Jersey’s Strongest gave it their all as Livingston Local 263 member Brian
Kelly shows in going down to block a shot.
become the bedrock of Jersey’s Strongest.
“Aliseo stood on top of his head, which was the main rea-
son we kept the pedal to the metal and never took it off,” Taco
praised.
All the illustrious clichés about hockey goaltending applied
to Aliseo in this game. Eight minutes into the game, he made
a point-blank stop on NJSP sharpshooter Dan Stalenyi on the
doorstep of the goal. At 18:19 of the second period, he was
Joey-on-the-spot by closing his pads on a flurry of shots in front
of the net. He thwarted a two-on-one later in the second period.
And as a fitting climax to his performance, Aliseo faced
Stalenyi in the rarest of hockey’s one-on-ones – a penalty shot.
The trooper tried to put a shot between Aliseo’s legs, but he
closed the “five-hole,” as it is known.
That save pretty much wrapped up the shutout, which is as
strong as a goalie can play. Aliseo credited the strength of team-
mates like State Corrections Local 105 member Brian Deckel
and Burlington County Corrections Officers Local 249 member
Edward Patterson for keeping the space in front of him clear of
troopers.
“When it came to our end, our guys were right on point,” Al-
iseo complimented. “I felt good in warm-ups. The first shot was
a pretty good shot, and from that save, everything just fell right
into place.”
To say Aliseo was locked in would have been an understate-
ment. This was completely evident on the penalty shot.
“I felt I had it,” he added. “I was able to stay with him and read
what he did.”
Only the Strong
The game might have been won an hour before it started.
Most of Jersey’s Strongest also play in men’s league games that
take place late on weekday nights, when showing up a few min-
utes before the start is the norm.
For the NJ Memorial Cup showdown, PBA players arrived an
hour before the game. When he took over as team leader, Taco
wanted them to arrive wearing a shirt and tie and bring their
discipline developed as law enforcement officers to the ice.
“Our guys came dressed to impress, which shows they were
ready from the start,” he explained. “It followed right into the
game, and we didn’t stop.”
Actually, the game might have been won 365 days before it
started.
“We honestly had been looking forward to this game since
last year, when we finished off with a last-minute win,” Kelly
added, referencing the 5-4 triumph to win the 2017 cup. “I think
Madison Boro Local 92 member Travis Daniel might have been small, but
he was mighty in exemplifying the play of Jersey’s Strongest in the victory
against the NJ State Police.
the anticipation, it just came through. This was the most com-
plete game we’ve ever played.”
When Collis scored that first goal 72 seconds into the game,
there was no looking back. The play that led to the 1-0 lead ac-
centuated the devotion to becoming the strongest.
The week before the game, the PBA team gathered for a cou-
ple of practices. Kelly brought his friend Nick Skerlick to provide
some coaching. Skerlick coaches the under-18 affiliate team for
the New Jersey Titans of the North American Hockey League.
Skerlick provided a system to organize the Jersey’s Strongest
talent, including a plan for breakouts, the play to move the puck
out of the defensive zone and start the offense. Such a play en-
abled Collis to get ahead of the state police and score the first
goal.
“I figured I would use my legs in the first period because I was
going to lose them in the second period,” Collis quipped. “We
talked about it in the locker room, about using the long break-
out. We tried it on the first shift, and it worked. I put one in the
net, and that gave us all the motivation. Once you score the first
one in front of all your fans, it’s amazing.”
If there is going to be a signature of Jersey’s Strongest, it’s the
commitment to unity that is the PBA way. The PBA team has
always had enough talent to play great and win most games. But
in unity, there is strength, and that’s what Coach Skerlick helped
bring out to take home a second consecutive NJ Memorial Cup.
“He showed us a few things that benefitted us big-time,” con-
firmed Taco, who also coaches high school hockey in New Jer-
sey. “We put them on their heels. They never could keep up with
the speed that we kept going, and we never took our foot off the
gas.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 36
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■ JANUARY 2019 35