Lions hope experience pays off this year BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA Staff Writer The Middletown High School North ice hockey team is off to a 2-0 start as it adapts to its new home in the New Jersey Interscholastic Ice Hockey League’s Southern Conference White Division. Coach Joe Campisano’s team opened with a 4-0 win against Brick in a conference game. Junior forward Mike Crisculo scored all four goals and Joel Mazolla picked up the shutout in net. The Lions followed that up with a 5-4 triumph over Verona in a nonconference match on Friday. Walter Heid’s power play goal turned out to be the game-winner, as Crisculo, Nick Brown, Joe Vega and Kevin Kelly also scored. A year ago, the Lions, fielding a lineup that included nine freshmen, struggled out of the gate and ended up 0-11-1 in the South Conference’s Red Division. Overall, Middletown North finished at 6-13-2, scoring wins against Randolph and Montclair along the way. “We got beat up early on last season because we were so young, but the experience was valuable,” Campisano said. “This year the guys are taking what they learned and applying it. They’ve also bought into our system, which is defense first.” In addition to plenty of young players, the Lions are a speedy team. Campisano said that will help create scoring opportunities, and again stressed that offense will grow out of playing responsibly on the defensive side of the puck. Crisculo, an alternate captain, leads the offense and appears fully recovered from the broken ankle that limited his playing time a year ago. Captain Drew Koehler and Nick Brown, the other alternate captain, can both put the puck in the net. Sophomores Vega and Heid, who missed the bulk of last season with a back injury, give the Lions two added scoring threats, while Kelly, who toiled on the junior varsity for three years, has developed into a solid two-way center. Defensively, senior Scott Palmer and sophomores Richie Meyer and Bryan Felice are the mainstays on the blue line. Mazolla has played well in goal, and freshman Chris Brown, who will play for the JV, is the reserve netminder. “At this point I’m still kind of mixing and matching, so our lines aren’t really set just yet,” the coach said. “The move to the White Division has helped because up there [in the Red] you really need three strong lines to compete regularly, and we’re struggling to find that consistency.” With the change in rules this season to eliminate more interference and unnecessary contact, Campisano said discipline will be a key component for his team to be successful. “With the new rules, we had some penalty trouble against Brick, but we did a little better against Verona,” he said. “Still, our guys have to be smart and keep their legs moving to stay away from the hooking and tripping calls. It’s tough because both the kids and the referees are adjusting to the rules; it’s a little different for everyone.” Middletown North was set to return to action on Monday in a conference pairing against Rumson-Fair Haven at the Red Bank Armory. Yesterday the Lions were scheduled to host conference foe Red Bank Regional at the Wall Sports Center.