Hockey: North Jersey Top 15 rankings as the regular season hits the home stretch

Division and county champions will be crowned soon as we hit the home stretch of the high school hockey regular season.

State tournament brackets will be formed in less than a month and cup tournaments get started even sooner. Hockey programs from across North Jersey continue to jockey for positions with some important games looming in the coming week.

This week's rankings have the same teams but in different positions as last week's rankings. Here's the latest edition of the North Jersey Hockey Top 15:

15. Pascack Valley/Pascack Hills (10-3-1)

The Panthers have been shut out in all three of their losses this season, the latest a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Northern Highlands. A day later, Pascack Valley/Pascack Hills pulled out a 3-3 tie with Paramus Catholic on the strength of two Owen Dargan goals. The Panthers will get another shot at the Highlanders in the Bergen County quarterfinals on Tuesday.

14. KJS United (8-2-1)

Anthony Prunty scored twice and assisted on two others as the Colts earned a 5-3 win on Friday over Mount Olive/Hopatcong/Hackettstown. KJS United will have two big tests in the coming week with an encounter against Chatham and a game against Mendham, who are nipping at their heels to enter the rankings.

13. West Essex/Caldwell (8-3-2)

The Knights had two difficult losses this week that slid them out of the top spot in the McInnis standings. A pair of one-goal losses to Verona/Glen Ridge and Morristown Beard snaps a nine-game unbeaten streak, but the team with the second-most goals in the NJIIHL this season still has a lot of fire power to contest with. A series of road games beginning this week will be very telling for the cup seeding for the Knights.

12. Morris Knolls/Morris Hills (7-4-1)

The Golden Eagles endured this week with narrow losses to two other ranked teams in Randolph and Chatham. Morris Knolls/Morris Hills also pulled out a tie against another talented squad in Ramapo. All of the losses in the schedule for Knolls/Hills have come to state-ranked opponents but none of them have been blowouts. The Golden Eagles have tournament experience and will be a tough out as the season continues.

11. Bergen Catholic (3-8)

Wins have been hard to come by for the young Crusaders but the talented youth is coming together as indicated by a 2-1 win over Hun on Thursday. Declan Quinn and Matt Maglio each scored goals while senior Ryan Henry stopped 21 shots for his first win in net this season after a frustrating start. Bergen Catholic draws Ridgewood in the Bergen County quarterfinals this week.

10. Seton Hall Prep (4-7-1)

The Pirates only had one game this week and a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Delbarton won't send them sliding down the rankings too much. The Gordon Conference is always tough sledding and when removed from the top tier teams in the state, Seton Hall Prep has a chance to string wins together and gain momentum. An opportunity like that comes this week with a home-and-home against St. Peter's Prep and a trip to St. Joseph (Montvale).

9. Randolph (8-1-2)

The only team with a perfect record within the Mennen division, the Rams have won five straight and are unbeaten in six in a row following wins over Morristown-Beard, Morris Knolls/Morris Hills and Ramsey. Zach Gallo registered eight points for Randolph this week, including three goals and game winners in two of the three games. Randolph will hope to hand Chatham another loss this week with the Mennen division regular season title at stake.

8. Ramapo (10-3-2)

At the top of the Big North Stars division, the Raiders have gone unbeaten in six straight with wins over both Passaic County tournament finalists this week, beating both Passaic Tech and Wayne. Ramapo ended the week with a 1-1 tie against Morris Knolls/Morris Hills on Monday with Danny Mauriber's goal giving the Raiders an early lead. Ramapo has a date with Don Bosco in the Bergen County semifinals in early February.

7. Pope John (8-6-1)

Following a loss to St. Augustine, the Lions have been unbeaten in three straight with wins over St. Joseph (Montvale) and St. Joseph (Metuchen) this week. Pope John squandered two leads against Chatham and pulled out a 4-4 tie with a late power-play goal by Robbie Myshkoff. Pope John will get another tough test from a public school with Northern Highlands on the schedule next Wednesday.

6. Ridgewood (10-4)

A loss to Livingston ends a nine-game winning streak for the Maroons, who defeated Jackson Liberty and Paramus/Hackensack/Lyndhurst earlier this week. Senior Carson Kopff has been red hot with seven goals across the last three games. Ridgewood gets a few tune up games before facing Bergen Catholic in the Bergen County quarterfinals on Tuesday.

5. Livingston (6-3-2)

The Lancers leap past Ridgewood in the rankings this week with a head-to-head win over the Maroons in their lone game of the week. Ryan Zales assisted on all three goals in the second period for Livingston. The Lancers held Ridgewood to 13 shots on goal in the win. A week of tough opponents is coming, capped by a clash with McInnis rival Summit.

4. Chatham (8-1-3)

The Cougars already have more wins this season than the combined seven victories of the previous two years. Chatham built a 4-1 lead against Morris Knolls/Morris Hills with a Nikita Konevych hat trick before needing a fourth goal by the star sophomore in a 5-4 win on Wednesday. Ties against state finalist Middletown North and a powerful Pope John team have the Cougars as a big surprise towards the top of Public B.

3. Northern Highlands (11-0)

Three more wins this week for the Highlanders have them rolling at a crucial point. A year after a county final to forget, Northern Highlands seeks to get back but first must take care of Pascack Valley/Pascack Hills in the quarterfinals. A 4-0 shutout on Friday over the Panthers is a good indication that the Highlanders remain the public team to beat in the bracket. No team from New Jersey has gotten within a goal of the Highlanders.

2. Don Bosco (10-1-1)

A blemish finally came to the record of the Ironmen with a 3-1 loss to Christian Brothers on Thursday. Don Bosco bounced back from that on Tuesday to begin its title defense in the Bergen County tournament, a 4-2 win over Glen Rock. Kris Krummins and AJ Carey built a multi-goal lead for the Ironmen that would not be caught. A chunk of schedule comes before the county semifinals against Ramapo, including a rematch with CBA and two clashes with Delbarton.

1. Delbarton (10-0)

The Green Wave continued on with three wins this week. Duncan Stewart had two goals and an assist in a 3-1 win over Seton Hall Prep on Thursday, while a hat trick by Stewart was more than enough to beat Fairfield Prep (Conn.) on Monday. Two early goals by Nick Faccone set the tone for a 4-1 win over St. Augustine on Tuesday. Eight of the 10 wins by Delbarton to begin the season have been with a margin of at multiple goals.

Records as of Jan. 17

Also considered (listed alphabetically): Frisch (8-1-1), Mendham (8-4), Wayne (5-7-2)

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ hockey: North Jersey Top 15 rankings nearing home stretch