Summit JV Icers Continue Strong Start

by Paul Sparrow

Summit's JV hockey team, under the direction of Head Coach Tom Simmons,
continues their strong start. A first ever victory over arch rival Hudson
Catholic highlighted a string of four impressive victories which improved
their record to 6-0.

Summit's most recent string started with a solid 4-2 victory over Cranford at
the Warinaco rink on December 16th. Juniors Ned Britt and Tim Martin led the
way, each with a goal and assist. Freshman Dan Churchill, in his first high
school start, was very steady in goal. Senior Mike Kull and freshman Kyle
Kramer's first period goals opened the scoring for Summit.

Freshmen forward Craig Oliver and defenseman Jim Hatfield knocked in 2 goals
apiece to lead Summit past Westfield 7-3 on December 21st, again at Warinaco.
Seniors Rick Sadowski, Katie Bowman and Liza Hillenbrand each chipped in a
goal and sophomore Jeff Sparrow contributed 2 assists to the cause.

The Hilltopper icers showed remarkable balance as six different players
knocked in a goal during Summit's 7-2 conquest of Bayonne on December 23rd at
the Bayonne High School home rink. Kramer connected with his first of 2 goals
less than a minute into the contest to open the gates. Bowman, Oliver and Kull
each tallied a goal and assist while senior John Mell and Martin rounded out
the goal scoring. Senior Jen Lupton was a constant strong presence on offense
and dropped 2 assists into the scoring column. Sophomore Richard James had a
very strong game in goal before yielding to Churchill midway through the 3rd
period.

One of Summit's most satisfying wins at the JV level was accomplished against
perennial nemesis Hudson Catholic on December 29th at Warinaco. The JV's
finally prevailed over Hudson Catholic 4-3 as Oliver knocked in a clutch goal
during a thrilling 3rd period. A staunch defensive team effort in front of
James secured the win. Senior Jon Mei and Hatfield knocked in early goals to
jump start Summit's offense.