On To Round Two...

After a first round that witnessed a defensive battle, a shocking upset, a fired-up victory and an expected blowout, the 2010 Dowd Cup between Shore 'B' and Shore 'C' teams move on to the semi-finals.

Game One: 3) Freehold Township vs 7) Southern Regional

Previous meeting: Shockingly, in their only meeting this season, the Southern Regional Rams upset the Patriots from Freehold Township 4-1 on February 9th, a victory that caught the eye of many coaches and players. Southern will try to shock everybody again, much like Howell last year, and make it to the Dowd Cup final game, something very unlikely from a 7th seed.

Player to Watch: The Patriots, who are playing in the Dowd Cup for the first time in school history, will need the number one goal-scorer in the state to step up. Senior forward John Talamo has compiled 39 goals over 20 games this season, which is tied for first in the state. If Freehold Township wants to erase the memory of that tough 4-1 loss, Talamo will need to be a major role and be all over the ice--as he was in the first round game Sunday night.

Game Two: 1) Toms River South vs 4) Howell

Previous Meeting: When the Rebels and Indians met at Winding River in Toms River on Janaury 14th, everybody in the arena knew they were in for a good one against two playoff-bound teams. Howell, who had been struggling at the time, scored four-goals in the third period--sparked by a Billy Acquaviva short-handed goal--to come-from-behind and beat the Indians 5-4. Now, the second time around, this semi-finals match-up should be every bit of exciting as the last meeting--if not better.

Player to Watch: In this game there will be a player to watch on both ends. For Howell, senior forward Dave Ramos is a player everyone will being keyed in on. In the first meeting, Ramos was shadowed all game long, yet he still managed to get the primary assist on the game-tying goal and score the game-winning goal. He will have to be on top of his game tomorrow night. As for the Indians, they have a player who will be going through the same drill as Ramos. Junior forward Jay Malone will have to be the catalyst for Toms River South. In the first meeting, Malone saw the ice very well and was a major reason why the Indians were out to a 3-1 lead at the second intermission. If big number nine has a big day, the Indians can find themselves in the Dowd Cup final.

All in all, whichever of these teams advance will prove to be a tremendous final game. Still, I know there are quite a few people who would prefer to see a number three seed and number four seed face off in the final--playing each other for what is potentially the third time this season.

Regardless, all four teams have a tall task ahead of them in the semi-finals, and the eventual winner will have proven to be the most talented, toughest, and clearly, the best.