VERONA/GLEN RIDGE – The Verona/Glen Ridge high school varsity ice hockey team had an 11-game unbeaten streak that was snapped with two straight losses.
Glen Ridge freshman Zach Gold had a hat trick and added an assist in the 4-1 win over Passaic Valley/Cedar Grove, Jan. 23, at Codey Arena in West Orange to extend the team’s unbeaten streak to 11 games (8-0-3).
Verona senior Harrison Keating had three assists; Glen Ridge junior Aidan Brennan and Verona senior Jarrod Keating each had a save and Glen Ridge junior Chris Kostas made 13 saves.
The streak ended with a 5-1 loss to Chatham, Jan. 25 at Mennen Arena in Morristown. Glen Ridge junior Jeff Egan had a goal with an assist from Glen Ridge junior Ruben Rodriguez. It was the team’s first loss since a 2-0 defeat against Howell on Dec. 17.
The next day, Verona/Glen Ridge fell to West Essex, 5-3, at Codey Arena. Brennan, Jarrod Keating and Glen Ridge junior Noah Martinez each had a goal. Gold had two assists and Harrison Keating and Glen Ridge junior Alec Vecchione each had an assist. Kostas made 16 saves. Verona/Glen Ridge moved to a 10-6-4 overall record and 5-3-2 in the NJIHL-Kelly Division. West Essex moved to an 11-3-3 overall record and sits atop the Kelly Division at 6-1-3.