BERNARDS-SOMERVILLE-MIDDLESEX
Head coach: Dan Spautz, first season
Division: MCSSIHL-Mennen
Last year: BSM finished 6-14-2 with a 4-4 mark in the Halvorsen Division. It qualified for the Halvorsen Cup, where it fell, 1-0 to Mendham in the semifinals. It also qualified for the South, Co-Op state tournament, where it fell to Brick Township-Memorial 4-3 in the first round.
Key losses: The first major loss is coach Paul Manore, who led this program for several years and oversaw its turnaround as it rose through the ranks of the MCSSIHL, starting in the Charette Division and now finding itself in the top-tier division of the league.
BSM graduated an immensely talented senior class which was a major part of the program’s ascent. Twins Dylan (10 g., 9 a.) and Ryan Leonard (3 g., 7 a.) along with Jimmy Hathaway (15 g., 7 a.) were huge parts of this team’s core. Baylyn Shankman was rock solid in net through her career, posting an .850 save percentage last year, while defenseman Oliver Feco (3 g., 6 a.) and forward Taylor Favreau (5 g., 5 a.) were also key pieces. Additionally, the team lost Harley Prizadeh (6 g., 9 a.), who would’ve been a senior this year, as he is playing for the AAA Maine Nordiques this year.
In total, BSM will have to replace 93 percent of its scoring from last season.
Forwards: With the heavy losses up front, BSM will turn to a trio of seniors to steer the ship. Spiro Tsilimidos (3 g., 2 a.), Conor Campion (1 g., 2 a.), and Louis Kilpatrick (2 g., 2 a.) will provide leadership to the forward group. Freshman Alexei Doherty, sophomore Jacob Ganz, and freshman James Chessen are all newcomers who should be impactful off the bat.
Defense: Sophomore Lincoln Moriarty had a big freshman season with four goals and an assist, and will be the team’s one returner on the blue line. Sophomore Brandon Stitt and freshman Ethan Borkes are newcomers who are expected to step in this season as well.
Goaltending: It will be tough to replace Shankman, who was ever reliable in net over her career, but BSM will turn to junior Zach Metz (.708 save percentage) as well as freshman Jack Baker, who will battle it out to determine who the starter will be.
Outlook: Bernards-Somerville-Middlesex now finds itself in the premier division of the MCSSIHL, but the challenging competition came at a tough time for this program with the amount of production and talent it lost from last year’s squad. It will essentially have to rely on a lot of newcomers this year as it goes up against the likes of state powers in Randolph, Morristown-Beard, Chatham, and Morris Knolls-Hills. It will certainly be a challenge for this team, but continued growth throughout the season is the goal. With the team being so young, playing this type of competition early in their careers should pay dividends down the road as the team matures.
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 