The West Milford Highlander Ice Hockey team has been fire on ice this season.
With a 8-13-2 record for the 2012-2013 season, Captain Jesse Rohr remains hopeful about the state tournament. The fairly young team, which includes only five seniors, will continue striving to do their best.
The five seniors on the team include Eric Dykstra, LJ Koch, Jesse Rohr, Colin Dunn, and Alec Reese. Captains this year are Eric Dykstra, Jesse Rohr, and junior Ross Mantione. There are also seven freshmen, which means this is a fairly young team. Do not let that be misleading; this team has much talent.
The beginning the season looked promising when the Highlanders dominated Wayne Valley by a 4-2 score. Jesse Rohr had a hat trick, scoring three goals in one game. In the game against High Point, the Highlanders once again succeeded with a final score of 7-0. In the next game, the Highlanders defeated Hudson Catholic with a 9-0 score. In the Passaic County Tournament, West Milford won the first game easily.
Head coach Dan Frey stated that goal tending is one of the team’s strengths. Junior Captain Ross Mantione admitted that he does feel pressured as a goalie. However, with four shut outs, he has stayed strong in goal all season. According to highschoolsports.com, Mantione has 578 saves this season. He also has a 0.912 save percentage.
When it comes to scoring, senior Jesse Rohr and sophomore Joe Fenui are the team leaders. Rohr has 21 points from 15 goals and 6 assists. Captain Eric Dykstra had 8 goals and 16 assists to total 24 points. Yet it is Fenui who secures 27 points for the season from 16 goals and 11 assists.
The 2012 -2013 season has been successful for the Highlanders. A team goal was to win more than five games, which was easily accomplished. Eric Dykstra stated that Ramsey and Indian Hills were tough competitors, but the team triumphed in order to come out on top. The last game resulted in a tough loss, but the team can rest assured that they have earned the best West Milford Ice Hockey record in years.
