Cutters' Hockey Team Looks to the Future

Squarely a middle of the pack team this year, beat up on the division’s bottom dwellers but struggled to compete against its heavyweights.

They were nothing if not predictable. The Cutters, who finished fifth in their nine-team division (10-14-1, 7-8-1), never lost a game to the four teams that finished below them, but also failed to register a win against the four teams that beat them out in the standings.

said he was pleased with his team’s resolve this year, but expects bigger and better things in the future. 

“We return our core group of players and I expect us to have a more competitive team next year,” said Healy, whose Cutters accomplished two of the team’s three preseason goals – qualifying for both cup and state playoffs. “The past two years our seniors have really led the charge in trying to return Fair Lawn hockey to a strong public contender and they deserve a lot of the credit." 

After jumping out to a promising 6-1-1 start this year – largely a result of their relatively light early season schedule -- the team’s performance slipped once it began facing tougher opponents. They put up a valiant fight against Pascack Valley in the Big North Gold playoff quarterfinals, but , in their final game before that state playoffs.

“I was very happy with the way our team battled and handled themselves even when things didn't go our way,” Healy said, reflecting on the team’s season. “We didn't get any breaks, yet the guys continued to work hard and really rallied around each other to finish the season strong.”

The Cutters were led by a talented trio of goal scorers, two of whom return to anchor the offense next season.

Before the year, Healy anticipated large contributions from senior Jon Polyak (16 goals, 16 assists) and junior Kevin Carney (13 goals, 21 assists), but it was actually sophomore Justin Ritter (19 goals, 16 assists) who ultimately led the team in both goals and points.

“I thought sophomore forward Justin Ritter took the biggest leap,” Healy said. “He had 10 points last season and finished a remarkable sophomore year with 35 points.”

Beyond the big three, Healy identified junior defenseman Thomas Calderone (10 goals, 6 assists) as the team’s most improved player this year.

“He was someone that did not get a lot of ice time as a sophomore and bounced around from JV and Varsity,” Healy said. “This year we turned him into a defenseman and he made drastic improvements and we are excited to have him returning.”

Healy declined to select a team MVP for the high school’s winter sports award ceremony, but bestowed Cutter Awards – given to players who demonstrate true sportsmanship and are ideal teammates – to senior goaltenders Josh Sarna and Dan Prigge. 

Prigge and Sarna, who split time throughout the season, finished with nearly identical save percentages – both stopping more than 86 percent of the shots they faced.

Healy acknowledged that the team will likely be more offensively talented next season, but said its .

“We will have some speed next year and I think we'll be better in transition so offensively we will be more dangerous,” he said. "But we will continue to be a defense-first team and our systems will be tailored to fit our style."

Junior Sean Milnes (13 assists) and sophomore Matt Wilson (6 points) will return to lead the defensive unit next year. 

Sophomore goaltender Garret Baldacci, who saw no varsity time this year, is likely to begin the season in net.

The Cutters lose six seniors to graduation, including Andy Chelstowski, Matt Hearon and David Thau in addition to Polyak, Prigge and Sarna.

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2011-2012 Division Standings

Big North Gold Division

End of Season standings are a combination of Patch records, as well as NJHockey.org

2011-2012 Team Statistics

Key: G - Goals; A - Assists; P - Points; 

 Goalkeepers:

Key: GAA - Goals Against Average; Save % -- Percentage of Shots Saved

End of Season statistics are provided by Fair Lawn High School Ice Hockey Coach Brack Healy