Seton Hall Prep hockey team has competitive schedule

WEST ORANGE, NJ – At Seton Hall Prep, the philosophy in sports has always been to play the most competitive schedule possible. In the long run, that helps a team get ready for post-season games.

This coming winter, that will certainly be the case for the SHP hockey team. The Pirates, who first became a state power in 1977-78 when they captured the Gordon Cup, will face off against four 2017 state champions this season.

On Wednesday, Nov. 29, SHP will meet Princeton Day on the road at 5 p.m. This past winter, PDS won the Prep Schools state championship. Then on Saturday, Dec. 2, the Pirates will have a road test against Glen Rock in a 9:15 p.m. start. Glen Rock earned a Public Schools crown in 2017.

The big game of the upcoming campaign will come on Tuesday, Dec. 19, when the Pirates travel to Morris County to meet archrival Delbarton in a 4:45 p.m. start. The Green Wave, coached by Bruce Shatel, captured still another Non-Public Schools title in 2017.

Under Shatel, who scored 225 points in three years of play at Morristown High, Delbarton has racked up 21 major championships in just 16 years. Shatel has led Delbarton to an amazing 383-46-35 record. Shatel is tied with Brick’s Bob Auriemma for the most major titles in state history.

Auriemma retired this past summer with a state record 730 wins. The only other coaches in state history with 400 or more wins are Harvey Cohen (547) and John Warchol (506). Cohen coached at Chatham Township and then Chatham, while Warchol was the head man at SHP.

Seton Hall’s final test against a defending state champ will come on Friday, Feb. 2, at Codey Arena in West Orange. On that date, SHP will oppose Ridge, also a Public Schools champion, at 6:45 p.m.

Other challenging games this season will come against CBA, Don Bosco Prep, Morristown-Beard and Pope John.

Under the guidance of Warchol, the Pirates won a record nine Gordon Cups in the N.J. Interscholastic League. Warchol also led the West Orange parochial school to three overall state crowns and four state Group titles. In addition, SHP captured the Prep Div. 1 state championship in the winter of 1988.

In the late 1970s, the standouts for SHP included goalie Chris Seebode, defenseman Bill Leppla and forward Peter Herms, who later became a co-coach at SHP. Seton Hall Prep reached its first state championship in 1979, losing a close game to Brick at Mennen Arena.

This coming winter will be the 60th year of league play in New Jersey. The NHL will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Dec. 19, the day SHP faces Delbarton. After the Delbarton contest, SHP will be challenged by strong teams from Don Bosco Prep and Morristown-Beard. The other tough stretch of the upcoming season will come with consecutive tilts against Princeton Day, Glen Rock and CBA.

ICE CHIPS – This past season Delbarton also won the Gordon Cup, while Morristown-Beard won the Mennen Cup in the Morris County Scholastic League… Delbarton has won a state record 13 NJSIAA championships, followed by Brick with 11, CBA with 9, Randolph with 8 and SHP with 7… Rich McLaughlin, who coached briefly at Livingston before taking over at Randolph, leads active coaches with 394 victories.

SHP schedule

Nov. 26, Bishop Eustace (H), 4:30 p.m.

Nov. 29, Princeton Day School (A), 5 p.m.

Dec. 2, Glen Rock (A), 7:45 p.m.

Dec. 4, Christian Brothers Academy (H), 4:15 p.m.

Dec. 8, St. Augustine Prep (A), 4:40 p.m.

Dec. 10, Bergen Catholic (A), 4:45 p.m.

Dec. 12, St. Peter’s Prep (A), 4:30 p.m.

Dec. 19, Delbarton (A), 4:45 p.m.

Dec. 22, Morristown-Beard (H), 4 p.m.

Pepsi Classic at Ice Vault, Wayne, TBA

Jan. 3, Bergen Catholic (H), 4:15 p.m.