The brackets are out and we are just a few weeks away from crowning champions.
Six separate brackets were released Tuesday, setting the path for 92 hockey teams from across the state to pursue a state championship.
Much like last season, Public and Public Co-Op teams were seeded into separate sectional brackets with the two champions set to meet at Prudential Center in Newark on March 10.
Also heading to the home of the Devils that day will be the final two teams in the 16-team Non-Public bracket, as well as the finalists of the 12-team girls bracket.
Here are the favorites in all six brackets, along with some other teams to watch as the tournament moves along.
North, Public
Favorite: Northern Highlands
Dark horse: Chatham
Northern Highlands has done masterful work in growing across the season. The Highlanders have won 10 straight games since being upset in the Bergen County quarterfinals and are set to defend its Public state championship. Northern Highlands has reached at least the state semifinals in six of the last seven state tournaments. Northern Highlands senior forward Brent Beswick is one of the most prolific scorers North Jersey has ever seen with this postseason being his swan song. In 12 career playoff games in his high school career, Beswick has 23 goals and 16 assists.
There is no question that this bracket is filled with tough competition that knows each other well. Four of the top six seeds come from the Big North, including Ramapo and Ridgewood, who faced one another three times including in the Bergen County quarterfinals. A fourth encounter could come in the second round. Passaic County champion Passaic Tech is the No. 6 seed following a school-record 16 regular season wins. The Bulldogs have only reached the second round once in their brief existence.
Chatham sits in a dangerous position as the No. 7 seed. The Cougars lost 11 games in the regular season, but they all come to quality playoff teams, including three losses to Morristown Beard. Chatham took Northern Highlands to overtime before falling to the top seed earlier this season. Chatham is definitely the type of team where records and seeds can get thrown out at this stage of the season. In their last five state tournament appearances, the Cougars have 12 combined state playoff wins and have reached the state final three times.
South, Public
Favorite: Bridgewater-Raritan
Dark horse: Rumson-Fair Haven
Bridgewater-Raritan is the top seed in their sectional with 20 wins and a berth in the Skyland Cup final. The Panthers scored 30 more goals than any other team in their conference and now are poised to make a run towards a state title after a second round exit a season ago. Opponents don't have one particular area to attack as junior Dylan Churpakovich (16 goals) leads a group of six Bridgewater-Raritan players with 10 or more goals this season.
Westfield took Bridgewater-Raritan out of last year's tournament and are the big obstacle on the bottom end of the bracket as the No. 2 seed. The Blue Devils won the McInnis Cup and have the ability to turn opponents away from their normal gameplan. A pair of dominant wins over defensive-minded Livingston, including in the McInnis final, makes Westfield appear dangerous. A five-game losing streak might have bumped Middletown North down to No. 5 in the bracket, but the Lions are always a tough out of the playoffs regardless of record.
The real problem for Bridgewater-Raritan likely resides in the Shore Conference and Rumson-Fair Haven checks the boxes. An overtime winner away from the Handchen Cup final, the Bulldogs don't leap off the page like other dark horses might. Their losses are to strong teams, including a defeat against Bridgewater-Raritan back in December. If the Bulldogs escape with a better end to the second period that day, it's a much different result and a better outlook currently. Bridgewater-Raritan has been a much better team since mid-January.
North, Public Co-Op
Favorite: Pascack Valley/Pascack Hills/Park Ridge
Dark horse: KJS United
The Pascack tri-op has the top seed in the bracket and given their schedule, it's no wonder why they earned that. The Panthers defeated Northern Highlands early in the season and lost the two rematches, including a Big North Gold Cup final by a single goal. They exited the Bergen County tournament in the first round because they drew St. Joseph (Montvale) in the bracket. This bracket is a lot more favorable to Pascack, who could ride the play senior goalie Yulianna Krol to a deep run.
There are definite hazards in this bracket for any favorite to endure. Ramsey/Indian Hills is No. 2 on the strength of a county tournament upset of Northern Highlands that seemed to boost the Rams the rest of the way. The only co-op team to defeat Pascack this season is No. 3 Fair Lawn/Dumont/Bergenfield, who have a couple of fun scorers led by senior Michael Ferrante (26 goals, 41 assists). No. 5 Wayne went to the Passaic County final and dropped an overtime game in the Ice Vault Classic to Pascack.
KJS United entered the Mennen division this season and endured a tough schedule, finishing third and the highest ranked co-op in the group. Being the No. 8 seed in the bracket makes for a difficult potential second round matchup for Pascack that could send the entire bracket into a frenzy. Many have tried to slow down sophomore Braydon Sisco, but 33 goals and 18 assists this season shows that few have been capable to do so. The Kinnelon/Jefferson/Sparta tri-op has endured some of the best Public and Non-Public tests the north half of the state can offer and it may have battle tested this tri-op.
South, Public Co-Op
Favorite: Hopewell Valley/Montgomery
Dark horse: North Hunterdon/Voorhees
There might not be a hotter team entering the state tournament in any bracket quite like Hopewell Valley/Montgomery. The Bulldogs had a third period lead over Bridgewater-Raritan before losing a wild 9-6 game on New Year's Eve. The team has won all 15 games since, including the CVC tournament. Seven of those wins were shutouts, so goals against this squad will be hard to come by.
There are a number of intriguing foes elsewhere in this bracket, including No. 2 Toms River East/South/North. The Raiders were far and away the most dominant team from the Shore this season with the conference's most goals scored (108) and fewest allowed (26). It's also difficult to overlook No. 4 Gov. Livingston/New Providence given their championship pedigree. Each of the last three seasons has seen the Highlanders taking a trip to Prudential Center and coming home with a pair of state titles.
A team that didn't even exist two years ago, North Hunterdon/Voorhees makes its state playoff debut following a three-win campaign in year one. The Lions built a nice streak in late December and have gotten hot at the right time, making the Skyland Cup final as the No. 6 seed. The Lions are an even better seed in the state tournament as the No. 5 team in South, Co-Op. North Hunterdon/Voorhees have eight shutouts and a pair of overtime wins last week to make them a pesky team to try and eliminate.
Non-Public
Favorite: Delbarton
Dark horse: St. Joseph (Montvale)
Only one team in New Jersey can say they haven't lost to an in-state opponent this season. That team is Delbarton as their only loss of the year came against Brunswick (CT) on Jan. 22. Aside from that, the Green Wave have been perfect inside the Gordon division and hoisted the Gordon Cup last week. Delbarton has not won a state title since 2018, but have the tools to head back to Prudential Center once again. The Green Wave have gotten a goal from 17 different skaters this season and have goalie George Cote (.938 save percentage, 4 shutouts) between the pipes after stopping shots from many of the state's best all season.
Many teams have tried to take down Delbarton this season and they'll line up for one final attempt to do it in the postseason. Christian Brothers and Don Bosco have both gone to war with the Green Wave and come close to the accomplishment. They hope to get another crack as the bracket's No. 2 and No. 3 seeds respectively. Mennen Cup champions Morristown Beard sit as the No. 7 seed with enough power to go on a state title run similar to what St. Augustine did two years ago from the same seed. Bergen Catholic didn't have a win until Jan. 26 and few teams want to face an awoken Crusaders squad. They'll face the Crimson in the first round as the No. 10 seed.
This entire bracket is loaded from top to bottom, but St. Joseph (Montvale) sticks out as the No. 5 seed. The Green Knights seemed to be a victim of circumstance as a Gordon National division team, not facing the top-tier talent of the American division like other contenders. St. Joseph went undefeated in their division, took the Bergen County championship by beating Don Bosco in the final and then went to overtime with Christian Brothers in the Gordon Cup. The Green Knights belong but it remains to be seen if they can win all four rounds necessary to end the season as the state's No. 1 team.
Girls
Favorite: Immaculate Heart
Dark horse: Kent Place
An upset loss in the postseason cups bumped Immaculate Heart out of the top overall seed in the girls bracket. Their only other loss of the season came to Princeton Day, who takes the top spot in the bracket. Those two teams are far and away the top defensive teams in the field and statistically are almost mirror images of one another. The edge for a favorite goes to the Blue Eagles for the added rest following the cup exit and their experience of the state final last season.
In its first official season as a NJSIAA-recognized sport after three seasons as a pilot program, the girls hockey state championship is more wide open than ever before. Defending champion Pingry won last season as a No. 5 seed and are at No. 7 this season. They'll take on Oak Knoll in the first round, the team who upset IHA in the Librera Cup. The winner of the first two state titles, Morristown Beard, won't go quietly as the No. 4 seed and earning a first round bye.
Kent Place is an interesting dark horse after winning the Cohen division during the regular season but losing the Cohen Cup to Trinity Hall. In fact, the only two losses for the Dragons all season long have come against Trinity Hall. As the No. 5 seed in the bracket, Kent Place avoids the Monarchs until a possible state final. Junior defenseman Molly Brozowski (34 goals, 9 assists) can single-handedly take over a game and this relatively young team could easily ride a hot hand to Prudential Center.