The Preview: Howell @ RBC

By: Mark Ferrante, Rob Ferraoili

Just days after getting embarrassed by SJV, your 2010-2011 Howell Rebels face off against #19 Red Bank Catholic looking to break out of their recent struggles.

Meet Your Opponent: #18 Red Bank Catholic Caseys

Captains
#9 Matt Armenti, Senior, Forward, Injured, out for the year.
#17 Jesse Deatherage. Senior, Defenseman
#18 Sean Branagan, Senior, Forward.

Starting Goalie
#30 Gavin Gatta, Senior.


What we know about RBC: “Tough customer”, very comparable roster to Howell, tough top two lines, then depth becomes an issue.. The Caseys’ were led by Howell Native Matt Armenti, but unfortunately for him, he suffered a fractured back, thus ending his season and his high school hockey career. With the loss of Armenti, it’s time for the other two Howell residents to provide scoring. Senior Mark Powell and offensive defenseman Jesse Deatherage regularly light the lamp for the Casey’s, but will have to pick it up even more so now in Armenti’s absence. Other notables for the Casey’s are speedster Pat Dwyer and four year starter in net, Gavin Gatta.

Howell Wins If:
1) They have a great start to the game.
2) Manufacture an early lead.
3) Stars shine (Pyskaty, Leiro, Peras, Kochenash, Heuser).
4) Smart plays from the top four defensemen.
5) They play with discipline and capitalize on the powerplay.

Quotes on going into a hostile environment such as the Red Bank Armory:

“Its going to be crazy, If we do play, we got new lines, I think we’re ready to go.”
#2 Frankie Gerbasi

“Well you know it should be a challenge, we know going in that its gonna be one of the hardest games we play all season. But its nothing we haven’t done before, and we have great fans so I’m pretty excited, Its a great opportunity to break out of a funk we’ve been in, so lets hope we can get the job done.”
#12 Matt Schiek

“We cannot listen to the crowd tomorrow, we have to zone out all of the distractions that we will face and worry about playing our game, ultimately coming up with the win.”
#28 Trevor Heuser

“Its going to be fun having 100 people yell at you. Hopefully we can make them quiet.”
#30 James Bodeker


Experts provide predictions:
“Just play the game, take it one step at a time. Be cautious, but not too careful either. I hate to say it, but its probably a must win for Howell. Desperation shows, 5-3 Rebels.” -Brandon Caputo

“No doubt Daley has a struggling team all fired up. They’ve been awful, Daley expects nothing but perfection out of them. Howell needs to play as the team that started undefeated and really get their stride and confidence back. RBC is more talented team but Howell has the firepower to make something happen and pull the upset. 6-4 Howell.” -Brian Deakyne

“Once again watch out for the top four defensemen for Howell. The pairing of Heuser and Morelli is one of the best in the state. Kotch and Schiek are playing great hockey as well. Realistically, I think Peras/Gatta have a great goalie duel, ending in a 2-2 Tie.” - Kevin Kolbenschlag


There is no doubt that this game will be a huge test for the Rebels, a telling one, that in the grand scheme of things, this match could be the pivotal game in this season, that will show what this team is truly capable of.

On another note, to all fellow Rebel fans, or Casey fans:
Due to the possibility of inclement weather, there is a decent chance that the game could be rescheduled or postponed, so stay tuned to the even page, as any updates will be posted there if we get any info.