12/23--The Overview

As the Howell Rebels (3-0-3) defeated the Freehold Township Patriots (4-2) 2-1 Tuesday night, it was evident early that this would not be a normal divisional game for these two schools. On the night when the 'Shore Conference Champions' banner was unveiled, Billy Acquaviva would score both Howell goals, as the still undefeated Rebels took out township in a game filled with pride and emotion.
Let's take a closer look at how the Rebels fared...
First Forward Line: As expected, team captain Dave Ramos was hounded by Township defensemen all night and Mike Liero and Austin Crane stepped up big. I was especially impressed by Crane's ability to create plenty of quality scoring chances, and I feel as if this was a huge step in the right direction for the talented freshman, and he has officially gained the trust of the fans, coaches, and players.
Second Forward Line: Head Coach Bill Daley really mixed this line up well, and it paid off huge dividends for him. This line easily had the biggest impact on the game Tuesday night. Obviously, Acquaviva was the stand-out, netting both Rebels' goals, and earned player of the game--but it wasn't all him. I was extremely impressed with junior Brandon Hodes, and his superb play all night on one of the best players in the shore-#17 John Talamo of Freehold Township.
First Defensive Line: Eddie Pyskaty, who leads the Rebels in goals with 7, did an icredible job avoiding defenders and becoming an offensive prescense from the blue line while being shadowed all night. Still, the junior captain played over 35 minutes and quarterbacked a very dangerous powerplay. Very strong game from Matt Schiek, who stepped up physically and logged more minutes than he is genrally accustomed to, all during a smooth transition to the number 20.
Second Defensive Line: The duo of Matt Kotch and Matt Morelli continue to impress me. Despite undersized, they perform incredibly in front of Zack Peras, and Morelli, a converted defensemen, shows a natural talent handling the puck and attacking the offensive zone, something the Rebels will need down the stretch.
Goalie: In my preview, I stated the goalie of the Rebels would play a major role-and that, Peras did. The second year standout was nearly perfect, and extremely compsed, as he turned away nearly every shot, compiling 23 saves. Needless to say, Peras earned his starting job back, and won't be benched again anytime soon.