Hunterdon Central has had an eventful 2023-24 season, which coincided with one of the most difficult schedules in recent memory.
The Red Devils finished 12-10-1 against tough opponents such as Summit, Manalapan, Monroe, Middletown North & South, Rumson-Fair Haven, Westfield and Randolph. Add all this to an already difficult Skyland Conference schedule, and the team knew it would have its hands full.
However, they were competitive in almost all of their 10 losses and reached the South Public quarterfinals, where they lost in overtime to eventual section champion and state finalist Manalapan.
“We played probably the toughest schedule we've had in a while,” Hunterdon Central coach Mike Murphy said. “When you're playing a schedule like that, there's going to be some ups and downs, but you have to try to be consistent. Going into the playoffs, we kind of knew we had a chance.
“When we started against Middletown North (in the state playoffs), I thought they were probably the best first-round opponent we've ever played against. We beat them in overtime and then we went to Manalapan. We faced them. I felt comfortable with that. They're a fast team, they've got some really good players. They're really good goalkeepers, too. We're not afraid to play with them, so it's pretty cool to go there. I felt good. It was a great comeback, but it didn't go the way I expected.”
The Red Devils were led by a top line of seniors Robert Turnbull, Griffin Meyer and Michael Catalano. Turnbull (40 points) and Meyer (38 points) both had record-breaking careers at Hunterdon Central, and Catalano (28 points) was the perfect complement to the duo.
“They had one of the best three-year seasons I've ever seen from a Central player as a forward,” Murphy said. “Those two were dynamic every season and got better every year. Adding Mike had some really good lines and was really fun to watch.”
This trio has been heavily burdened by injuries, especially on the defensive side of the puck. This year, senior defensemen Jack Ost and Max Simmons missed most of the season, and Brayden Poleski missed the entire postseason. That has led to some young players stepping up, along with senior goaltender Matthew McMillin.
McMillin posted a stellar .905 save percentage in his only season as the team's starter, making 50 and 36 saves in each of the team's two state tournament games.
“When Matt gets going and gets really hot, he’s a goaltender who can win games and steal a game,” Murphy said. “He's a really good goaltender. He's a great locker room guy and fun to be around. He moves the puck really well. I don't know if people know it, but he's a great locker room guy and fun to be around. I think he's one of the best puck-moving goaltenders I've ever seen. He stops first shots, he has great rebound control, he's just a great goaltender. He's been through a lot. He's been through a lot. He never panicked in big situations and had a great year for us.”
Meanwhile, North Hunterdon Voorhees went through some growing pains, which is natural for a first-year varsity player.
After going 2-0 in the program's first two games of the year, it took more than two months to experience winning again. The 16-game winless streak ended when they defeated JP Stevens Co-op 6-1 in the play-in round of the Southern Public Co-op state tournament, earning the first state tournament win in program history. .
The team finished the season with 3 wins, 13 losses, and 4 records, ending the season at the hands of Robbinsville in the next round of the state tournament.
North Hunterdon Voorhees coach Paul Martoli said, “It's great to be able to build on our track record at the state tournament, but after not winning in almost two months, all of our kids were hungry for a win.'' I think it is,” he said. “It felt like a release. We finally got the win. We were hungry for a win all year long, especially in the middle. It was the state tournament, so it was really nice to win. . It was great for them to get that experience with their young core, winning in the postseason and establishing themselves in that regard. Of course, we played Robbinsville, but they really We learned that in order to be a good team and play against those top teams, you have to play at a different level.”
With a very young team that included only two seniors, Sam Spagnuolo and Luka Slomczewski, it was all about building a foundation for Martoli and his players.
Most of the time they didn't win, but the effort paid off as the team lost five games by one point.
“They fought extremely hard in every game,” Martoli said. “The only purpose was to lay the foundation. It was good to see a lot of good things, like fighting and staying in games. There were a lot of games that we lost because we were forced into overtime. There were three overtimes, There were four games, and we lost, forced OT, and they scored to tie the game. Looking back, I wish we had won a little more, but even though we lost, we did a good job in that game. I think they had a lot of fights and gunfights, which was good.”
Bright spots this season included the team's large freshman class, led by the team's top two scorers in Dominique Mushon (13 goals, 16 goals) and Dylan Swon (12 goals, 8 goals). The junior goaltending duo of Nathan Rodriguez (.905 save percentage) and Daniel Van Erkan (.896 save percentage) helped keep a young team in games throughout the year.
“We had about 10 to 12 freshmen coming in, but we also have some injuries coming in,” Martoli said. “So they'll be back next year. They'll be a key piece to our team. But I think they've had a lot of growth as the year has gone on, especially the freshman core. I think that's an important part of their development. They played strong, but there were other elements to their game that needed to be improved. They learned those things, embraced it, and It's going to prepare us for next season. I think we have a really good, solid junior group as well. We have a lot of juniors as well, so I'm not discounting the sophomores. But this Our two goalies, especially Nate and Daniel, are part of a junior group that will lead us into next season.”
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