NO. 2 DON BOSCO MOVES FORWARD, TOPS NO. 1 DELBARTON IN SEASON OPENER

After falling short against Delbarton in the Non-Public state final for the past two seasons, Don Bosco Prep coach Greg Toskos had a very simple message for his team ahead of Saturday's rematch between the two on opening day. "We basically said that the door is closed on last year," Toskos said. "Last year happened, the door just shut at 6:00 or 5:00, and the new season starts. They’ve got new players, we’ve got new players, and it’s a big game, of course. It’s a Gordon Conference game, it’s two huge points, it’s absolutely a huge game. But we eliminated last year at about 5:00 today.” And for an hour-and-a-half on Saturday evening, Don Bosco's play on the ice looked like that of a team ready to move on from past heartbreak. The Ironmen, No. 2 in the NJ.com Top 20, struck twice in the first period and held steady for the rest of the game to earn a 3-1 win over No. 1 Delbarton at the Ice Vault in Wayne in the season opener for both squads. “It’s just another two points, but it’s probably one of the best teams in our conference and the state," defenseman T.J. Schweighardt, who scored twice, said. "We always have trouble with them every year. To get the two points is huge.” Both teams went into the 2018-19 season having to replace a fair amount of talent from last season. Don Bosco (1-0) graduated last year's NJ.com Player of the Year in Mickey Burns along with an All-State defenseman in John Campomenosi, while Delbarton (0-1) lost key pieces such as Jalen Kaplan and Nick Siffringer. But what wasn't lost was the intensity on the ice between the two rivals, which have faced each other seven times in the past two seasons prior to Saturday's matchup. The final shots on goal tally represented a fairly even game, with Don Bosco holding a 27-24 advantage, and the game included a very physical tone with several big hits by both teams. In the early part of the game, it was Don Bosco which had the better of the play, beginning with Schweighardt's tone-setting power play goal just 4:17 into the game. The goal came just five seconds prior to the early power play expiring. “Hunter McGee gave me a pass across ice, it was a little in front of me and I didn’t think I was going to get it," Schweighardt said. "The defenseman didn’t step, I just poked it away and made a nice move and went five-hole.” Don Bosco carried a two-goal lead into the second period after Mark Garfinkel scored late in the first period. Delbarton appeared to find its game a bit more in the second, and it was finally rewarded when James Falivene scored off a feed from Michael Balzarotti to cut the deficit in half with 9:06 to go. The momentum appeared to shift towards Delbarton after that goal, and it came close to tying it up on a couple of occasions. But all of the momentum it built up was quickly washed away with 5:17 to go in the second, when Liam McLinskey made a perfect drop pass to a wide-open Schweighart on a 3-on-2. Schweighart scored top-shelf, and restored the two-goal advantage. Schweighardt's play not just offensively, but in his own end with steady defensive play which included some key blocked shots, was key for Don Bosco throughout the game. “That shot in the second period, (the difference between) 2-1 or 3-1 makes it a much different game. He killed their momentum with that goal, it was a beautiful shot," Toskos said. "But more importantly as a defenseman, his shot blocking was awesome. His outlet passes were awesome. He moves the puck great.” However, Delbarton did all it could in the third period to get back into the game. The Green Wave had several big opportunities in front- including a pair of quality chances in a span of 10 seconds from James Monahan and Balzarotti- but Don Bosco goalie Max Schwarz was equal to the task and made some important saves to preserve the lead. He finished with a total of 23 saves on 24 shots. While the team tried to block out memories from last year's 4-2 loss in the state final at the Prudential Center, this game had some extra importance for Schwarz specifically. During the state final, Schwarz was battling an illness and still managed to make some big saves for his team in that game. The opportunity to play Delbarton again in his first high school game since that March afternoon was certainly not one the senior was going to let slip away. “Ever since we lost in states to Delbarton, I’ve been dreaming of meeting them again," Schwarz said. "It just feels so good to finally beat them and be 100 percent.”

NO. 2 DON BOSCO MOVES FORWARD, TOPS NO. 1 DELBARTON IN SEASON OPENER

Photo Credit: Steve Hockstein