Merry Christmas from the Howell Hockey Blog!

By: Mark Ferrante

First off, we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday's! Now lets get back to Hockey talk!

Take a look at our Christmas list!

I feel every item on our Christmas List is more than achievable.

The team currently is ranked 10th in the state, which is better than future opponents RBC (#17), Brick (#19), and Toms River South (#20).

Howell faces Ridge (#18) in the Bridgewater Holiday tournament on Tuesday @ Bridgewater @445.

Players thoughts on their record so far...............

"Were playing some great hockey so far, but we still need to work on some certain things. We have some tough tests coming up, we just need to play our Rebel hockey and we'll come out on top." - #14 Stephen Bernhardt

"The season has gone fairly well, everyone is excited for the rest of the season." - #33 Mike Kochenash

"Season has gone great so far, imagine what I would of said if we were 7-0, but theres no time to think about the past, gotta finish strong." - #29 Matt Morelli

Fans thoughts on the Rebels early success............

"Everyone is really pumped for the rest of the season, 6-1 so far, playing awesome, and they get Buckley in the lineup." - Mike Daniel

"Good start, time will tell how they do, the games only get tougher." - Max Gilbert

"I expect better crowds and good results in the second half of the season." - Ryan Bocchetto

"I think Howell Hockey's early dominance has officialy put them in the ranks as an elite hockey power house in the shore. But the best is yet to come, with due time Howell hockey will be a house hold name, Buckley is going to make a huge difference." - Tom Dunwoody

Rebels Rebound, Defeat Wall 7-1

By: Mark Ferrante

In the final game of there season series, the Rebels defeated the Wall Knights 7-1 with Goals from Leiro (2), Kochenash, DiPasquale, Crane, Hodes and Pyskaty. Howell also had very strong goaltending from the tandem of Peras/Bodeker.



Unsung hero(s): Brian George/Brandon Yaegal/Stephen Bernhardt
The Rebel’s third line does not get a lot of playing time, but against the weaker talent Daley rewards these three players by quality 5v5 time and some power-play time. Its tough not getting playing time, but when they step on the ice, they make the most of it. Keep up the good work boys.

3 stars
1) Mike Leiro- Leiro had two goals Wednesday night, on pace for 30 goals
2) Austin Crane - Very good with the puck against Wall, made his presence known early and ofter.
3) Joe Dipasquale- Dipasquale had his first career goal as a Rebel against Wall, look for the freshman to get some more ice time.


Rebel Stars Leaderboard
1) Pyskaty - 7 points
2) Leiro - 7 Points
3) Kochenash - 4 points


Fan Of the Game - Frankie Falotico
Frankie goes to almost every game, and usually is the person who starts up the “R-E-B-S!” chant, now that's senior dedication!

Whats Next For Howell?
Howell takes on Ridge in the first round of the Bridgewater holiday tournament on monday @ 4:45 in Bridgewater. If Howell manages to win this game, they take on everyones favorite: MIdd South in the next round.


Season Record: 6-1-0
Overall Record: 41-9-7

Box Score:
M. Leiro 2 goals | 2 points
M. Kochenash 1 goal | 1 point
A.Crane: 1 goal | 1 point
J. Dipasquale 1 goal | 1 point
M. Kochenash 1 goal | 1 point
B. Hodes 1 goal | 1 point


Z. Peras - 2 Periods 1 GAA
J. Bodeker - 1 Period 0 GAA


“They don’t get thrown out for that?”

Howell Loses Heartbreaker to Midd South, Falls to 5-1-0 on the Season

by Rob Ferraioli, Mark Ferrante

Howell hockey fans were not disappointed with Tuesdays game vs Middletown South despite the disappointing 2-1 result. This prime-time match-up between two of the top five publics in New Jersey featured hitting, skill, goal-tending, and of course two great fan bases.

After trading chances in the first period but not finishing, Midd South started the scoring with a great goal by defenseman Jimmy Burns. The Eagles struck again to make it 2-0, but the Rebels would answer with ten seconds left in the second period on Mike Kochenash’s eleventh goal of the season.

The third period was full of wide open opportunities, three posts were hit, (two by Howell, one by Midd South), but the biggest factor in this game was the sensational play of the two goalies, Midd’s Chris “Crispy” Marsillo and Howell’s Zack Peras. Marsillo played great, accumulating three breakaway saves and several lightning-quick post to post saves, flashing his inner Roberto Luongo.

Unfortunately, Howell fell short 2-1, but were are a lot of positives that came out of this game:
-Howell played their heart out all night, worked for every loose puck, and never gave up on a play.
-Defense held its own against one of the best offenses in the state of New Jersey.
-Howell PROVED it could keep up with, if not outplay one of the best teams in the state. (they tied CBA 2-2).


Unsung hero: Brandon Hodes
Hodes played in all situations (PK, PP and 4 on 4) and proved why he deserves the captaincy. We here at the Howell hockey blog love blue collar hockey, Hodes was the epitome of that last night. Well Done.


3 stars
1) Trevor Heuser- Heuser played great defense throughout, and for the most part, shut down Midd South’s high potent offense. Hueser has been impressing EVERYONE this far into the season.
2) Zack Peras- Kept the Rebels in the game for the most part, played well.
3) Mike Kochenash-Put Howell back in the game with a snipe as time was ticking down on the 2nd period.


Rebel Stars Leaderboard
1) Pyskaty - 7 points
2) Leiro - 4 Points
3) Kochenash - 4 points


Fan Of the Game - Howell’s Fanbase!
In an unanimous decision, the “fan” of the game, goes to the entire fanbase.There were a lot of great fans there last night, twenty or so tailgaters, seniors home from college, kids missing work to come. Awesome chants, and awesome tailgate everyone.


Whats Next For Howell?
After tonight’s rematch with Wall, Howell plays in the “Bridgewater Holiday Tournament” from December 26th to December 30th. Shorty after that comes the highly anticipated match between Howell and the defending public state champions, Toms River South. This game should be another great test for Howell, as TRS has regressed a bit since their championship win, but regardless, it should be a good game.


Season Record: 5-1-0
Overall Record: 40-9-7


Freshman Quote on Tuesdays 2-1 loss against Middletown South

“We played well overall, just need to put up more than one goal, Peras played great.” - #2 Frankie Gerbasi


Box Score:
M. Kochenash: 1 goal | 1 point


2010 Goal Leaders
1) M. Kochenash - 11
2) M. Leiro - 10
3) E.Pyskaty 9
4) T. Hueser 4
5) F. Gerbasi 3

The Preview: (#13) Howell vs (#8) Middletown South

By: Mark Ferrante

Edited By: Max Gilbert, Rob Ferraioli

Game of the year? Maybe...

Hostility, hate and intensity are the only words that come to mind when thinking about Tuesday’s prime-time match up of Middletown South (#1 Public) vs Howell (#4 Public).

Get to know the teams

Middletown South Eagles
The number one ranked public school in the state enters this game with a tie against CBA, two wins over Mondon and a mercy against SJV. The Eagles are lead by senior Defensemen Chris Malamut, forward Matt Johnson, Brett Johnson, and junior Zach England. The Eagles are considered the best public school in the state because of a strong top six defensive core of Malamut, Burns, Littenberg, Ditzel, Himmelberg and Nielsen. Midd South’s best weapon is in net, Chris Marsillo. The man they call “Crispy” is having a sensational year so far in net. In there first four games (3-0-1) the Eagles have outscored their opponents 28-2.

Your Howell Rebels
The fourth ranked public school in the state enters the game with quality wins over Jackson, Wall, Toms River North, SJV and a blowout victory over Mondon. Howell’s production (as expected) has come entirely from their top six forwards and top 4 defenseman. The line of Leiro/Pyskaty/Kochenash has produced the majority of Howell’s goals, Gerbasi/Hodes/Crane has produced their fair share of points as well. The defense for Howell has been shaky at times, but they have been bailed out by the sensational play of juniors Zack Peras and James Bodeker.


Quotes

“If Howell works there asses off, they have an awesome chance of winning”

-Billy Dovenero

“It’s the biggest game of the year, it features in my opinion,two of the top three publics in the game. With that said, if Howell brings their top game, Middletown has no shot at winning”
-Brian Deakyne

“Time to show what Howell is made of”
-Mike Daniel

"Must do's for Howell are to stay out of the box, get pucks deep and to protect the slot. Watch out for Trevor Hueser, the kid eats minutes no problem, talk about upcoming defensemen, the kid is a stud."

- Kevin Kolbenschlag

3 Keys to the game

1) Quick start, Howell will have a tough time playing from behind. There is no margin for error playing tied or in the lead.
2) Utilizing the 3rd D-Pairing and 3rd line. Howell can not roll 2 defensive pairings and 2 lines the whole game, by the 3rd period they will be extremely tired.
3) Top 3 production, Pyskaty needs to lead by example. How so? Scoring goals, big hits and smart decisions, Kochenash/Leiro need to do the same.


“As a fan, what should I expect?”
-Expect a loud building
-Expect great hockey from the two of the best 5 hockey teams in the state
-Expect great discussions on this article

Here's to a good game, regardless of the team you support.

Q + A with Junior Defensemen Matt Kotch

By: Mark Ferrante

I recently got the chance to sit down with Junior Defensemen Matt Kotch to talk about his outstanding play so far this season and his Rebel teammates. Enjoy.

MF – “We all know the team is doing well, but how do you feel about your play 5 games into the season?”

MK – “I feel like I haven’t been playing to my potential, I need to pick it up.”

MF- “What teammate of yours has impressed you the most so far?”

MK – “Mike Kochenash has been moving the puck real well, moving his feet, making the plays and scoring the goals.”

MF – “How would you grade the fans so far? Whats your favorite chant at the games?”

MK – “The fans are same of the best we’ve ever had, really vocal and loud. My favorite chant is R-E-B-S REBS REBS REBS!”

MF – “Do you have a pregame ritual? Are you superstitious?”

MK – “Um, pregame ritual, I really am not superstitious, who needs superstitions?”

MF – “If the hockey team had a Christmas party, who shows up in the ugliest sweater? Who’s the best dancer? And who shows up one hour late?”

MK – “(Laughs)…It quite obvious Buckley is the best dancer. Ugliest Christmas sweater, Im gonna say Crane, if he wears one, and Eddie or Leiro shows up late.”

MF – “Thanks and good luck.”

MK – “Thanks, keep up the fan base.”

Game recaps are coming, just wanted to write this up real fast!

A little game recap, game preview and rankings!

By: Mark Ferrante, Rob Ferraioli

First off, apologies about this taking so long. We have both been very busy with school and work, so it took us a while to sit down and get this done.


Chants of, “Who’s the joke now?” rang from the Howell fans when the Rebels defeated rival Jackson Memorial on Wednesday night. The score might have only been 5-1, but the Rebels dominated play throughout the game but ran into a hot goalie. Leiro started the scoring with a beautiful wrist shot from an awesome pass from who else, Eddie Pyskaty. After that, followed four consecutive Rebel goals from Leiro again, Pyskaty, Frankie Gerbasi, and Mike Kochenash.
Defensively, Howell played solid, they limited Jackson to under 20 shots, only allowing one goal. The Rebels were without Kotch so once again Hueser, Morelli, Schiek and Glover were up to the task and stepped up big.
In between the pipes Zack Peras played another good game, made very nice post to post saves, and ate up rebounds all game long. For numbers people, his goals against so far is 0.66……Pretty impressive for the third year goaltender.


Unsung hero: John Glover.
Glover was asked to step into the 2nd defensive pairing due to kotch’s absence and played great. He made several nice passes and made the “smart play” every time he was on the ice. Very nice to see.


3 stars
1) Eddie Pyskaty - Another four point night, does this surprise anyone?
2) Mike Leiro – A two goal night, I remember our panel saying he was going to have a good game against Jackson….+1 for Howell Hockey Blog! Also, congrats to Leiro for scoring his 100th career point.
3) Frankie Gerbasi – Scored his first goal in his young high school career. Hopefully Gerbasi can get things going, if he does, Howell’s already balanced offense could be much more potent.


Rebel Stars Leaderboard
1) Pyskaty - 7 points
2) Leiro - 4 Points
3) Kochenash - 3 points


Fan Of the Game - Mike Bonello!
Bonello traveled to Wednesday night’s game with a fever of 101, hopefully no one else got sick but the Howell Hockey community loves the dedication Mike!

Whats Next For Howell?
On Tuesday December 14th, Howell will be squaring off vs Wall at Gold Coast Arena. There is a known rivalry between the Rebels and the Knights that dates back to the Dowd Cup final in 08, where the Rebels defeated Wall to take the conference. This looks to be a good game, and a good test for the Rebels.

Season Record - 3-0-0
Overall Record - 38-8-7

Rankings: Updated Rankings came out today, and your Howell Rebels are #16th overall in the state, and the 5th public team in the state! Ahead of Howell is future opponent Red Bank Catholic....Howell @ RBC on January 11th could be Howell’s Game of the Year.


Box Score:
E. Pyskaty: 2 goals | 2 assists | 4 points
M. Leiro:2 goals | 2 points
M. Kochenash: 1 goal | 1 assist | 2 points
F. Gerbasi: 1 goal | 1 assist | 2 points
T. Heuser: 1 assist | 1 point

Max Gilbert - "The Rebellion has been bringing the noise and intimidating your players since 2008."

Howell Impresses Their Way Through Early Season Play

By Brian Deakyne, staff editor

Despite the growing success for the 2010 Howell Rebels, it must be understood that those games were expected victories.

After two years of not earning too much respect, Howell has rolled through their first three games with relative ease, but that is something that was expected, both from the fan-base all the way through to the bench.

Head coach Bill Daley, in his third year and pushing his 40th career win, demands as close to perfection as he can achieve from a team of this talent level.

For the first time in the three years, this Rebels' team has proven to be deeper than any team in the past and has the skill on defense that they've never had, previously, as well.

Besides Kevin Gaskill, who graduated in 2009, Daley has played forwards such as Eddie Pyskaty on the blue-line, just for some skill back there. Now, with freshman Trevor Hueser busting big on the varsity scene, there's no reason for something like that--making Howell's offensive attack that much more balanced.

With a first line of Mike Liero, Pyskaty and Michael Kochenash--each of which has scored a goal in each game and has at least 8 points so far in the season--there's really no telling in how far Howell will go.

While Daley is extremely impressed with the way the first line has performed in every phase of the game, he can't help but notice the positive play from third-liners, Frankie Gerbasi in particular. The freshman has displayed terrific hockey sense, and scored his first career goal on Wednesday night, looking strong throughout the game.

Jon Glover and Matt Morelli have looked good as well on defense, complimenting Hueser well.

In net, three-year starter Zack Peras has turned away 31 of 33 shots, with three wins and a shutout, something that has become almost expected of the junior goaltender.

Coming up, Howell will take on Wall in a rivalry that has turned many pages in the short two years they have played each other. Since the Rebels' rallied to win the Dowd Cup two years ago, Wall has been out to get Howell. Last season, Brandon Hodes scored the game-winning goal in the final minutes as the boys in blue took the game 2-1. Look for a game filled with hard hits as Wall head coach Mike Dianora isn't all too fond of the Rebels.

It's going to be tough, but no one wants to look past Wall and towards Middletown South. Probably the game of the year against arguably two of the top Shore Conference teams, that battle will be fun to watch on Dec. 21. For now, however, the Rebels have enough on their plate as they go from mediocre to one of the best publics in the state.

Howell Improves to 2-0 on the Season With a 12-1 Win Over Mon Don.

By: Rob Ferraioli, Mark Ferrante , staff writers

Game Summary
In a game where Howell completely dominated in all aspects, many players stepped up and contributed out of their roles. After early domination by the 1st and 2nd lines, coach Daley elected to giving the 3rd line of Bernhardt-Aienna-Yaegal, some rare ice time and the line responded. Bernhardt played a great game and scored his first varsity goal of the season, while Aienna and Yaegal both had good games and generated some chances. Back to the top 2 lines, Eddy Pyskaty played another great game, and looked unstoppable out there, while Mike Kochenash added a goal, and Mike Leiro had a big game scoring 3 goals.

On the back end, there wasn’t much work to be done defensively, as the Rebels maintained such high offensive pressure. Other than a few minor chances, it was a great game by the rebels defense, minus the one Mon Don goal, which came off of a broken play which left a Mon Don forward wide open in front of the net for an easy tap in past a sprawling Peras. Matt Morelli and Trevor Heuser both played strong games, with Morelli scoring his first two goals of the season, and playing great defense, and Heuser played well defensively, shutting down any of Mon Don’s rushes. Matt Kotch and Matt Schiek played well, and John Glover and Billy Montague got some playing time as well.

In net, there wasnt much work to be done, as the Mon Don offense could only muster 2 shots, Peras faced one shot, and let in one goal, in a period of action, and Bodeker made one save on a deflection, playing the entire second period.

______________________________________________________________________________


Unsung hero - Matt Schiek.
Schiek wracked up a good amount of minutes and made his presences known by big hits, timely pinches and a few good shots to the net. If Howell can get Schiek going, as well as Morelli/Glover, look for the Rebels to jump into the top 25 of the NJ state rankings.



3 Stars of the Night
1) Eddie Pyskaty – Absolutely Dominated the ice, rarely lost the puck, and had what, 3 goals……. As we said last time, get used to seeing Eddie on here.
2) Mike Leiro – 3 Goals on the night, awesome wrist shot, look for him to have a big night against Jackson tomorrow!
3) Tie- Brandon Hodes/Matt Morelli – Hodes had a solid night, he picked up his first goal of the season, played well on the PK and back checked hard all game long. Matt Morelli picked up 2 goals and played awesome defense. Morelli is making a strong case to be the #1 defenseman for Howell.


Rebel Stars Leaderboard
1) Eddie Pyskaty – 4 Points
2) Mike Kochenash – 3 Points
3) Leiro – 2 Points


Whats next for Howell: The Rebels take on #26 ranked Jackson Memorial at Toms River on Wednesday December 8th, at 730. This game is huge for the Rebels, and is quite arguably their first big test of the year. There is a lot of bad blood in this game. In addition to being rival towns, Jackson’s head coach Peter Morris has been known for his hatred of Howell. Last year he told several people that Howell’s program is a joke, as is Brian Deakyne and the Howell Hockey Blog. Just a note, after he said that, Howell DEFEATED Jackson 3-1 in the Shore Conference Tournament last winter.

Will coach Morris eat his words again? Lets hope so.



Season Record - 2-0-0
Overall Record - 37-8-7

Next 3 games:
Jackson Memorial -- Wednesday. December 8th @ 730, in Toms River
Wall -- Tuesday, December 14th @ 700, in Wall
SJV -- Thursday, December 16th @ 800. in Wall


Fan Section: We had a great crowd numbers wise, but people, we need everyone to chant!!!!! We need to be loud!!! It doesn't work if the same 15 kids are the only ones chanting. We fully expect everyone to be out there tomorrow night, and need EVERYONE to chant.

Fan of the Game - Tom Dunwoody, gotta appreciate what Dunwoody brings to the table, even with nerve damage he still screams his heart out....Thank You Tom!

Box Score
E. Pyskaty: 3 goals
M. Leiro: 3 goals
M. Morreli: 2 goals
M. Kochenash: 1 goal
B. Hodes: 1 goal
T. Hueser: 1 goal
S. Bernhardt: 1 goal

Season Opener a Success, Howell Defeats Toms River North 7-0

By: Mark Ferrante, Rob Ferraioli, staff writers

The 30th state ranked Howell Rebels made a statement to New Jersey as they EMBARRASSED the Toms River North Mariners in shutout fashion 7-0.

Headlining the score-sheet were forwards Mike Kochenash (3G, 1A) and Eddie Pyskaty (2G, 3A) who was electrifying every time he touched the puck. Other standouts were goaltender Zack Peras who recorded his first shutout of the season, and freshman defenseman Trevor Heuser (1G) who scored his first goal of his high school career on a blast from the point and played solid defense all night.

Grades
Offense - A+: Great cycling, passing, shooting, domination, and of course 7 goals for is huge for an opener. Howell’s offense SHOULD NOT be a problem all year, especially when Greg Buckley enters Howell line-up after his 30 day suspension due to transfer.

Defense - B+: Great breakouts, lots of blocked shots and big hits. Only improvement that needs to be made is a cut-down on breakaways, Peras did save 2-3 breakaways. The way we see it is those breakaways will be cut down by seasons end, just gotta get the D some more chemistry.

Goaltending - A+: Peras was very solid making 16 saves on 16 shots for a shutout. A shutout is great for a goalies confidence, especially to start the season.

Coaching - A: Very good to see the top 2 lines getting some confidence and chemistry with each other. The 3rd line wasn’t used very much, but obviously Coach Daley instilled the Defense first mentality to his 3rd liners, and it showed off, very good to have a 3rd line who will focus on defense.

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A lot of times when watching hockey, fans only notice the players who put up the points. We would like everyone to notice the “Unsung heroes”.

Matt Morelli epitomized the definition of an “Unsung hero” last night. Morelli did not have any points, but did do a lot of dirty work, worked hard in the corners, blocked shots, and threw his body around all night long.

Improvements: The fans. Howell High School is a school of 2,500 students, there were 15-20 kids chanting on Wednesday night. “The Rebellion” is known as of the best fan bases in all of New Jersey............Please tell me where everyone was for the season opener last night? The class of 2010 prided themselves on going to every game, regardless of location, and I think a lot of other students should continue the tradition.


3 Stars of the Game:
1) Mike Kochenash – Opening night hat-trick, good start to the season for Kochenash. If the Rebels look to go far this year, Kochenash has to be a huge part of the success.
2) Zack Peras – Even though the final score was 7-0, Peras had to make 2-3 breakaway saves. Ideal start to the season for the Rebels net-minder.
3) Eddie Pyskaty – Made his presence felt every time he stepped on the ice. 2 goals and a couple assists is a great starting point for the Senior captain. Get used to seeing Pyskaty in the three stars.


Rebel Stars Leaderboard
1) Kochenash – 3 Points
2) Peras – 2 Points
3) Pyskaty – 1 Point
**** New competition we are creating, for every game, we will do a 3 star selection, if you are the 1st player in our eyes, you receive 3 points, 2nd, 2 points, 3rd, 1 point.

Whats Next for the Rebels: Howell has two HUGE tests next week, Mon Don (rank 36th) on Tuesday December 7th, then another huge one 24 hours later against rival Jackson Memorial on December 8th..............EVERYONE GO TO THE GAME.

Wear white on Tuesday! White out Mon Don!!!

Seasonal Record - 1-0-0
Overall Record - 36-8-7

Box Score
M. Kochenash: 3 goals 1 assist 4 points
E. Pyskaty: 2 goals 3 assists 5 points
M. Leiro: 1 goal 1 assist 2 points
T. Heuser: 1 goal 0 assists 1 point
B. Hodes: 0 goals 1 assist 1 point

Z. Peras: 16 shots against 16 saves