The College of New Jersey Club Ice Hockey ^2008-2009

The Lions concluded the 2008-2009 regular season with a 7-5 win over Rider University. In their first season as a member of the MACHA, the Lions compiled an impressive 9-6-1 record, finishing in 4th place. The Lions also enjoyed great success in non-league play, going 12-3 against opponenents from the Super East, ACCHL, and GNCHC to finish with a 21-9-1 record on the season.

The 2008-2009 MACHA Playoffs will be held on our home ice at the Loucks Ice Center, and will be co-hosted by TCNJ and Rider. Quarterfinal matchups on Friday the 20th pit #3 Temple against #6 St. Joes and #4 TCNJ against #5 Rider. The winners of those games will face off against #1 Wagner and #2 UMBC on Saturday, with the championship being held on Sunday. For more information, visit MACHA Hockey or click the schedule tab on our website.

All 5 MACHA Playoff games are scheduled to be broadcast in real time (audio and video) by UMBC's internet broadcast team at www.justin.tv/umbchockey.

Senior Defenseman Alex Gorden and Junior Forward Scot McClintic were named to the MACHA All-Star team that will participate in the ACHA All-Star Challenge Weekend being held in West Chester, PA, April 3-5, 2009. The team will compete against other ACHA D2 league all-star teams from around the country. McClintic leads the MACHA in goals with 26, and is 3rd in the league with a total of 47 points. Gorden leads all defensemen in goals with 9, and has also tallied 12 assists for 21 points on the season.

The Lions maintained their standing at #11 in the ACHA Southeast for ranking period 4, leaving them again one spot outside of a berth to regionals. Seven MACHA teams placed in the top 15, with three in the top 10. Wagner (#1), UMBC (#3), Temple (#7), St. Joseph's (#12), Rider (#13), and Rowan (#14) were ranked from the MACHA. The 5th and final ranking period ends on February 14th. The stretch run will see the Lions look to secure a spot in the Southeast Regional and the MACHA league playoffs. Currently in 4th in the MACHA, the Lions control their future, with three remaining league games against St. Joseph's, Wagner, and Rider.

The Lions saw their winning streak snapped at 13 games, limping into the winter break with losses to Wagner, St. Joseph's, and Rowan. Slowed by injuries, the Lions look to rebound in January with games against ACCHL opponents Georgetown and University of Virginia to start the spring semester.

On the strength of a 15-6-1 overall record, the Lions secured the 11th spot during the 3rd ranking period in the ACHA Southeast. The Lions look to break back into the top 10 for ranking period 4, which ends on January 25th. Six MACHA teams placed in the top 15, with three in the top 10. Wagner (#1), UMBC (#4), Temple (#6), St. Joseph's (#13), and Rider (#14) were ranked from the MACHA.

The Lions faced off against hometown rival Rider University last Friday, and did not disappoint in front of the capacity crowd, putting in a dominating 8-2 win. Rider drew first blood with a marker at 10:42 of the first period, but it was all TCNJ after that, with 5 different players scoring for the Lions to make it 5-2 at the end of the second. Determined to push the game out of reach, Elie Klein added two more goals in 1:12 to complete his hat trick, and fed Vinny LaRosa who took his second of the night to round out the scoring. TCNJ faced off against GNCHC member Munhlenberg on Saturday, and took a 10-4 decision. With the win, the Lions upped their record to 4-0 against GNCHC teams, winning two home and away sets against Scranton and Muhlenberg. The Lions winning streak currently stands at 13 going into the Thanksgiving break. The Lions have a big weekend coming up, facing MACHA opponents Wagner and Saint Joeseph's. This will be the Lions first meeting with both of these teams. Friday's game against Wagner will end the Lions extended homestand, and they will begin a 9 game roadtrip that includes 4 league games.

The Lions were ranked 8th in the Southeast region on Friday; teams finishing in the top 10 for each region head to Regionals, with the top two teams getting auto-bids to the National Tournament. This is the first time in recent history that the Lions have broken the top 10, and the team looks to continue it's strong play through the second half of the season to solidify their rank. Six MACHA teams placed in the top 15, with four of those in the top 10. Wagner (#1), UMBC (#4), Temple (#7), Rider (#14), and St. Joes (#15) were ranked in the strong showing from the MACHA.

The Lions extended their winning streak to 11 games with wins over MACHA opponents Rowan and UPenn this weekend. The Lions haven't lost a game since October 4th, thrashing their opponents by a combined score of 97 to 47 during the 11 game tear. On Friday the Lions beat former GNCHC rival Rowan University by a final score of 10-5. The Lions survived a first period onslaught before pushing the game out of reach with a 6 goal second period. In a statistical anomaly, Scot McClintic finished with 4 goals, Vinny LaRosa had 3, Elie Klein tallied 2, and Chris Minda finished with 1 for the night. Scott Meredith made 30 saves in net, and defensive stalwarts Eric Castellazzo and Alex Gorden each had a pair of assists. The Lions finished the weekend strong with a 6-3 victory over UPenn in the final regular season meeting between the two teams. The Lions got to work from the drop of the puck, going to the locker room after the 1st period up 3-0. Both teams potted 3 goals in the second to finish out the scoring for the night. Scot McClintic put up a pair of goals, while Elie Klein, Alex Gorden, Eric Castellazzo, and Vinny LaRosa put home one apiece. Joe McCarty finished with 28 saves for the night. TCNJ faces local rival Rider University next Friday night before facing off against Muhlenberg on Saturday.

The Lions winning streak reached 9 games with wins over Seton Hall and Scranton. On Friday, the Lions closed out the season series with Seton Hall with a 7-5 win. Elie Klein was a force in front of the Pirate crease, and finished with 2 goals and 4 assists. Scot McClintic finished with a slightly less impressive 2 goals and 3 assists, while Alex Gorden, Jared LeBar, and Vinny LaRosa also scored for the Lions. The Lions hit the road on Sunday, taking on Scranton in one of the lowest scoring games in recent memory. The Lions jumped out to a 1-0 lead after two scoreless periods before Scranton equalized on a fluke goal in the dying moments of the 3rd period. The Lions came out hard in the overtime session, and were rewarded when Vinny LaRosa slammed home a rebound opportunity to make it two overtime victories in the last two weekends. The Lions return home next weekend, facing MACHA opponents Rowan and UPenn on the 14th and 15th.

Following their clutch overtime victory on Friday against Temple, the Lions did not let down against the Lafayette Leopards on Saturday, cruising to a 10-1 victory. Scot McClintic tallied another hat trick, and added a pair of assists in the game. Sophomore Elie Klein added 2 goals and 2 assists, while Brenden Crowe, Jared LeBar, and Glenn Reese registered a goal and an assist each. The Lions will attempt to stretch their winning streak to 9 next weekend when they face MACHA opponent Seton Hall on Saturday, and GNCHC member Scranton on Sunday.

Overtime heroics by Junior Scot McClintic lifted the Lions to a dramatic 8-7 overtime victory over the Temple Owls to close out the season series. McClintic took a pass from Elie Klein after a failed breakaway attempt by Temple's Jeff Pelus, and ripped a shot off the crossbar to end the back-and-forth game. McClintic finished with 3 goals and 3 assists, Sophomore Elie Klein added 3 goals and 2 assists, Vinny LaRosa had a pair of goals, and Alex Gorden finished with 2 assists. The Lions went 3 for 7 on the powerplay, and Senior Scott Meredith had 35 saves in the win.

The Lions picked up their first two MACHA wins of the season, taking 7-4 and 8-5 decisions over UPenn and Seton Hall. Sophomore Elie Klein had 2 goals and 3 assists against UPenn, and Senior Alex Gorden finished off his hat trick with a power play goal and the end of the 3rd. On Saturday the Lions received a 5 goal, 1 assist effort from Scot McClintic, and a goal and an assist each from Alex Gorden and Elie Klein. The Lions take the road again next weekend to play GNCHC opponent Muhlenberg.

The Lions went 2-0 this weekend, walking away with wins over Princeton and Scranton. The Lions played their first GNCHC opponent of the season on Sunday, rallying to beat Scranton by a 10-7 final score. Scot McClintic and Elie Klein tallied 4 goals and 2 assists each, and Alex Gorden finished with 3 assists. The Lions go on the road next weekend to face MACHA opponents UPenn and Seton Hall.

In their first home game of the 2008-2009 season, the Lions defeated the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers by a 7-6 margin. Senior Eric Castellazzo led the way with 2 goals and 2 assists, while Sophomore Elie Klein added 2 goals and an assist. Seniors Ryan Coraggio and Jared Lebar also tallied 3 assists each. Senior goaltender Scott Meredith made 45 saves in the win, and Senior Ex-Goaltender Dave Kababik picked up the game winning goal in his first appearance of the season. The Lions face Montclair State University at home tomorrow before their first league games the following weekend.

The Lions opened the 2008-2009 season at the Garden State Cup last weekend, going 1-1 to finish in 3rd place. In their first game of the season, the Lions were competitive with tournament host WPU, losing by a final score of 9-5. In the other semifinal Montclair defeated Rowan to set up the consolation game matchup between TCNJ and Rowan. The Lions made a strong showing with a 7-5 victory over Rowan, bolstered by 3 goals on the man advantage and a shorthanded goal. Junior Scot McClintic lead the team with 3 goals, Senior Ryan Coraggio had 2 goals and an assist, and Sophomore Elie Klein tallied a goal and an assist in the victory.

The Lions will kick off the 2008-2009 season at the Garden State Cup in Wayne, NJ. State rivals William Paterson, Rowan, and Montclair will join TCNJ for the weekend tournament hosted by the Blue Line Hockey Club. The Lions will open against William Paterson University on Friday, September 19th. Rowan and Montclair will face off in the other semi-final, with the championship and consolation games on Saturday, September 20th. For more information visit the Blue Line Hockey Website.

The Lions will hold their annual preseason training camp at the Loucks Ice Center on Friday August 15th and Saturday August 16th. Please contact Scott Meredith for more information.

The College of New Jersey Lions were accepted into the Mid Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association as a probationary member on Saturday April 12th, 2008. Also moving up to the MACHA were GNCHC rivals Rowan University. The Lions are excited about their move up to the MACHA, and are looking forward to building off of their successful 2007-2008 season.

The Lions would like to congratulate the following players for their achievements during the 2007-2008 Season...

Elie Klein - ACHA D2 Northeast 3rd Team All Region
Elie Klein - GNCHC MVP
Elie Klein - GNCHC All Star
Alex Gorden - GNCHC All Star
Ryan Coraggio - GNCHC All Star
Scot McClintic - GNCHC All Star

In addition, several Lions led the GNCHC in statistical categories...

Elie Klein - Most Points (55)
Scot McClintic - Most Goals (33)
Ryan Coraggio - Most Assists (28)
Scott Meredith - Lowest GAA (1.80)
Scott Meredith & Dave Kababik - Tie-1st in Shutouts (1 Each)