Seton Hall Prep ice hockey team skates to impressive wins

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Last week the Seton Hall Prep ice hockey team participated in the Ice Vault Classic at the Ice Vault Arena in Wayne and also played a Gordon Conference match against St. Joseph of Montvale. 

On Monday, Dec. 27, the Pirates defeated Ramapo 6-1. After a scoreless first period, sophomore Christopher McIntyre gave the Pirates a 1-0 lead just 1:34 into the second period on assists by seniors Louis David and Max Toomey. After Ramapo tied the score at 1-1, sophomore Nicholas Schneider gave Seton Hall a 2-1 lead with :54 left in the period on an assist by Toomey. In the third period, Seton Hall put the match away with four goals. Toomey scored on assists by freshman Matt Smith and sophomore Hudson Rocheville. Junior Sean Murphy scored on assists by juniors Jack Laferriere and Severyn Khomyak. Schneider scored his second goal on assists by sophomore Daniel Kelly and junior Hudson Gorski, and David completed the scoring on an unassisted goal with :50 left. Senior goalie Demetrios Koularmanis had 11 saves, as the Pirates outshot Ramapo 30-12. 

On Wednesday, Dec. 29, the Pirates defeated Summit 6-0 as junior Darren Keaveney, in his first varsity start, recorded the first shutout of the season for Seton Hall with 14 saves. Kelly opened the scoring just :35 into the second period on assists by Gorski and junior Owen Waivada. Smith made it 2-0 on assists by freshman Dylan Gibbs and junior Rocco Mendoza. Rocheville increased the Pirate lead to 3-0 on an assist by Mendoza. Gorski made it 4-0 on a power-play goal with an assist by McIntyre. In the third period, McIntyre scored a power-play goal on an assist by Kelly. David closed out the scoring with a shorthanded goal on an assist by Mendoza. Following the match, Keaveney said, “It feels great to get my first varsity win in my first start. The defense played great in front of me, blocking shots. Overall, it was a great team effort tonight.”

The next night, Seton Hall traveled to Sport-O-Rama in Monsey, N.Y., and defeated St. Joseph of Montvale, 5-1. Mendoza opened the scoring 2:30 into the first period on an assist by Gibbs. St. Joe’s tied the score at 1-1 just :33 later. In the second period, the Pirates put three on the board to make the score 4-1 after the second period. Schneider scored on assists by Gorski and Kelly. Junior Marko Simcik scored on an assist by Laferriere, and Gibbs scored on an assist by Smith. In the third period, Schneider scored his second goal of the game on an assist by Khomyak.

In their final game of the Ice Vault Classic, the Pirates defeated Morris Knolls–Hills, 7-1, their fifth victory in a row, to increase their record to 7-4-1.

The Pirates opened the game with three goals in the first period. Freshman Dylan Gibbs opened the scoring with a wraparound goal just 2:41 into the match. Junior Hudson Gorski then scored on assists by Gibbs and junior Rocco Mendoza, while Gibbs scored again on assists by sophomore Michael Agathis and Mendoza. In the second period, Morris Knolls cut the Pirate lead to 3-1 before sophomore Daniel Kelly made it 4-1 on assists by Toomey and junior Will Underwood. Khomyak connected on assists by Smith and Toomey to make the score 5-1 after two periods. In the third period, Underwood scored on assists by Kelly and Schneider, while Gibbs scored his third goal of the match on a breakaway goal with :31 left, to make the final 7-1. Keaveney had 16 saves, as Seton Hall outshot Morris Knolls 39-17.

  Seton Hall Prep ice hockey