Spartans Hockey Season Over

The hockey season has come to an end for the Spartans. 

The Spartans lost to the Kinnelon Colts Monday by a score of 5-2. Although the season is finished Head Coach Marc Gregory feels this season is a stepping stone for future success. 

“I am proud of our guys," he said. "They played well, but give Kinnelon credit. They played like they have been in the playoffs. Our guys are young; we had the Colts on the ropes for a while but just couldn’t hold on to the lead.”

Physical play and timely goal scoring defined the first-round playoff game. The game started off quickly as Ryan Driscoll drilled a slap shot past Paramus goaltender Dan Crandall. Paramus quickly responded with a goal of their own when Mark Apidopoulos buried the puck behind Jason Braimon after making the initial save against JJ Piccinich. 

Paramus captain Pete Reveille gave the Spartans a 2-1 lead early in the second period after he took a pass from Dean Delucia and jammed the puck under Braimon. Freshman Hunter Ledwith created a turnover in the neutral zone with 8 minutes remaining in the second period that started an odd man rush for the Colts, in which Ledwith took a pass from Francis Caserta and scored a beautiful goal above Crandall’s glove.  

With 2:45  remaining in the period the Colts regained the lead for good when Brian Kruser fired a wide angle shot under the blocker of Crandall.  Kinnelon added two insurance goals by Paul Zechmeister and Driscoll again to help defeat the Spartans 5-2.w

“Potentially next year, we should be back in the playoffs," Gregory said. "We are a young team. We're only losing two seniors, Pete Reveille and Mike Woods. Although we lost, this is an opportunity for a learning experience. Most of the team has never experienced a playoff game. The enthusiastic crowds, the tougher competition, and the pressure were all new conditions this young group faced. Next year, they will know what to expect."