Brick's Auriemma can hardly wait 'till next year BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI Staff Writer Brick Township hockey coach Bob Auriemma said it was an "up and down season" marked by key injuries to junior Mike Gumina and sophomore Mike Graf. Despite the frustration of missing the NJSIAA Tournament for a second straight year in a 7-11-3, Auriemma voiced no regret about moving from the Gordon Division to the Southern White Division. "Yeah it's nice to be in the Gordon and you get to see a number of them around the state, but the parochials recruit and leave you outnumbered," said Auriemma. For the second straight year, Brick Memorial had a major effect on Brick Township not making the state tournament with a pair of ties. Auriemma said that Gumina gave it a good shot when he returned late in the season from a broken leg. "A few times he was out there he looked good considering he was not able to get in top shape," said Auriemma. "It's hard to pin a season on one player, but it's hard to imagine a couple of close losses flipped into wins if Gumina was in the lineup. And that would mean a return to the state tournament." But there were other factors. Just like the team at large, junior goalie Mike Mulcahy had "an up and down season," according to Auriemma. "He had a late start with the team and had some real hot games, and then he lost his concentration. He showed spurts and he's very athletic." Auriemma felt Mulcahy's backup - freshman Dylan Beaver - "has lots of talent. He's been working hard and showed spurts of greatness." There are many other promising players along with the two goalies and Gumina and Graf, whose younger brother Ryan played on a promising freshman line with Mike Auriemma and Connor Noonan. "I'm looking forward to a lot of good hockey next year," said Auriemma. Junior Mike Guarino and sophomore Matt Dornacker made for a solid line with Gumina when he played. Graf, who missed time with a hip injury, and junior Mark Masefield also return as forwards. Sophomores Bob Koste and Jesse Hallock "were good penalty killers," said Auriemma, who also said he is "looking for good things next year from junior Andrew Ball on defense." Sophomore Ryan Martin "really came along as the season progressed," and sophomore Ken Bogart and junior Ben Centrella became solid defensemen. Sophomore Jimmy Whalen could swing to either forward or defenseman, and the coach said he hopes his grandson, Bob Auriemma, "continues to improve." They'll make up for losses to graduating players Joe Lantieri, who became a team leader as well as a point-producer, solid scoring Vin LaRosa, defenseman Anthony Zipfel and backup goalie Noah Morris, who provided a lot of guidance and encouragement to the players. When Brick Township played well, Auriemma said "one of the things was staying out of the penalty box. Eliminating careless penalties is a crucial part of doing well. And cashing in on power plays is important." That was evident in a 9-0 victory over Rumson-Fair Haven, a huge turnaround from a 5-4 loss earlier in the season. "We can't wait on our laurels. We have to continue to improve," said Auriemma, which he said is evident with the short preseason. Unlike some other winter sports, hockey has little time to prepare from its Nov. 5 start to its Dec. 1 opener, especially considering the restrictive access to ice time.