Tough schedule will test O.B. early and often
Move to new conference could make rebuilding year for Knights difficult
BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA Staff Writer
The Old Bridge High School ice hockey team enters what coach Drew Campbell termed a rebuilding season after going 8-11-2 last winter.

On the bright side, the Knights - undermanned most of last year - had more than 20 players, mostly sophomores and freshmen, show up for tryouts. Old Bridge is also moving into a new conference, the Northern White Division, home to powerful schools such as Watchung Hills, Summit, Hunterdon Central and Cranford.

Campbell's team competed in the Southern White Division a year ago, but the other teams in that division are now part of the Shore Conference.

"We're in a very tough conference, there's no doubt about that," the coach said. "We're a young team, so the guys not only need to adjust to the level of play, they need to grow into a team. Our goal is to get better with every game."

Campbell said he is still hashing out the lineup, but added that many of his players have travel hockey experience for either the Old Bridge Junior Knights or the Princeton Sports Center Stars.

The team's leaders are likely to be a pair of juniors: defenseman Joe Guinta and forward Dan Cuccinello. Guinta logged big-time minutes a year ago and is likely to do the same this time around. He scored six goals and is adept at moving the puck. Cuccinello scored 10 goals, despite lots of attention from opposing defenders. Both players will see time on the power play and penalty killing units as well.

Mike Kurth, who lit the lamp on six occasions last season, joins Cuccinello up front. The gritty senior will also see plenty of minutes on specialty teams.

In goal, junior Shawn Herrmann and freshman Chris Bergert will share the work. Campbell expects his net-minders to be a strong point. Herrmann returns after playing in several varsity games as a sophomore.

"Although we're still sorting it out a bit, our defense will be our biggest strength," Campbell said. "We want to be solid in our own zone, play a good fundamental game and build from the defense out."

To help his team prepare for its new division, Campbell and his assistants, Johnny Shapiro and Damian Lonigro, have stressed conditioning. In addition to the on-ice work, the Knights are participating in a variety of dry-land activities, including working with weights, running and various agility drills.

"Our guys are going to be in excellent shape," Campbell said. "That's a key part of the game, and we can use it to our advantage. We want to be as competitive as possible. This is a great group of kids, they have a lot of positive energy, and all of the coaches are looking forward to building them into a team. Our guys are going to get a lot of experience and they're going to learn a lot, too."

Old Bridge takes the ice for the first time this winter on Dec. 6 against Hunterdon Central at the Old Bridge Arena.