For the last four months, the Highlanders have been on the ice for the official ice hockey season. Now, the season is over and the team has had a season of redemption.

For the first half of the season, the team was on an average performance level. There were more losses than wins, but in the first official game on Nov. 30, the team beat Wayne Valley 4-2. Sadly, the next game resulted in a 6-0 loss to Ramapo. But once again, the Highlanders had a big win against High Point, with a 7-2 score. For the most part, when there was a win, it was very impressive. Likewise, when there was a loss, it was devastating. When Newton beat West Milford 7-0, it was desolating. Yet the Highlanders redeemed themselves, and even qualified for the state tournament.

Before the state tournament though, there was the county tournament. The first opponent was Clifton, who West Milford beat 4-1. The second game, ended in very intense overtime. It was Chris Dressler who scored the winning point on WayneValley. This led the Highlanders to the championship. It all came down to West Milford and DePaul. This was a very competitive game, but the Highlanders conquered. West Milford became the Passaic County Champions of 2014.

Ever since the county tournament, the Highlanders couldn’t stop winning. The boosted morale was evident, and the team won over ten games in a row. When it came time for the state tournament, the Highlanders just could not win. The Middletown North Tigers triumphed. Even though the season was extended due to states, the team finished with a 12-7-4 record. Head Coach Frey stated his goal for this season was to win over ten games, and he and his team achieved this goal.

There were many star players this year. Junior Joe Fenui was the top goal scorer, with 27 goals this season. He also had 18 assists, which gave him 45 points. Freshman Chris Dressler was very close behind Fenui, with 23 goals and 16 assists, giving him 38 points. The senior forward Mark Crevina had three goals and two assists, giving him five points in his final season. On the defense were seniors RJ Weld and Ross Mantione. Weld had four assists, which granted him four points. Mantione was the star goalie this year. He had a 92% save percentage this year, which is phenomenal. He also managed to gain two assists. Also on the defensive line was junior Jared Calise, sophomores Matt Filipek and Nic Mays, and freshman Kyle Little. Up on the forward line was junior Nik Latronica, Paul Roth, sophomores Andrew Ajello and Alex Crevina, and freshman Brandon Little.