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Warriors skate to back-to-back wins

Published in the Echoes-Sentinel - February 12, 2004

Watchung Hills skated to back-to-back wins over Livingston and Verona in New Jersey Interscholastic Hockey League games played February 6 and 7. The two victories upped the Warriors overall record to 12-6. Looking ahead, the Warriors should be the third-seeded entry in the Central Division - Blue Division as they currently sport a 7-4 divisional mark. On Saturday, Elie Klein sparked the Warriors to a 5-1 triumph over Verona at Twin Oaks in Morristown. The freshman left wing netted a goal and distributed three assists as the Warriors iced the decision with three unanswered goals in the third period. Chris Cheshire chipped in with a goal and an assist while Alex Radmin, Revels and Whalen netted solo goals. Gunther and Whalen picked up assists while sophomore goalie Bobby Rousch came up with 29 saves between the pipes. On Friday at South Mountain Arena in West Orange, Rousch turned aside 23 shots on goal to record his second shutout of the season. It was only the second shutout in the history of the two-year old Watchung Hills program. Cheshire turned in a hat trick performance to power the attack. He netted three goals and dished off two assists while Radmin contributed two goals and two assists. Revels and Whalen added solo goals with Whalen picking up three assists. Klein and Massa dished off two assists apiece with Revels adding a solo assist. Verona 0 1 0 1 Watchung Hills 1 1 3 5 Watchung Hills 3 2 2 7 Livingston 0 0 0 0

Radmin's hat trick keys rout of Highlanders on ice

Published in the Echoes-Sentinel - February 5, 2004

Watchung Hills reached the 10-victory plateau on Thursday, January 29 at Twin Oaks in Morristown by defeating Governor Livingston 7-2 in a New Jersey Interscholastic Hockey League - Central Conference - Blue Division encounter. The Warriors have dropped five decisions. "With our next win we will clinch a state playoff birth," said coach Eric Sheninger. "This is a very significant accomplishment for a second year program that will only get stronger in the future." Alex Radmin turned in another hat trick performance, netting three goals and distributing two assists. "Alex has been on fire the past three games, recording his second straight hat trick," continued Sheninger. "He has registered more than four points in each of the last three games." Watchung Hills jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the teams exited the ice for the first intermission. Governor Livingston not only got on the board in the middle period, the Highlanders cut the deficit to 4-2 entering final stanza. The Warriors iced the decision with three straight goals down the stretch. "We had very strong first and third periods, while the second was very sloppy," added Sheninger. "During the second period we couldn't clear the puck, our breakout was sub-par, and the goaltending was very suspect. We came out after the second period intermission and scored three unanswered goals." Chris Cheshire contributed two goals and dished off a pair of assists in a strong performance. Blake Revels and Mike Rolland added solo goals while Kyle Whalen was credited with three assists. Bobby Rousch had a workman-like performance in goal, recording 19 saves. His goals against average is currently 3.64 with a save percentage of 0.88. Governor Livingston 0 2 0 2 Watchung Hills 3 1 3 7

Rousch posts Warriors' 1st shutout

Published in the Echoes-Sentinel - January 29, 2004

Bobby Rousch blanked Hamilton North as the Warriors routed the Mercer County team 10-0 on Thursday, January 22. It was the Warriors' eighth "W" against five losses. "Bobby recorded the first shutout in the team history by stopping all 17 shots he faced," said head coach Eric Shininger. "The fan support was great. We have a loyal group of students that get under the skin of our opponents. In my mind, this gives us an advantage and it paid with the school's first shutout." Blake Revels and Eric Gunther both turned in hat trick performances, recording three goals and assist apiece. Elie Klein netted two goals and dished off two assists while Chris Cheshire scored twice and assisted on one goal. Alex Radmin and Kyle Whalen were credited with three assists each while Casey Kostick and Mike Rolland picked up solo assists. "The Nottingham coaches were surprised by how much we improved since the first game," added Sheninger. "They said that we were an entirely different team." Cheshire netted four goals and Gunther also chipped in with a hat trick effort, scoring three times as the roared to an 11-1 victory over East Side/Newark on Tuesday, January 20 at Ironbound Rink in Newark. Revels was credited with five assists. "We had a dominating performance yesterday at Ironbound arena," added Sheninger. "We scored on our only power play and had a 65 to 4 advantage in shots on goal.. Like I said, it was a dominating performance. All three lines that I used were able to cycle the puck down low in East Side's zone. In the last two games we have out-scored our opponents 21-1." On Sunday, January 25, Watchung Hills defeated Governor Livingston 8-2 as Radmin turned in hat trick effort, netting three goals and dishing off an assist. It was the third straight win during the week, improving the Warriors’ overall record to 9-5. We outshot them 55-12 and completely dominated the game from start to finish," commented Sheninger. "The 2 goals they scored were flukes." Cheshire contributed two goals and an assist while Whalen added a goal and distributed four assists. Adam Rifaat was credited with two assists while Klein and Dave Massa picked up solo assists.

Warriors fall to Vikings' rally

Published in the Echoes-Sentinel - January 22, 2004

Watchung Hills burst out to a 4-1 lead before the first intermission but could not stamp out a Vernon rally as the Vikings defeated the Warriors 6-4 in an independent ice hockey matchup contested at Twin Oaks in Morristown on Tuesday, January 12. The loss lowered the Warriors' overall record to 6-5. The loss against Vernon was the most disturbing in our first two years as a varsity program," said head Eric Sheninger. "We definitely did not deserve to lose the game. We had many power play opportunities including two 5 on 3's. We scored four goals in the first period and seemed to be clicking on all cylinders as we were connecting on all our passes and crashing the net." Vernon took an early lead when John Tully netted the first goal 2 minutes, 7 seconds into the game. The Warriors surged into the lead with four straight goals. Alex Radmin put Watchung Hills on the board 5 minutes, 58 seconds into the opening period with Eric Gunther picking up an assist. Kyle Whalen's goal with 7 minutes, 19 seconds remaining in the period, moved the Warriors into the lead as Elie Klein was credited with an assist. Mike Rolland made it 3-1 when he scored on a power play with Whalen picking up an assist with 3 minutes, 53 seconds left to play before the teams skated off the ice for the first intermission. Radmin netted his second goal of the game 31 seconds later on another play, assisted by Chris Cheshire and Klein. "It all began to fall apart in the early second period when we began to take penalties and play undisciplined hockey," continued Sheninger. Vernon scored the only goal of the second period to cut the margin to 4-2 entering the final 15 minutes of action. Tim Shortman went wild for the Vikings down the stretch, scoring all four of Vernon's goals with the game-winning entering the Warriors' cage with 2 minutes, 29 seconds remaining on the game clock. He added an insurance tally with an empty net goal with 1 minute, 5 seconds left. "We began the third period up 4-2 and were on a 5 on 3 power play but could not get anything going," added Sheninger. "This was our chance to seal the game. After this power play we again took many penalties, thus giving Vernon a chance, and they capitalized." Vernon, an independent program, built up a 44-32 advantage in shots on goal as Warriors' goalie came up with 38 saves. The Warriors game against Livingston game has been rescheduled to February 9 with the starting set for 8:15 PM. Vernon (7-4-1) 1 1 4 6 Watchung Hills (6-5) 4 0 0 4

Warriors fall to Vikings' rally

Published in the Echoes-Sentinel - January 22, 2004

Watchung Hills burst out to a 4-1 lead before the first intermission but could not stamp out a Vernon rally as the Vikings defeated the Warriors 6-4 in an independent ice hockey matchup contested at Twin Oaks in Morristown on Tuesday, January 12. The loss lowered the Warriors' overall record to 6-5. The loss against Vernon was the most disturbing in our first two years as a varsity program," said head Eric Sheninger. "We definitely did not deserve to lose the game. We had many power play opportunities including two 5 on 3's. We scored four goals in the first period and seemed to be clicking on all cylinders as we were connecting on all our passes and crashing the net." Vernon took an early lead when John Tully netted the first goal 2 minutes, 7 seconds into the game. The Warriors surged into the lead with four straight goals. Alex Radmin put Watchung Hills on the board 5 minutes, 58 seconds into the opening period with Eric Gunther picking up an assist. Kyle Whalen's goal with 7 minutes, 19 seconds remaining in the period, moved the Warriors into the lead as Elie Klein was credited with an assist. Mike Rolland made it 3-1 when he scored on a power play with Whalen picking up an assist with 3 minutes, 53 seconds left to play before the teams skated off the ice for the first intermission. Radmin netted his second goal of the game 31 seconds later on another play, assisted by Chris Cheshire and Klein. "It all began to fall apart in the early second period when we began to take penalties and play undisciplined hockey," continued Sheninger. Vernon scored the only goal of the second period to cut the margin to 4-2 entering the final 15 minutes of action. Tim Shortman went wild for the Vikings down the stretch, scoring all four of Vernon's goals with the game-winning entering the Warriors' cage with 2 minutes, 29 seconds remaining on the game clock. He added an insurance tally with an empty net goal with 1 minute, 5 seconds left. "We began the third period up 4-2 and were on a 5 on 3 power play but could not get anything going," added Sheninger. "This was our chance to seal the game. After this power play we again took many penalties, thus giving Vernon a chance, and they capitalized." Vernon, an independent program, built up a 44-32 advantage in shots on goal as Warriors' goalie came up with 38 saves. The Warriors game against Livingston game has been rescheduled to February 9 with the starting set for 8:15 PM. Vernon (7-4-1) 1 1 4 6 Watchung Hills (6-5) 4 0 0 4

Warriors fall to Mountaineers third period rally

Published in the Echoes-Sentinel - January 15, 2004

Watchung Hills dropped a 6-3 decision to West Orange in a New Jersey Interscholastic Hockey League - Central Conference - Blue Division game played on . Watchung Hills battled back from an early 2-0 deficit and the encounter was deadlocked in the third period before the Mountaineers from Essex County rallied to pull out their ninth victory in 11 outings. "We suffered a very tough loss against a great team," said Eric Sheninger, the Warriors' head coach. "West Orange totally controlled the first period where as we dominated the 2nd and beginning of the third." Chris Cheshire put the Warriors on the board later in the opening period to halve the Mountaineers advantage. Garrett Higbie picked up an assist. Following the first intermission, Blake Revels knotted the contest at 2-2 when he scored off Higbie's second assist of the game. At the beginning of the third period, Kyle Whalen scored with an assist by Elie Klein. "We led 3-2 with seven minutes to play in the game," continued Sheninger. "West Orange scored to tie it at 3-3 and then came the game changing call by the refs. During a scrum in front of our net it seemed that Bobby Rousch had the puck covered, so there should have been a whistle. There was none and West Orange proceeded to jab at the puck, eventually scoring." Sheninger added, "It was also apparent that the scorer for West Orange was in the crease. After this goal we took a very bad penalty with four minutes to play." West Orange capitalized on the opportunity with a power play goal before netting an empty goal tally to ice the game. "This was a game that we should have won," stated Sheninger. "We outshot them 34-25 and Bobby had a solid game in net. We outplayed them for two-thirds of the game." Watchung Hills (6-3) 1 1 1 3 West Orange (9-2) 2 0 4 6

Litvin in goal as Warriors defeat Hornets on ice

Published in the Echoes-Sentinel - January 8, 2004

Lee Litvin made his first varsity starting assignment in the goal a winning one as Watchung Hills rolled to a 6-3 victory over Passaic Valley in a New Jersey Interscholastic Hockey League - Central Conference - Blue Division confrontation. "Even though we won, it was an ugly game," said head coach Eric Sheninger. "We definetely did not play even close to our ability." With the score knotted at 1-1 at the first intermission, Watchung Hills exploded with four goals in the second period to take control of the contest. Six Warriors etched their name in the scoring book as Chris Cheshire, Dave Massa, Alex Radman, Blake Revels, Mike Rolland and Kyle Whalen ripped pucks into the Hornet's hive. Elie Klein was credited with a pair of assists with Cheshire, Eric Gunther, Radman and Whalen picking up assists. "The turning point of the game was the second period where we scored four goals and gave up zero," commented Sheninger. "That was the only period in which we played our game, dominating in both shots and defensive play. The overall score should have been higher, but bad officiating killed us. We were shorthanded most of the third period." Litvin made the most of his first starting opportunity between the pipes. He came up with 19 saves and his teammates built up a 31-22 advantage in shots on goal. "I thought this would be a great opportunity for Lee to get his first varsity start," added Sheninger. "I am a huge believer in that a team needs to have a soild back-up goaltender who has confidence and the confidence of his teamates in case the number one goaltender gets injured. Lee played great, but Bobby (Rousch) is still our starting goaltender." Two important Blue Division games highlight the schedule along with a non-league confrontation with Vernon. "We need to get back to playing our style of hockey that led us to a 4-0 start," continued Sheniger. "We have a tough three games coming up so we must upgrade our recent level of play." Watchung Hills was featured on NJ News 12 Sports on Tuesday, Decemeber 23 with highlights from the 8-2 victory over Hamilton North a day earlier. The reporters spoke about the Warriors' success as a second year team.

Cheshire, Radmin click for hat tricks

Published in the Echoes-Sentinel - December 24

Watchung Hills cruised to an 8-2 victory over Hamilton North on Tuesday in an non-league clash at Iceland in Mercer County. The win was the fifth overall for the Warriors. Netting two goals over the first 30 minutes, the Warriors iced the decision in the third period when they exploded with six goals. "We didn't really play well for the first twoperiods," said head coach Eric Sheninger. "When the outcome was still in doubt, we erupted for six goals and finished the game outshooting Nottingham 35-27." Chris Cheshire and Alex Radmin both registered hat trick performances. They both netted three goals and dished off solo assists. Aaron Weisman chipped in with a pair of goals while Elie Klein distributed three assists. Dave Massa added two assists with Adam Rifaat and Eric Gunther picking up assists. Bobby Rousch got the win in net, stopping 25 shots. Watchung Hills suffered its second setback of the campaign when the sixth-seeded Warriors were blanked 6-0 by the No. 3 seeded Panthers of Bridgewater-Raritan on Friday in the quarterfinal round of the inaugural Somerset County Tournament on Friday at the Bridgewater Sports Arena. The Warriors remained in contention throughout the opening period, trailing only 1-0 when the teams skated off the ice for the first intermission. The Panthers exploded with three goals in the middle period as Rousch was peppered with 34 official shots on goal.

Radmin named njicehockey.com Player of the Week

Published in the Echoes-Sentinel - December 19

Alex Radmin stretched his hat trick performance streak to three-straight as he powered the Watchung Hills ice hockey team to several "firsts' during the week. Radmin's efforts earned the Warrior sophomore njicehockey.com Player of the Week honors. Watchung Hills defeated Verona 6-3 at the South Mountain Arena on Friday. The victory was the first-ever in the two-year program's history over an opponent in a higher-rated division of the New Jersey Interscholastic Hockey League. It extended the team's winning streak to three straight, also a first for the Warriors. Radmin sparked the attack, netting three goals and distributing an assist. Chris Cheshire chipped in with two goals and a pair of assists while Elie Klein Klein added a solo goal. Kyle Whalen turned in a strong effort, dishing off four assists. Goalie Bobby Rousch was outstanding between the pipes, coming up with 35 saves as the Hillbillies from Essex County built up a 38-20 advantage in shots on goal to no avail. A day earlier, Watchung Hills hammered Passaic Valley 10-2 at Twin Oaks in Morristown in a Central Conference - Blue Division encounter. The Warriors outshot the Hornets 42-20 as the riddled the hive with a school single-game record of 10 goals. Radmin's hat trick performance included three goals and two assists while Cheshire also notched a hat trick with three goals. Klein netted two goals and distributed three assists while Whalen tallied a goal and was credited with two assists. Mike Rolland added a goal and an assist with Eric Gunther and Blake Revels picking up two assists apiece. Rousch turned aside 18 shots on goal.

Radmin’s hat effort propels Warriors

Published in the Echoes-Sentinel - December 12

Alex Radmin turned in a hat trick performance to spur Watchung Hills to an impressive 8-3 rout of Jonathon Dayton High School in the opening game of the 2003-2004 New Jersey Interscholastic League season. A sophomore center, Radmin netted three goals and distributed two assists as he powered the second-year program to an impressive win in the Blue Division of the Central Conference. Radmin sets a Warriors’ career scoring record every time he lights up the scoring lamp. As a frreshman, he tallied a varsity-high 27 goals and dished off 15 assists so his outburst to open the season was not unexpected. Against the Bulldogs, he uncorked nine shots on goal and was penalty free. "Alex is quick on his skates and has wrists that allow him to drill the puck from all angles," said head coach Eric Sheninger. "He is great one-on-one and we are fortunate to have him for three more years." Watchung Hills moved out to a 2-0 lead after one period. The Warriors increased their advantage to 5-2 entering the final period. Chris Cheshire, a junior who skates on the right wing of the first line, fired nine shots on the Bulldogs house, netting two goals and dishing off an assist. Kyle Whalen, a junior, is the left wing on the first line and fired eight shots on goal, scoring once. "Kyle has the best shot on the team," added Sheninger. " Sophomore Eric Gunter, the right wing on the second line, chopped in with a goal and an assist while freshman Elie Klein started his varsity career with a goal and two assists as he got off six shots while centering the first line. Adam Rifaat, the senior captain, turned in a strong effort at the defensive end of the rink while picking up an assist at the offensive end. Rifaat is paired with junior Garrett Higbie. "Adam provides the leadership on the ice," continued Sheninger. "He takes his time pushing the puck up the ice while the others get in position, and he is the first back when the opposition picks takes control of the puck." Another senior defenseman, Dan Pepe, serves as an assistant captain, playing with freshman Dave Massa who picked up an assist in his first varsity game. Sophomore Blake Revels centers the second line that includes sophomore right wing Eric Gunther who was credited with an assist. Senior Mike Rolland skates in the middle of the third line. Rolland is flanked a rotation of junior Mark Bahna, senior Frank Eisenband and sophomore Aaron Weisman. Scholastic ice hockey rules call for 18 players and two goalies for dress for a varsity game. Other members of the varsity roster from which Sheninger selects his lineups include seniors Joe Devierno and Mike LaCosta, junior Eric Kline, sophomore Niall Flanick and freshman Rob Ritter. Sophomore Bobby Rousch, who logged the most time in the goal last season, has won the starting assignment between the posts. He faced 20 shots in the opener, coming up with 17 saves. His classmate Lee Litvin is the backup goalie. Watchung Hills, which practices at Twin Oaks in Morristown and utilizes the rink for home games, will battle divisional rival Passaic Valley on Thursday. Last year, the Warriors posted a 7-11 record that was good for a first-year program. This season, the Warriors objective is to challenge for the Blue Division title while qualifying for the state playoffs.

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