This is the sixth entry of The Morris-Sussex Hockey Report’s 27 teams in 27 days, where each day (except for Thanksgiving) there will be a team preview of each area team (boys and girls) leading up to Opening Day on December 7.
Support the Morris-Sussex Hockey Report with a donation to its GoFundMe
NEWTON-LENAPE VALLEY
Head coach: Ryan Sevean, 20th year (181-223-40 career record). He was named Charette Division Coach of the Year by the MCSSIHL last season.
Division: Charette
NJSIAA Classification: North, Public Co-Op
Last year: Newton-Lenape Valley overcame a slow 1-7 start to the season, rebounding to win five out of six games late in the season and earn a spot in the Charette Cup final, where it fell to Montville. It finished with an 8-15-1 record overall with a 3-4-1 record in the Charette.
Key losses: Newton-Lenape Valley graduated a pair of key players from last year, which were forward and Charette Division Honorable Mention Anthony Piccirillo (8 g., 6 a.) and Second Team All-Charette Division defenseman Aidan Urbano (5 g., 8 a.).
Top returners: Up front, Newton-Lenape Valley returns a very talented group. Senior Brayden Dabrowski (20 g., 10 a.) and junior and Charette Division Rookie of the Year Maksym Pastukh (21 g., 10 a.). Making Pastukh’s numbers even more impressive was the fact that he didn’t join the team until January, and all of his production took place over the course of 14 games.
Senior Justin Zappe (5 g., 5 a.), junior Ty Dellicker, senior Martin Murphy (2 g., 5 a.), senior Matt Finn, and senior Frank Boffa round out the group of forwards. On the blueline, seniors David Pineda (2 g., 3 a.), Jack McKenna, and Matt Walter will lead the way, along with sophomore Joey Gallucci.
NLV will bring back some experience in goal as well, with starter and senior Ryan Salerno (.846 sv%) back along with his backup in sophomore Patrick Boden. Sophomore Adam Yacuk also figures to see some time as well.
Potential newcomers: Sevean has high hopes for his junior class to make an impact, which is highlighted by forwards Tanner Gaboda, Kendra Smith, Kayla Latham, and Lucas Garofano. Sophomores Ganon Hawryluk, Kellan Faessinger, Eamon Sinnott, Vince Mancuso, Jack Boffa, Catherine Kraemer, Alex Lengyel, and Dylan Anderson will all be counted on to step up as well. Freshman Brody Dellicker is the younger brother of Ty and figures to have a role this year. Joey Lengyel, Pawel Macikowski, Kristina Gerndt, and Emily Artrip are all newcomers as well.
Burning question: Can NLV capture its elusive Charette Cup?
The Charette Cup has existed for three seasons, and NLV has found itself in the final in two of them. It lost a heartbreaker to Bernards-Somerville-Middlesex in 2021, before seeing an early 2-0 lead slip away in a loss to Montville this past season. The Charette Division as a whole has programs which should be in line for improvement this winter which will make that task even more difficult, but NLV has a strong core returning that knows what it takes to get to a final, and will be even hungrier to bring home the program’s first Cup title since it won the Haas Cup in 2016-17.
Outlook: This is a squad that figures to be right in the mix once again in the Charette Division, and should be one that finds the back of the net with regularity. Seeing what kind of numbers Pastukh can put up in a full season with the team will be something to keep an eye on, as it’s no coincidence that his arrival in the NLV lineup in mid-January last winter accompanied the team’s play picking up after a 1-7 start to the year. If it can play well in the defensive zone and keep the puck out of its net, NLV should be one of the top teams in the Charette this year.
Check back Wednesday for a preview of the Randolph boys team
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 