Dragons, Mustangs Receive Favorable Seeds in State Playoffs

As both the Brick Memorial and Brick Township ice hockey teams look into their respective brackets for the 2011 state playoffs, one thing is certain: they won't play each other again.

With Brick's transfer from Public 'A' to Public 'B', due to school enrollment, the Dragons cannot take on the Mustangs, who are still in Public 'A.'

But Brick, riding high on an 18-game win streak, most recently with a 5-1 win over Howell in the Handchen Cup semi-finals, the Dragons have earned the number two seed in the tournament, meaning they will play at home as long as possible.

Chatham is the only team seeded above Brick. The Cougars own a 17-3-3 record while the Dragons are 20-1-1. Brick will face the winner of Mendham vs Robbinsville in their first-round game.

Despite an up-and-down season, the Mustangs recieved a favorable seed for the Public 'A' tournament. Seeded 12th, Memorial will play their first-round game against Pascack Valley at home.

The Mustangs didn't qualify for the state playoff tournament until their second-t0-last game, when they beat Jackson Memorial 4-1 at Ocean Ice Palace. In the first round of the Handchen Cup, the 'Stangs took the three seed, Toms River South, to overtime before ultimately falling, 2-1. Their record currently sits at 9-10-4.

Both the Dragons and Mustangs will play their first round game by Tuesday, March 1.