Mahwah Ice Hockey Season Skating Into New Groove

For the past three Februarys, Mahwah’s ice hockey team has celebrated a major victory. 2012 marked the team’s third year in a row winning the Big Green North Cup Championship.

Although the team graduated several senior members at the end of last year, Coach Kevin Sabella says the remaining and new members of the team are holding their own this year.

“We are not making any excuses for who we lost,” Sabella told Patch of how the T-Birds hockey season is going so far. “We are winning the games we should, and taking steps in the right direction.”

So far, the team has a 9-7-3 record, and is currently ranked “near the middle of the pack,” in its league, the coach said.

And Sabella, a Ramsey teacher who is now in his sixth year coaching the team in Mahwah, says a lot of the team’s star players are performing well on the ice.

Sabella pointed out the four seniors on the team - Dan Sinnaeve, Joe Noonan, Tom Pisstochhi, and Paul Curtiss – as helping continue the legacy of the team. Juniors John Kapoian, Chris Ciongoli, Mike Matos, Tyler Guiterrez and Freshman Marty Kapoian have also made important contributions to the team’s wins this year, Sabella said.

Though the team is young, the coach says its goals are the same as they have always been – winning the league championship, and a state title.

“I expect to make a run in our league playoffs, and winning states is always our goal. Two years ago we came close, and we’re going to keep trying.”

In the coming week, continue to check Patch for mid-season updates on the township’s Varsity sports teams. 

--

Submit your questions or news tips to jessica.mazzola@patch.com. And, remember to sign up for Patch's daily newsletter, and get updates on Facebook and Twitter.