Raiders bring ice hockey to Freehold District
Team plays games at Wall Sports Arena
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY JEFFGRANIT staff Above, Freehold Regional goalie Mike Maczynski makes the save during a game against Lawrencevile in Wall on Jan. 24. Below, Freehold's Daniel Kutschman (r) uses his body to shield the puck.

Athletic programs can take years to develop. In the case of the Freehold Regional Independent High School Ice Hockey team, the Raiders, they are on the fast track.

In just their second year, the Raiders, made up of players from the six Freehold Regional District schools (Colts Neck, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Howell, Manalapan and Marlboro), have already reached the stage where they are fielding two teams, with one being a developmental squad (equivalent of junior varsity).

"We have 20 kids on each team, double last year," said coach Oktay Armagan. "It's extremely important to have a feeder program for the development of the players."

Bruce Rifkin, the team's general manager, said that interest in the Raiders continues to grow.

"We're getting e-mails constantly," he said. "We're getting the word out."

Team captain Chuck DeMarino, of Colts Neck High School, is not surprised at all by the increased numbers.

"After our first year, I anticipated it," he said. "There are still a lot of kids watching to see how the team does. More kids are going to show up each year."

One of the new kids this year is Howell's David Ramos.

"I heard about the team through word of mouth," he said. "I thought it would be a great opportunity.

"I didn't know any of the kids on the team when I tried out," he added. "They are a great group of kids, one of a kind."

Ramos said his playing with the Raiders has sparked interest among friends and fellow students at Howell, and like DeMarino, he anticipates the team to continue growing. Both see it down the road eventually becoming a varsity sport in the District.

DeMarino, who has been playing hockey since he was 4, said the sport has constantly been on the upswing.

"Every year, the numbers are up," he noted. "Hockey has been a growing sport. Kids like to play a fast-paced game and no game is faster than hockey."

Both DeMarino, a senior, and Ramos, a freshman, agreed that there is a need for high school hockey.

"It's very important if you want to move up and play at the next level [college]," he said. "In high school you get a lot more recognition than on travel teams."

Ramos said the caliber of opponents the Raiders play has helped to make him and the rest of the team better players.

"It's definitely different than what I've been used to," he said. "It's been a great experience for me. The game is a lot faster [than travel team hockey] and more physical."

Ramos also agreed that scholastic hockey will benefit players looking to go on to play in college.

The young program has already seen one its graduates go on to college. Dan Quinn, a member of last year's inaugural Raider team, is now playing at Scranton (Pa.) University.

As DeMarino and Ramos have explained, the Raiders provide ice hockey players from the Freehold Regional District with the chance to compete in high school, albeit as an independent program. According to Armagan, 95 percent of the team plays travel hockey at the Midget level and that travel season ends in November. For the rest of the winter, students attending the District schools had nowhere else to play until the Raiders were formed last year. With participation increasing, the Raiders are on firm footing and can envision one day expanding and including more teams.

On the ice, the Raiders continue to play at a very high level. They were 6-4-1 playing an improved schedule consisting of prep school teams from New Jersey and New York and other independent teams. Home for the Raiders is the Wall Sports Arena.

With a number of new additions to the team, it took a few games for the Raiders to jell. They've won three straight (outscoring their opponents 18-6) and are 3-0-1 in their last four.

"Initially, we had a lot of firepower up front and good goalkeeping," said Armagan. "Our weakness was defense."

That's not the case now, with the team's forwards proving to be solid all-around players by getting back and helping on defense.

On a potent offense, forward Ramos has been the steadiest of the Raiders. He has a six-game scoring streak.

Trevor Black, Nick Lisciandro, David Reid, Josh Rifken, DeMarino, Ryan Quinn, Charles Schoch, Daniel Kutschman and Mark Sabatini are all contributing to a balanced offense. Armagan credits outstanding puck movement and crisp passing for what has been a high-scoring team.

Black, one of the team's assistant captains, has outstanding hands, according to Armagan, which makes him a goal-scorer and assist machine.

Rifkin is the team's second assistant captain.

"All three lines can score," said Armagan of his forwards. "We're balanced."

Defensively, Joe McCarty has been sterling between the posts.

"He has quick feet and doesn't give up rebounds," noted Armagan.

Backup Mike Maczynski has the confidence of his teammates, and the Raiders know he is quite capable of winning.

Jared Minski, Joe Bellotti, Anthony Frazzini, Chris Bianca and Mike Berry are the nucleus of the defense that has been improving with each shift. The team has allowed only seven goals in its last four games. In the first half of the season, the Raiders were giving up five goals a game.

As a returner from last year, DeMarino can attest to how far the Raiders have come.

"There are a lot more skilled players," he said.

For his part, DeMarino is proud of the role he has played in bringing ice hockey to the area and of being the team captain.

"It feels great to be the lead of a team that is just starting out," he said.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the Raiders can log on to the team's Web site at frihockey@aol.com.