With the 2023-24 season officially in the rearview mirror, it’s time to unveil the final rankings over the next few days.
We’ll start with an expanded state ranking before releasing the Group and conference rankings on Thursday and Friday respectively.
Instead of doing a final Top 20, we’re doing a Top 30. Each state champion, state finalist and some Cup champions make this list.
Scroll down and check out the final Top 30 for the 2023-24 boys hockey season.
1-St. Augustine (15-5-1)
The Hermits end as the No. 1 team in the state for the second consecutive season after taking down Don Bosco Prep in the Non-Public state championship game. After being anchored by its defense last season, this year’s postseason run came largely through its offense which exploded for 10 goals in the state final and scored 23 goals in its four postseason games. After previously losing to both Delbarton and Don Bosco in the regular season and Gordon Cup, the Hermits avenged losses to both teams in the state semifinals and final.
2-Don Bosco Prep (24-3-1)
Even though Don Bosco didn’t come away with a state title this season, this was still a successful season for the Ironmen. Its 24 wins was the most amongst all N.J. teams this season and it won the Gordon Cup while also getting back to the Non-Public state final after falling in the semifinals last season. While it was a disappointment to fall to St. Augustine in the Non-Public final, the Ironmen walk away as one of the top two teams in all of N.J. in 2023-24.
3-Delbarton (17-7)
Delbarton’s hopeful run towards a state title ended in the Non-Public semifinals with a loss to eventual champion St. Augustine, which is the second consecutive season in which the Green Wave have lost in the state tournament to the Hermits. Just a few weeks prior in the Gordon Cup semifinals the Green Wave gave Don Bosco all it could handle in a 4-2 loss. Max Pendy was excellent in his senior year with 26 goals and 51 points, and there are still pieces to build around in the future with George Cote, Liam Donnelly, Dante Rodriguez, and Egor Andreev.
4-Christian Brothers (15-7-1)
Christian Brothers was a goal away from taking down Don Bosco in the Non-Public state semifinals, but couldn’t pull off the upset as its season ended last Wednesday. The Colts battled all year long in the Gordon Conference and played hard up until the very end, as it also fell in the Gordon Cup semifinals to the Ironmen by two goals. Its defense stood out late in the season, giving up just one goal to Bergen Catholic in the state quarterfinals and then giving up two to the Ironmen one round later.
5-Bergen Catholic (14-8)
One of the biggest wins of the year came in the Bergen County Tournament final when the Crusaders upset bitter rival Don Bosco 3-0 after losing twice to the Ironmen in the regular season. The Crusaders seemingly got better as the year went on as it was 5-3 during the 2023 portion of the year but then went 9-5 once the calendar turned to 2024. A one goal loss to Christian Brothers in the Non-Public quarterfinals was a brutal way to close out the year, and it would’ve been fun to see a rematch with Don Bosco in the semifinals.
6-Princeton Day (10-8-1)
After just a seven win campaign in 2022-23, Princeton Day improved drastically to finish this season with a 10-8-1 record. The Panthers handed Don Bosco its first loss with a 7-4 win back in mid-December which was a highlight of this season. Four losses and one tie in its last six games was a tough look to close out the season, although it gave eventual Non-Public champ St Augustine all that it could with a 3-2 overtime loss in the quarterfinal round.
7-Northern Highlands (21-5)
The highest ranked Public team to close out the season, Northern Highlands defeated Manalapan 4-3 in the Public championship game on Monday night at the Prudential Center. The Highlanders defeated Chatham in the sectional semifinals to avenge a loss in the state semis from last season, and then put up eight goals on Randolph in the sectional final and handed the Rams its first loss of the season. The top line of Brent Beswick, Jake Baratta, and Vincenzo Capano was explosive throughout the state tournament, and perhaps the best top line in the state all season long.
8-Pope John (17-7)
Pope John was another team that improved after the 2022-23 season, going from 11 wins to 17 this season. The Lions never lost two games in a row, and came so close to a massive upset in the Non-Public quarters but wound up falling to Don Bosco 3-2. Sophomore goalie Anthony Conetta was excellent in that game with 44 saves and had one of the more memorable performances of this year’s state tournament.
9-Manalapan (19-4-1)
What a year it was for Manalapan, which won its most games in a single season and made its first ever trip to the state finals. The Braves narrowly lost to Northern Highlands 4-3, but rallied in that game from two goals down to tie it in the third period and were just a goal away from its first ever state title. The defense was excellent, and led by junior goalie Christian Esposito who put together a 35-save shutout in the sectional final. Michael Schmelzer was the dynamite piece on the offense and scored twice in the state final.
10-Pingry (14-5-1)
By the looks of its first few games of this season, one wouldn’t have imagined Pingry cracking the Top 10 of our final rankings. But once the calendar turned to 2024 the Big Blue were a new team with an explosive offense and the best goalie in the Skyland Conference in Javier Trujillo. After winning the Skyland Cup 5-2 over Hillsborough, Pingry upset Seton Hall Prep in the opening round of the Non-Public state tournament.
11-Randolph (22-1-1)
Randolph had been the highest ranked Public team in the state for weeks, but its season ended with a loss in the Public, North sectional final with an 8-3 loss to Northern Highlands. Regardless, the Rams still had an impressive year and had its usual stingy defense for a Rich McLaughlin team, but also paired it with an equally as impressive high-powered offense. Five players finished with 30-plus points, and all five of them should return next season.
12-Westfield (19-4-2)
This looked like it could’ve been the year for Westfield to win a state title, but the Blue Devils bowed out with a 1-0 loss in the Public, South sectional final to Manalapan. This years team snapped a five-year streak of losses in the semifinal round to make the sectional final, but couldn’t break through past the state semifinal round again. The defense, led by Michael Wilson, Michael Marshall, Alex Ebel, and Andrew Raber, led this group to a Union County Tournament title and a McInnis Cup title in what was still a highly successful year for Westfield.
13-Seton Hall Prep (12-9)
The Pirates closed out the 2023-24 season with 12 wins in head coach Brian Monteverde’s first year in charge, which is an improvement on its eight wins from last season. A win over Bergen Catholic in early January was perhaps the highlight of the season, but the Pirates still couldn’t pick up a signature win and had its season end with consecutive losses in the Gordon Cup quarterfinals and Non-Public first round. In that Gordon Cup game though, the Pirates did almost eliminate St. Augustine before falling in overtime.
14-Monroe (21-4-1)
Monroe climbed the mountaintop this season to win the Kolodney Cup, and thoroughly handled GMC rival Woodbridge-Colonia-Iselin Kennedy throughout the regular season in what was one of the best years that the Falcons have had under head coach Kevin Felice. The Falcons fell victim to Manalapan’s strong defense though, and had its season end with a 2-1 loss to the Braves in the Public, South sectional semifinals.
15-St. John Vianney (11-7-2)
After a rough patch in the middle of the season, St. John Vianney quickly picked itself back up to win its second consecutive and fifth overall Handchen Cup with a 2-1 win over Rumson-Fair Haven. That win avenged a loss to those same Bulldogs just weeks earlier and showed that the Shore is the Lancers’ to lose until another team takes it from them. They couldn’t continue that momentum into the state tournament though and fell to Christian Brothers 7-2 in the first round of a tough Non-Public bracket.
16-Rumson-Fair Haven (14-7-2)
Rumson-Fair Haven had a tough beginning to the season but that’s a result of putting together a tough schedule. It went 1-4-1 in its first six before catching fire. The team went 13-3-1, at one point winning nine consecutive games, after that slow start and emerged as one of the top public teams in the state. The group fell just short against St. John Vianney in the Handchen Cup final and again against Westfield in the South Jersey, Public semifinal. A stellar senior class led by Shore Conference North Division MVP Nik Doumas graduates in the spring.
17-St. Joseph (Mont.) (9-7-1)
St. Joseph (Mont.) hovered around the .500 mark for most of the season but such is life in the Gordon Conference. The team never lost a game by more than three goals and had a five-game unbeaten streak going into the final week before the state tournament cutoff. The team lost its last three games, two of which came against Pope John, but still finished above .500 for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.
18-Chatham (16-9)
Chatham was one of the hottest teams in the state with a six-game winning streak entering January. Things cooled off a bit and the team went 10-7 the rest of the way. The Cougars managed to reach the Mennen Cup final again but fell to Randolph, and marched to the North Jersey, Public semifinal before bowing out against eventual state champion Northern Highlands.
19-Morris Knolls-Hills (13-11-1)
Almost everyone wrote this team off when it got slammed by Randolph, 9-2, in the Mennen Cup semifinals, which dropped it to a 7-11-1 record. An 8-4 win against Madison made the team feel good entering the state playoffs and that sparked a Cinderella run. Morris Knolls-Hills put up 29 goals over five state playoff games and dethroned two-time champion Gov. Livingston-New Providence to win the Public Co-Op state title on a last-minute goal by Eli Singley. Luke Dickerson was a monster and had an 11-game goal-scoring streak going into the final, where he notched 24 goals.
20-Ridgewood (14-6-1)
Only Northern Highlands (twice) and Bergen Catholic managed to top Ridgewood across its first 16 games of the season. The team fell in the Big North Gold Cup quarterfinals but gave top-seeded Randolph one of its toughest battles of the season in the North Jersey, Public semifinals. A last-minute goal broke a 3-3 tie and Ridgewood’s season ended with a 5-3 loss. Much of the core could be in line to return next season, so this will be a team to keep an eye on.
21-Gov. Livingston-New Providence (21-5-1)
The Highlanders had another strong regular season but struggled in some of their biggest games. The team had an eight-game winning streak going into the Union County final against Westfield but lost. Gov. Livingston-New Providence went 5-1-1 after that before falling to Summit in the McInnis Cup semifinals. A four-game winning streak in the state tournament followed but its quest for a three-peat ended against Morris Knolls-Hills. The Highlanders will lose each of their top four goalscorers to graduation between now and the start of the 2024-25 season.
22-St. Joseph (Met.) (13-5-3)
The only game Randolph didn’t win prior to its loss in the state final was against St. Joseph. The Falcons had an interesting year. They went 3-2-2 to start before going 10-1-1 after that. St. Joseph gave Monroe and Bergen Catholic everything they could handle in the Kolodney Cup final and first round of the Non-Public tournament respectively but dropped both games. They led 3-0 against Bergen Catholic before ultimately falling in overtime 6-5. Much of the success came from the combined 67 goals and 142 points from Jake Drumm and Hunter Mabee. Only the latter will return next season.
23-Hillsborough (18-7)
Hillsborough had a good run after coming one win shy of a state title a year ago. The team went 7-2 out of the gate and put together a seven-game winning streak not long after. A promising season ended in heartbreaking fashion against Rumson-Fair Haven in overtime in the South Jersey, Public quarterfinals. The story of the season was Nolan Collison’s stellar swan song before graduating. The senior posted a 50-goal season for the first time, reached 100 career tallies, 200 career points and set the program’s point-scoring record with 225.
24-Morristown-Beard (10-10-1)
The Crimson spent most of the season around the .500 mark but were starting to gain steam with four consecutive wins entering the Mennen Cup playoffs. A bid for a title ended in the semifinals against Chatham and the team dropped its Non-Public opener against Princeton Day. There’s plenty of silver linings when looking at the season overall. Freshman Mason Hriczov cemented his name among the list of top goalies in the state with a .932 save percentage in 17 games. Hudson Salvador was another standout freshman with nine goals and 17 points. This team will only get better.
25-Hunterdon Central (12-10-1)
Hunterdon Central finished third in the Delaware Division of the Skyland Conference this season behind Hillsborough and Pingry. The group went 5-2 in its first seven games, 2-3-1 after and traded wins and losses for the final month of play. The Red Devils nearly had a signature win in the state playoffs when it took state finalist Manalapan to overtime before falling 3-2. Many key pieces will graduate in the offseason, meaning how this team reloads will be a storyline to watch in the 2024-25 season.
26-Manasquan-Point Pleasant Beach (19-6)
The co-op had a fine 4-3 start to the season, but what puts them on this list is the 15-3 run the rest of the way. At one point, Manasquan-Point Pleasant Beach collected 10 consecutive wins to set itself up with a nice seed in the Handchen Cup playoffs. A 6-5 loss in the quarterfinals wasn’t how the team hoped that run would end but the group rebounded with five consecutive wins to reach the South Jersey, Public Co-Op final. That push ended with a hard-fought 2-1 loss to state finalist Gov. Livingston-New Providence, who at the time was still a two-time reigning state champion.
27-KJS United (17-5)
KJS United, almost like Manasquan-Point Pleasant Beach above it, had a slow start but really turned it up once the calendar flipped to January. The tri-op went 4-3 in December and 7-0 in January. At one point, the team won 11 in a row overall and captured a Halvorsen Cup title shortly after the streak ended. A bid for a state title closed at the hands of the eventual Public Co-Op state champion Morris Knolls-Hills in the sectional semifinal. A stellar senior class graduates in the spring.
28-Ramapo (12-11-1)
A 3-7 record in December was very unlike Ramapo. The team corrected course with a 6-2-1 January, aided by the addition of Bergen Catholic transfer Niko Smilovic. This group pushed Northern Highlands, the eventual Public state champion, to overtime in the Bergen County quarterfinals and fell in the Big North Gold Cup semifinals to Pascack Valley-Hills. A 3-0 loss to Ridgewood in the North Jersey, Public quarterfinals brought the season to a close.
29-Middletown North (9-12-1)
An 0-4-1 start put this team behind the 8-ball for the season but Middletown North was still among the better teams in the Shore Conference. Of the team’s 12 losses, nine came against teams ranked above it and that includes six Top 20 losses. Their schedule is tough but Middletown North reached the Handchen Cup semifinals before falling in its state tournament opener to Hunterdon Central.
30-Tenafly-Cresskill-Leonia (20-4)
This was the best season for this program since Tenafly went to the Public B state final in 2012. The group suffered its first loss in the Bergen County quarterfinals against St. Joseph (Mont.) in its 13th game. The intensity ramped up down the stretch and the tri-op went 8-3 the rest of the way. It came up short against Passaic Tech in the Big North Gold Cup quarterfinals and then against Morris Knolls in the North Jersey, Public Co-Op final.
Donovan Hugel can be reached at dhugel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X at @donohugel.
Brian Bobal may be reached at bbobal@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X at @BrianBobal.
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