Senior Arthur Tsimerman
The 55th season of Don Bosco Hockey opens Friday night, November 29th (6:00 pm, Ice Vault) as the defending NJSIAA Non-Public State Champions begin their title defense for the first time in history vs the Pirates of Seton Hall Prep. Gone is a senior class that won four straight Bergen County Titles, a Gordon Cup and 3 straight State Finals appearances. In its place, the Ironmen return a veteran core of 12 players led by seven Seniors, including Captains Hunter McGee (45 GP, 15-25-40), Will Fortescue (73 GP, 4-23-27) and Robbie Greenleaf (59 GP, 10-8-18), looking to leave their own mark and continue to build on the successes of the last season.
In addition to its three Captains, Seniors Troy Clement (47 GP, 3-7-10), Sean Kenny (19 GP, 1-1-2), Arthur Tsimerman (19 GP, 3-6-9) and Liam Heffernan will anchor an offensive attack that also returns key contributors in Juniors Connor Sedlak (54 GP, 21-19-40), Zach Hammond (37 GP, 14-9-23) and Sophomore Matt Imbriano (17 GP, 2-4-6). Joining Bosco’s attack are newcomers Freshman Ryan Fine, Sal Guzzo, Eric Vivinetto, Ty Oller and Junior Joe Caldiero.
Forward Connor Sedlak looks to make a play during 2019 Gordon Cup Final
On the back end, Captains Hunter McGee and Will Fortescue are joined by Juniors Michael Rubin (36 GP, 1-9-10) and Jake Geraci (39 GP, 2-20-22). First year players, Juniors Brendan Flaherty and Drew Hansen, along with Sophomore Lukas Klemm and Freshman Drew Fortescue will also play key roles throughout the 2019-2020 season. Anchoring the Ironmen in net will fall on the trio of Juniors Kevin Rose, Damien Blando and Freshman Ethan Marich.
Junior Michael Rubin leads the rush
Opening night will be a special night for the entire program as the Ironmen will raise their first ever State Championship banner, closing out last seasons campaign while looking ahead to a successful title run that 14 year Head Coach Greg Toskos can’t wait to get started. “We’ve played three pre-season games and the Seniors have done a good job of leading the way, establishing our team identity and showing the new guys what is expected of them,” said Toskos, “We know we have a bullseye on our backs and we should, but the expectations remain the same year in and year out. Getting better each day we’re together and working through tough situations has been a hallmark of our teams in the past and we expect it to be no different this year.”
Year in and year out, Don Bosco plays as tough as a schedule as there is in the state and 2019-2020 will be no different. The Ironmen open with 5 straight Gordon Conference opponents, including a state finals rematch with Delbarton December 1st. Prior to heading up to Boston to take on out of state rivals BC High and Catholic Memorial, Bosco will face-off against Gordon Conference opponents Pope John, St. Augustine, CBA and Gloucester Catholic before a Rivalry Night game vs Bergen Catholic (12/23) to close out 2019. As DBP rings in the new year, they will restore an old rivalry game against longtime Non-Conference foe Suffern, while Princeton Day, Portledge School, Morristown Beard and Lawrenceville Prep round out the rest of the Non-Conference schedule.
Come out and support your 2019-2020 Don Bosco Ironmen at the Ice Vault or follow along via social media accounts; Twitter: @DBIronmenHockey and Instagram: @boscohockey and check back frequently to our website for articles and videos updated all season long.