Lakeland's good start is the opposite for River Dell

Dan McKeen scored twice for River Dell.

HACKENSACK -- The season is young, but try telling that to River Dell head coach Larry Mahurter. For the third time this season and for the second time against Lakeland, The Hawks found their net empty as the final buzzer neared signifying another close loss in a season full of close losses.

Trailing by three goals after Lakeland's Tom Murphy turned a giveaway into the Lancers' fourth goal of the night, River Dell got goals from Dan McKeen and Lou Bevilacqua in a 19 second span of the third period to get back within one.

But instead of completing the comeback, the Hawks saw Murphy set up Chris Gesell's second goal of the night on a text book two-on-one, then watched as Murphy visited the empty net to finish off the Lancers' 6-4 win, their fourth straight to open the season.

"We're 0-and-4 right now and even though three out of the four games were against the best teams in the division, we are coming up a buck short," said Mahurter, whose team also lost to Lakeland, 6-4, on December 3 in addition to a close loss against Don Bosco Prep. "Once again we had an end-of-the-game empty-net goal so we are getting close, but we are not producing offensively."

Chris Gesell had a short-handed goal in the second period that gave Lakeland a two-goal lead.

While things may not be going as planned for River Dell in its move up to the Northern Conference - Red Division, it is quite the opposite for Lakeland (4-0). The Lancers have added some talented young players to the mix this season and are getting what was expected from their senior leaders like Murphy and goaltender Chris Matteo, the team captains, and also from seniors Ken Daliso, Neil Carius and Luke Shea.

"Everybody is pitching in," said Murphy, a defenseman who is not afraid to join the rush. "The guys who have experience are pulling their weight and [Coach Tom] Haas always does a great job of getting the younger guys in there in times when he thinks they can produce. And they have."

On Monday night the Lancers got two goals from Murphy, two from Gesell and one each from junior Chris DePree and freshman Steven Fahnestock. Having the younger players step up has been a key so far.

Freshman Steven Fahnestock chipped in for the Lancers by scoring a goal.

"Chris DePree has played a year of travel (hockey) since last season. He's playing with Deliso to give us some punch and we have a great freshman class," said Haas, who had to replace Ryan Gesell, the program's second all-time leading point scorer now playing at St. Thomas Acquinas College. "Give me a little depth and I can throw out a third line here or there. It helps in the third period."

While Lakeland may be as deep as it has ever been, River Dell is not. Bevilacqua's goal was the first of the season by a Hawk player not named Dan McKeen or Phil Cocozzo. Those two combined for two goals and three assists against Lakeland, but haven't gotten the help necessary to get River Dell in the win column, a task made tougher on Monday by the play of Matteo (24 saves), one of the top two or three goalies in the state.

Lakeland senior Chris Matteo is one of the best goaltenders in all of New Jersey.

Matteo made at least three outstanding saves in the game's first three minutes to set the tone. One of them was a quick snatch of a McKeen wrister while in a full split.

"I'd rather come into a game and get five shots in the first minute then not see five shots until halfway through the game," said Matteo, who was selected to represent Team New Jersey in the Chicago Shootout, a prestigious tournament, after last season. "My dad always tells me that, as a goalie, if you make a few of the saves that you are not supposed to make and all of the saves that you should make, then you are doing a good job.

"Hopefully I am doing that, but the real story is the team here. These guys are playing great."

Lakeland played great early against River Dell as DePree redirected a Carius shot from the point through the 5-hole of Hawks' goalie Tim Piliere with 4:02 to go in the opening period. Chris Gesell gave the Lancers a 2-0 lead early in the second with a power play goal before the momentum shifted to River Dell for the first time.

Phil Cocozzo has accounted for just about half of River Dell's offensive production.

After Matteo left his crease to break up an odd man rush, River Dell freshman Jason McDermott picked up the loose puck and banged one off Matteo, who retreated just in time. The rebound found McKeen's stick and he deposited it to cut the Lakeland lead to 2-1. Immediately after the goal, which came on the power play, River Dell received another man advantage as DePree was called for roughing with the puck still sitting in the net.

But instead of getting even in the next two minutes, River Dell fell further behind when DePree turned the short-handed situation into a Lancer goal by taking advantage of an ill-timed turnover with 3:29 to go in the second period.

River Dell goalie Tim Piliere making one of his 20 saves.

"Beating River Dell twice is twice as hard as beating them once. They are a very good club and they never quit," said Haas, whose team won its first ever division title last season when it won the old American A Division regular season crown and also reached the finals of the Passaic County tournament.

"What I've tried to stress is that we need to improve during the course of the year. We need to be a better team in February than we are now," said Haas. "From a confidence standpoint moving up (in divisions), if we had started off 0-and-4, everybody [would] wonder if we could play here. It's going to be tough, but it is good to get a couple [of wins] under your belt."