Over the winter break, Middletown High School North’s Ice Hockey Team stayed strong to represent the school in a holiday tournament at Protec Ponds located in Somerset, NJ. 

The tournament started for Middletown North on December 26 against Bridgewater-Raritan. Middletown North showed that they were clearly ready for the Panthers by being physical and putting offensive pressure on the team the entire game.  Middletown North won this game with a final score of 3-1.

December 27, the Lions had to face Ridgewood High, the team that has won Public “B” State Championship Titles in back to back years. Ridgewood High had a very aggressive offense throughout the game and the Lions didn’t get any pucks out to their forwards.  Throughout the game, the Lions couldn’t find ways to stop Ridgewood from getting to the net and scoring. Unfortunately, the game ended with a victory for Ridgewood and a final score of 5-1. 

December 29 marked the Lions’ final game in the tournament. The team faced Hillsborough High School. Similar mistakes were made in this game by Middletown North as they did not play like the aggressive team they usually are.  Their aggression is what leads the team to victories. The team also struggled on defense throughout the game. The score of the final game was 6-3 and Hillsborough left with the win. 

The Lions ended the tournament 1-2-0.  Overall, the team learned a lot from the games that were played and will seek to make improvements throughout the season.  Be sure to come out and support the Lions in their upcoming games!