Brotherly advice should help Brick hockey team Several CBA players on team heading to national championships BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI Staff Writer Trevor Van Riemsdyk and Dean Malanga don't have to look far to find any pointers about playing in the USA Hockey's national championships for the Brick Hockey Club's Midget Minors 16s AA. The team opens on March 27 against the New England District champion Mid-Fairfield Blues of Connecticut in Fraser, Mich. Their older brothers were on the same age group team two years ago that finished in fifth place in the nationals. The only difference - these guys are defenseman, whereas James Van Riemsdyk and Jerry Malanga were forwards. "That's funny; I hadn't realized that," said Dean, whose brother plays forward for the University of Scranton. "I watched my brother make the [district] championship three years in a row but it took him three years to get there [nationals]. "I call him before every game and he said that if you're nervous, go out there and play and forget about it. But he said the nationals are an awesome feeling." Van Riemsdyk also got some pointers. "He [James] talked about it and said the main thing he told me is to go out there and have fun," said Trevor, whose brother is on the national junior select team in Michigan and is heading to the University of New Hampshire on scholarship this fall, depending on the NHL draft, where he is projected as one of the early picks. "He said it's a faster game and we have to be sure we're playing in our zone coverages. We have to rush the puck." Malanga said his coach, George Colwell, said after the first practice for the districts that "it's the first game on the road to the nationals." Those words proved prophetic as the team jelled quickly despite the long lag from the end of the regular season, when guys went off to play for their high school varsity teams, to their reuniting for practice for the districts in late February. "It was amazing that we had only two practices and we went on a roll," said Malanga. "It was ridiculous how we pulled together." But the team will not practice again until at least Monday, March 19, because many of them still are involved with the state tournament - six of them for Christian Brothers Academy and Kevin Crowe for St. Augustine. Colwell doesn't mind and said having players on CBA "helps tremendously¿" because they're in the Gordon Division which is the highest level in the state. They're confident they won't miss a beat again when they reunite under Colwell and assistant coach Jack Murphy in a few days. They're looking to schedule a scrimmage for March 22 or 23 before leaving on March 26. "It was really hectic but it's under control now," said Colwell, who is accepting corporate sponsorships by calling him at (732) 859-5641. Team manager Katie Spinelli has taken care of all concerns, said Colwell. "I went through this as a parent two years ago when my son [Ryan] was on this team," said Colwell. "It's a lot of fun and rewarding to see your son play in that environment." The biggest adjustment, said Colwell, is the higher level. "The game is faster and the players more skilled," said Colwell. "You play 20 games during the season but not all of them are that tough. It's a big step up because you basically have a Tier I and a Tier II. We're on Tier II but some programs send their Tier I runner-up team. "But we can play at that level," said Colwell confidently. "The biggest thing is to stay out of the box, defensive zone coverage and moving the puck, although we score a lot of shorthanded goals. This team listens well. They're very good players and understand how to play the game." Mark Rivera can score goals in bunches with support from Matt Jensen and Kevin Crowe, while goalies Mark Mulcahy and Nick LoRusso can stop the goals from scoring on the other end. "We're ready and we're on a roll," said Malanga. "We've been ready. We just have to go out there and stay focused and have fun."