Mainly because there is usually quite a lot riding on the outcome. Tuesday's clash -- the 67th overall -- at 5:30 p.m. on the new turf at Voorhees High School is no exception. After dropping a 2-0 decision to the Blue Streaks, ranked No. 1 in the Open Mike area rankings, in the season opener for both on Sept. 3, the No. 2 Vikings will be out for redemption and to keep pace in the Skyland Conference Raritan Division title chase.
"It's always a good game with them. I'm looking forward to it," said second-year Voorhees coach Shannon Hughes, whose team has won nine in a row since a 5-1 independent loss at state power West Essex in the Vikes' second game on Sept. 5. "I'm very excited about Tuesday."
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| Warren Hills and Voorhees are 1-2 in the HWS rankings. |
Voorhees (9-2 overall, 8-1 division), which owns a 34-26-6 edge in the series dating to 1975, was dealt a huge blow in that loss to West Essex when senior star forward Cassie Boyce went down with a season-ending ACL injury. Boyce was an integral part of the offense who logged a team-leading 20 goals and 15 assists last season.
But senior forward Brooke Hyland (5 goals, 4 assists), senior midfielder Lauren Kokoskie (4 goals, 3 assists), senior forward-midfielder Madison Ogorzalek (6 goals), senior midfielder-back Ryleigh Cameron (4 goals, 3 assists) and junior Kathrine McLean (6 goals, 7 assists) have helped pick up the slack.
"[McLean] has moved to Cass' position [right wing]. She's very athletic and has really helped up out," said Hughes, a former standout player at South Plainfield and Rider University. "Koko is our center-mid and she's doing very well. Maddie has been at left wing sometimes because she can score. She's usually a midfielder. Cameron has been unbelievable. She is on our corner team and a fourth midfielder for us."
On defense, which has been a strength for Voorhees over the years, sophomore left back Sadie Eichlin and junior center back Grace Schiavo are players to watch.
"Sadie is awesome. She's so patient and a smart defender," Hughes said.
Warren Hills (11-0, 10-0) is off to the program's best start and is in control of the division race, but in order to regain the crown, coach Josie Potter's Streaks face a must-win situation against the defending champs in this one. History may be on their side as the team that's won the first meeting in this series has gone on to win the second in 13 of 19 opportunities. However, Warren Hills scored a 3-1 win on the road last season before Voorhees turned the tables with a 4-2 victory in the rematch.
"It's always back-and-forth and they're a strong team," Streaks senior midfielder Kate Fenner said earlier this season.
Junior Simryn Desai (11 goals) and senior Samantha Dugan (9 goals, 4 assists) anchor a potent Warren Hills offense, which has produced 38 goals (3.5 per game) that spreads the wealth. Junior Sarah Korczukowski (6 goals, 4 assists) is a force in the midfield, along with Fenner. Dugan, with 46 career goals, is two shy of matching Lori Toole (1977-79) and Jessica Nissen (2011-14) for ninth place on the school's all-time list and ranks ninth in career points with 113.
A talented group of defensive backs includes juniors Ashley Moskal, Liz Schlaffer and Kylie Compton, along with sophomore Emily Dvorsky and senior Jess DeSanto. Senior goalie Julia Webber has recorded six shutouts and has not allowed more than one goal in a game -- yielding just five goals overall.
The new twist to this season's rematch is the new turf field at Voorhees, where the Vikes are 5-0.
It's no secret as to what Voorhees needs to do to be successful this time around.
"Put the ball in the cage," Hughes said. "We've struggled [28 goals total on offense] but we're getting better. Warren Hills has a very good defensive line with strong backs. And their goalie, Webber, is very good and very hard to score on. They're always a solid team all-around."
We have to enjoy these meetings when we can. Next year, Voorhees is moving down to the Valley Division so these teams will only meet once during the regular season, which is a shame. With these two being the 1-2 seeds in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament, a finals showdown on Oct. 19 at Hackettstown would be must-see hockey.
Now onto this week's rankings:
1. Warren Hills (11-0) -- Blue Streaks kept rolling with a 5-0 win at Montgomery on Tuesday followed by a 2-0 victory at Hunterdon Central on Thursday for the program's first 11-0 start in its 55-season history. Junior left wing Simryn Desai continued her torrid scoring with her second career three-goal game against Montgomery -- raising her team-leading total to 11 -- and added an assist in the win over Central, which gave the Streaks a 43-30-10 edge in the all-time series dating to 1967.
Up next: at Voorhees on Tuesday; Madison at home on Friday.
2. Voorhees (9-2) -- Vikes extended their win streak to nine in a row with a victory over Pingry on Thursday -- its third straight win by a 3-0 score -- to improve to 8-1 in Skyland Conference Raritan Division play. Senior midfielder Madison Ogorzalek scored a pair of goals in that win -- her fourth straight game with at least one goal.
Up next: Warren Hills at home on Tuesday; Hunterdon Central at home on Thursday.
3. North Hunterdon (7-3) -- Lions opened last week with a big 3-1 victory over Hunterdon Central -- snapping the program's 12-game skid against the Red Devils since a 2-0 win on the road on Oct. 7, 2010. Coach Maria Bachert's team, which features a speedy forward line led by freshman Lauren Masters (13 goals, 5 assists) and sophomore Ryan Anderson (8 goals, 9 assists), was kept in check during a 3-0 loss to Voorhees on Tuesday in a key Skyland Conference Raritan Division clash.
Up next: Phillipsburg at home on Tuesday; Hillsborough at home on Thursday; Phillipsburg at home in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Saturday.
4. Hunterdon Central (5-7-1) -- It's been a tough stretch of late for the Red Devils, who have dropped five of their last six entering this week, including a 2-0 loss to Warren Hills on Thursday. Coach Jenn Sponzo's team is struggling on offense having scored just four goals in that stretch. Sophomore forward Sarah DeStefano scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Pingry on Tuesday and scored in Central's 3-1 loss to North Hunterdon last Monday.
Up next: Watchung Hills at home on Tuesday; at Voorhees on Thursday; Sparta at home in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Saturday.
5. Delaware Valley (8-3) -- Terriers opened last week with a 1-0 win over Belvidere on Tuesday as Samantha Snowden, who scored at least one goal in eight of the team's first 11 games. connected on her team-leading 11th goal of the season. Coach Stephanie Rifflard's team closed out the week with losses to Bernards (3-0), which dropped Del Val to 6-1 in the Skyland Conference Valley Division, and Pingry (2-0).
Up next: North Plainfield at home on Tuesday; at Notre Dame on Thursday; Lenape Valley at home in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Saturday.
6. South Hunterdon (9-1) -- Eagles ran their win streak to four in a row with a 4-1 victory at Mount St. Mary on Thursday in a Skyland Conference Mountain Division clash. South, which improved to 6-1 in divisional play, opened last week with a 5-0 win over Franklin. Junior midfielder Rebecca Phillips scored goals in both wins and recorded four with three assists in the team's past four games. Senior forward Alana Catanzareti is on quite a streak, scoring goals in eight straight entering this week with four assists during that stretch.
Up next: at Somerville on Tuesday; at The Hun School on Thursday; Hackettstown at home in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Saturday.
7. Belvidere (4-5-1) -- County Seaters went 1-2 last week, rebounding from a 1-0 loss to Delaware Valley on Tuesday with a 6-0 win over North Plainfield on Wednesday in a Skyland Conference Mountain Division matchup. Junior forward and Olivia Zmyewski registered her team-leading ninth goal of the season and had one assist, while senior forward Kyleigh Sturm scored a pair of goals.
Up next: at Franklin on Tuesday; Hackettstown at home on Thursday; at Newton in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Friday.
8. Vernon (9-0) -- Vikes, who drew the No. 4 seed for the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament, scored a pair of 2-1 victories over High Point on Tuesday and Pequannock on Saturday. Senior forward Carlie Van Tassel, coming off a three-goal game against Wallkill Valley on Sept. 19, recorded two assists against High Point and a pair of goals against Pequannock -- raising her Sussex County-best total to 12 goals.
Up next: Kittatinny at home on Monday; Sparta at home on Wednesday; High Point at home in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Friday.
9. Newton (8-2) -- Braves dropped a 4-1 decision at Blair Academy on Tuesday before scoring a 3-1 win over Wallkill Valley to improve to 5-1 in the NJAC Freedom Division race. Sophomore Julia Decker kept rolling on the offensive end with goals in both games and she scored in four of the past five games entering this week, recording an assist in the other. Sophomore forward Julia Fitt (7 goals, 4 assists) had at least one goal or an assist in eight of the team's first 10 games.
Up next: Mount Olive at home on Tuesday; Kittatinny at home on Wednesday; Belvidere at home in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Friday.
10. Hackettstown (5-4) -- Tigers bounced back from a loss to Warren Hills with a 3-2 win at Wallkill Valley on Tuesday and a 1-0 win over High Point on Thursday in NJAC Freedom Division matchups. Junior forward Megan Doyle scored goals in each of those wins, along with adding an assist in the victory over Wallkill.
Up next: West Morris at home on Tuesday; at Belvidere on Thursday; at South Hunterdon in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament on Saturday.
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