick opened the tournament with a 7-4 victory over Warwick, Pa., as Kevin Crowe and Tyler Ribsam each scored twice and Nick LoRusso excelled in goal. Tom Mollica reached the back of the net twice and Rivera had a goal and three assists while five other players scored as Brick clobbered the New Jersey Devils of West Orange, 8-2. Mulcahy was in goal. James Murphy, Mike Spinelli and Andrew Ball excelled on defense. The team returns to action 5:30 p.m. on Friday and 2:15 p.m. on Saturday and, if necessary, at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday at the Ice Vault in Wayne.

Three other Brick Hockey Club teams were eliminated. Brick's 18A team was swept out of the districts by Pennsylvania teams Wissahocken Blackhawks, Delco Phantoms and the Eastern Pennsylvania Glaciers.

Mike Gumina returned from a lengthy leg injury to play at forward while Ryan McGinnis, Bob Auriemma and Joe Lantieri also played well at forward for coach Bob Auriemma's club. Dylan Beaver and George Mazzolo were the goalies while Dan Graham, Kevin Duffy and Joe Iannacone played on defense.

The Minor 16A team of coach Randy Graf was bounced out by the Morris County Colonials, 3-2, and Pennsauken, 5-4, in triple overtime. Forwards Matt Dornacker, Mike Graf, Ryan Graf and Steve Giordano had some good moments at forward, and Bob Koste, Mark Masefield and Ryan Martin provided defensive support.

But it was coach Alex DePalma's 18AA team that had an interesting experience in losing to the Hershey (Pa.) Bears, 3-2, and the Medford (N.Y.) Jaguars in Ashton, Pa.

Lou Amato pulled Brick to 3-2 against Hershey off passes from young Alex DePalma and Mike Chilton. The elder DePalma pulled Matt Deering from goal for an extra attacker and there was a flurry in front of the Hershey goal late in the game, but Brick could not convert the opportunity.

"We fell behind 3-0. We had one practice and one game [scrimmage] since Nov. 15 when we had concluded our [regular] season, and it showed," said DePalma. "We didn't look like a team out there and then when we started clicking, it was a little too late."

Young DePalma and Bob Mannetta scored against Medford for an undermanned Brick team down to 11 players because some had commitments to their high school teams. On that night, some were on the Christian Brothers Academy team that was playing in the state finals.

"I commend the players who were out there because they left it all on the ice. They showed a lot of heart," said DePalma, who mentioned the other players as well, including Jeff Farr, Kevin Kolbenshlag, Pat Henkel, Nicco Palmiero, Eric Sudman, Chris Neary, Chris Fletcher, Travis Foster and Colton Hurley. Most of them had played on the 16AA team two years ago that had finished in fifth place in the nationals.