Meet Scott Casuccio
Last modified on 2010-03-11 12:27:22 GMT . .

Scott Casuccio is the property owner, and developer of the site of the new Howell IceWorld rink.  Scott, a Wall Township resident has been in the construction field for over 25 years.  He was kind enough to offer us his insight on the project.

Scott, thanks for talking to us. Tell us how you came to construct an ice sports facility?
I have built Flex Office/Warehouse space in the past.  I was planning on constructing  3 such buildings here at my Howell property when a business associate introduced me to George Haviland and his partners.   We hit it off and the rest is history.  The building sizes we had already gotten approvals for fit his ice needs beautifully.  We will have the hockey in the front, and we are still looking for compatible tenants for the two other buildings.

Did you just get started on this project Howell?
“No.  It has taken me four years of hard work by my team and many professionals to get to this point.  We have our approvals and have crossed some pretty high hurdles. I have already completed the site work needed to begin pouring my footings.  This 60 degree weather has gotten rid of the snow for us.  It’s been a long wait for me and I’m excited to begin seeing the structure come together.”

That’s the biggest question people have:  How long does this type of building take to put up?
“The building is pre-engineered steel frame.  Most of my steel is on the site, the modified clear span truss work has been ordered, and the reaction drawings are complete.  You will be surprised on how quickly it will come together.  3 months for the shell, including the decorative block and fascia work on the outside.  We wanted this place to look better than some of the aluminum box rinks you see.”

What about completion, is September reasonable?
Yes.  It’s very reasonable.  The good news is that the inside walls, which are pretty simple to construct can begin before the outside is done.  Once the roof is on, rink specialists will come in and do the installation while we are completing the exterior of the building.  I have been in this business for many years, and I know I need to anticipate Murphy’s Law, but I also pride myself in using my crews and delivering projects on time.  Believe me, this project is my first priority.
Scott , will we see you on the ice?
Well, I have not had skates on since I was a kid on Lake Lefferts in Matawan with my friends.  But I have to tell you I am a real sports guy and I am very excited about this project.  I plan to be there to watch the games, and see people have a good time… and you just might see me out there.

In the 36th game of the year, a day after suffering their worst defeat of the season, 16 boys and three coaches took part in something very special… something much more than just another Sunday morning hockey game. As they gathered in blue rink locker room #4, the Pee Wee Gibbons team somberly dealt with the sad news of the unexpected death of Coach Gibby’s father the day before. While Coach Barr and Coach Ziegler placed black bands on each of the players’ left arms, Coach Gibby walked through the door, inspiring the team with his presence at such a difficult time. And in one of those rare storybook endings, the boys responded with their flat-out best effort of the season–a stunning and dramatic 3-2 victory over the Toms River Blackhawks. Indeed, it was no ordinary victory. This same Toms River team had already beaten the Titans twice during the season and had won the Thanksgiving tournament in Delaware where our guys had also participated. Add to that, they are a team bound for the playoffs in the NJYHL.

Slap Shot Gift Auction and Dinner Great Success!

Thanks to all who participated in the event Friday night.  The evening was extremely well received by all who attended.  Special thanks to Daryl O’Connell who organized the event, as well as Joanne Torrisi and our managers who put together the baskets and worked the event.

The Spring Lake Manor was elegantly decorated in Titan colors and the prize room was amazing with over 65 terrific gifts plus 16 grand prizes, many of them donated by our families, area businesses as well as the NFL and the NHL. The participants ranged from long time Titan Families to friends, neighbors and associates, who knew little about the club when the evening began, but went away feeling great about the Titans and our mission.  Everyone enjoyed themselves and the general consensus was we should do this again.

The event netted over $5,600 to help reduce the cost of travel hockey for all of our members.

There were many great gifts

The table just went on forever

The tables were set in Titan colors

Coach Haviland and Wife Lisa

Thanks Darly!

The “crowd” enjoy hors d’oeuvres while browsing the tables before dinner

Two game homestand this weekend vs. Washington Jr. Captials.

Puck drop Sat is 3:30 and Sun. 11:30.  Come on out!

Meet one of our wingers #16 Autin Z. He is one of our second year Pee Wee players. He has been playing hockey for 8 years and played for the NJ Titans PW B last year. Austin is a NJ Devils fan and his favorite NHL player is Patrik Elias. In his free time Austin likes to fish. He is most looking forward to “a win” this season.

Meet another one of our returning Pee Wee players #10 Eric R. He has been playing hockey for 7 years and played for the NJ Titans PW B team last year. He is a NY Islanders fan and his favorite NHL player is John Tavares. Erik enjoys playing when he has free time. He is looking forward to scoring goals this year.

Meet one of our centers #45 Noah Z. He is also a returning second year Pee Wee that played for the NJ Titans PW A last season. He has been playing hockey for 5 years. He enjoys camping and boyscouts in his freetime. Noah is a NJ Devils fan and his favorite player is retired Scott Stevens. He is looking forward to working on a team this year and maybe winning a tournament.

Next up…..Meet the Coaches…..

Squirt Major Game Notes

NJ Jr. Titans vs. Valley Forge Colonials

Saturday Nov. 21, 2009 at GCA 10:00am

Welcome to the NJ Jr. Titans Squirt Major home game this morning.  Today we host perennial DVHL powerhouse Valley Forge Colonials out of Centre Ice Arena in Oaks, PA.  The Colonials are usually at the top of the DVHL standings, so we expect nothing less than a physical, swift-skating, Squirt squad to push our Jr. Titans.  Another quality opponent for us as we prepare for the physical brand of hockey we are sure to see at the SilverStick Regional Championships next weekend in Westchester, PA.  We welcome John Gelatt and Ryan Burns back to the lineup this weekend as they prepare to play with us over Thanksgiving weekend.

The Squirts come into today’s game with a 15-6-3 record after last weekend’s home sweep – a 10-1 win at vs. the Glaciers and a 8-4 win against the Bristol Blazers (tomorrow’s opponent).  Your Jr. Titans were outstanding last weekend, especially with our pressure on the forecheck. We created a multitude of turnovers along the boards that resulted in clean scoring chances out of our offensive zone triangle. Our faceoff plays started to click and allowed us to gain immediate puck possession more often than both the Glaciers and the Blazers – both teams seemed surprised by our skill level and our quick-strike ability off the rush.  The Glaciers received the full onslaught of our roster after seeing only 10 skaters visit them in PA during our 5-5 tie last month. As for the Blazers, we could certainly tell they haven’t been pushed around like that before as many of their parents and players were out of control – not to mention the parent who was kicked out of the rink and their team videographer who didn’t have a very clean vocabulary.    Today’s Colonials squad and tomorrow’s Blazers promise to be an extreme test for our Squirts – the coaching staff is very anxious to see if we can sustain our high level of play this weekend.

Practice this week was spent on attacking the puck in the offensive zone and getting in the proper shooting position during odd-man rushes.  Our emphasis lately is performing skills at a higher pace – skills that will be required as our schedule gets tougher during the second half of the season.  Our Squirts are grasping the more advanced drills and we are thrilled at their most recent work ethic in practice. 

Look for continued intensity and energy from your Titans this morning. We need another two-game sweep.

                   THANKS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT

Meet this small but mighty forward #26 Victor D. He has been playing hockey for 3 years and played for the Titans last year. He is a New Jersey Devils fan & his favorite player is Martin Brodeur. He enjoys karate in his free time. Victor is most looking forward to being a playmaker this year!

Meet #24 defenseman Logan A. He has been playing hockey for 4 years now & most recently for the Titans squirts last year. He is a New York Rangers fan and his favorite player is Marian Gaborik. When off the ice he likes to spend his time playing soccer. Logan would like to make more assists this year.

Meet #11 Mike N. you will find him playing both offense & defense positions. He has been playing hockey for 5 years and played for the Titans last season. He is a New Jersey Devils fan and his favorite player is Zach Parisi. In his freetime he likes to play tennis. Mike’s goal for this year is setting up more plays.