Eight years ago, the Hudson Catholic hockey program didn’t have a home rink, had to travel to Staten Island to practice just once a week, and played its home games in Monsey, N.Y. “It was tough back then,” Hudson Catholic head coach Cory Robinson said. “We spent a lot of time running in the gym and working on strategy on the blackboard. Ice time was very hard to come by.” And the idea of a Hudson County hockey team ever cracking the inner sanctum of the high school hockey elite was simply laughable. It’s no joke anymore. Led by a brilliant performance in net by junior goaltender Joe Aliseo and a very selfish offensive attack that got practically every player involved, Hudson Catholic accomplished the unthinkable last weekend. The Hawks first upset Seton Hall Prep, 2-1, to capture the NJSIAA Parochial state championship. Then, two nights later, the Hawks took care of Hudson County rival and public schools champion Bayonne to take the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title as well. The Hawks’ 4-2 victory over Bayonne at the Continental Airlines Arena last Monday night enabled Hudson Catholic to secure the first-ever state championship for a Hudson County school. The idea of a program going from an also-ran laughingstock to overall state champion in eight years is beyond comprehension. Even the people involved with the team cannot fathom the idea that the Hawks actually reign supreme as the state’s premier squad. “It was a dream to be just as good as Seton Hall Prep,” said Robinson, who five years ago had to endure a 10-0 shellacking at the hands of Seton Hall. “We just wanted to be able to compete. It was all part of a natural progression.” But even Robinson still can’t believe that his team has reached the pinnacle. “It’s a dream come true,” Robinson said. “From where we started to where we are now. It’s like a baseball player going from Class A ball all the way up to the Hall of Fame. It’s way beyond anything I could comprehend.” The Hawks definitely experienced a roller coaster of emotions over the last month of the season. After defeating the state’s No. 1-ranked team Delbarton in early February, they found themselves in the No. 1 spot themselves for the first time ever. But the stay at the top was short-lived, because the Hawks dropped games to Bergen Catholic and Seton Hall Prep in the regular season, then lost a heart-breaking 4-3 decision to Brick Township in the semifinals of the National A Division playoffs. “When we lost to Brick, we put everything into perspective,” Robinson said. “We were too loose and too overconfident and we had no right to be that way. We lost and became re-focused on what we had to do. I think that loss really helped us.” “The loss to Brick helped us wake up a bit,” said junior defenseman Frank Baker. “Nope, take that back. We woke up a lot.” And didn’t lose the rest of the way, first defeating Seton Hall, then nailing down the T of C title with the decisive victory over another Hudson County school in Bayonne. The Hawks finished the season with a 22-4-2 record, but more importantly, can brandish the two pieces of gold hardware that come to state champions. “I have to give my two assistants, Frank McGady and Dave Metcalfe, a lot of credit,” Robinson said. “They’ve been with me through thick and thin. And I can’t say enough about the support we’ve received from the principal, Brother Tim Ahern, who was always there freezing his tail off during games. When you get support like that, you know something good is going to happen.” The Hawks will receive The Star-Ledger Trophy, symbolic of their status as the state’s premier team, at a ceremony on Wednesday. Next year, will welcome back many of the team’s key performers, especially goaltender Aliseo and defenseman Jason Ortolano, who are considered the best at their respective positions in the state. “The pressure is going to be on us to do it again next year,” Aliseo said. “But it’s a great position to be in.” Nothing like being on top looking down at the rest of the state.
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