Brick Memorial edged out in Handchen finals

Cinderella apparently found the glass slipper, as Middletown South nosed out Brick Memorial, 4-3, in the Handchen Cup final on Friday night at the Red Bank Armory.

CHRIS KELLY staff Brick Memorial's Michael Vincent makes a save against Middletown South during the Handchen Cup Championship games at the Red Bank Armory on Feb. 27. "They were truly a Cinderella story," Brick Memorial coach Chip Bruce said, referring to Middletown South. "They won two regular-season games and then came on at the end."

Brick Memorial slipped to 14-6-5 while Middletown South went to 18-5-3 with its fifth straight victory, including Handchen Cup victories over Red Bank Catholic and St. John Vianney.

"We got hot at the right time," said Middletown South coach Stan Gutt, a former star at Bayonne High School who set school records while leading the state in scoring. His team nailed the winning goal with 3:12 left on a 2-on-1 breakout after Brick Memorial had rallied back with three unanswered goals.

Brick Memorial players had little time to heal their wounds before they played Manalapan in the NJSIAA Tournament opener on Monday afternoon this week at the Ocean Ice Palace in Brick. Brick Memorial reached the state semifinals last year.

Also on Monday, Brick Township hosted South Brunswick later that day at the Ice Palace in the state tournament.

When asked if the Mustangs can bounce back, Bruce said, "We hope so. Hopefully this game is something we can use to refocus so we can go out and play three periods of solid hockey and stay out of the penalty box."

"It was a tough loss," forward Eric Talty said. "We came to play for about a third of the game, but we can't reflect on that and need to move forward. We realize we can't take anyone lightly."

Brick Memorial made its second appearance in three years in the Handchen Cup finals after winning a shootout against Point Pleasant Borough in the Shore Conference Southern Blue Cup final two years ago, but fell behind, 3-0, in the first period to the No. 8 seed (Brick Memorial was seeded No. 3) before coming back.

"They played a good game," Bruce said. "We spotted them two periods before we decided to play. We took a couple of penalties that took away our momentum [and led to one power play goal]. They capitalized on our mistakes."

Although Brick Memorial again outshot its opponent, this time by a 37-21 margin, Bruce faulted his team for being "flat, not mentally prepared" at the outset.

But defenseman Jay Franceschini provided some impetus in the second period with a shot from the point that found the back of the net, while goalie Mike Vincent knuckled down in goal. Talty pulled Brick Memorial to a one-goal difference when he took a feed from the point from Anthony Lobianco for his 20th goal just :30 into the final period. Lobianco tied it midway through the third period with his 19th goal and a team-high 41 points (22 assists; Talty follows with 39 points) after tipping in another blast from the point from Franceschini.

Brick Memorial had a number of opportunities after that, but Middletown South's goalie stayed poised between the pipes.

Bruce praised Franceschini and Tom Lindquist on defense and John Bartolomei, who played "a great game."

"We're going to be ready from here," Talty said. "We need to go back to where we used to be and to stick to forechecking. When we do that, and put the puck close to the net and chase it down, we do all right."