The New Jersey Renegades Youth Hockey Club, one of New Jersey's premier travel ice hockey programs, held their end of year banquet and awards dinner last Sunday and three form Hunterdon Storm players received awards at the Midget Minor (16 and under) level. Ryan Jacobsen, a junior at Hunterdon Central, won the Offensive Player of the Year Award. Cliff Graziano Sr, president and general manager said "Ryan is an outstanding skater with great hands and is a play making forward." Jacobsen played with the Storm's middle school team and now skates on the Hunterdon Central Red Devils varsity ice hockey team.
Graziano also awarded Stephen "Ziggy" Ziegler with the Coaches' Award saying that Ziggy had a "Heart of a lion with the courage to match. An excellent example for all to follow." Ziegler is currently a junior at Delaware Valley High School and has played for the Storm middle and high school teams over the past four years.
Finally Mark Schwanda, a sophomore at North Hunterdon High School, was awarded the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Coach Graziano noted that Schwanda "Plays his angles well and is a physical presence while on patrol in his own end. [He] makes the break out pass as well as anyone". In addition to being one of the original Storm players, Schwanda also played on this year's parent run North Hunterdon Ice Hockey Club.
The Hunterdon Storm Ice Hockey Club is a parent run organization which is working to establish ice hockey as a varsity sport at North Hunterdon High School.
This arcticle originally appeared in the Hunterdon Democrat on March 27, 2008.
