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Denville Life March 2024

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So Lucky to Live in Denville! No. 20 Vol. 3

www.mypaperonline.com • 973-809-4784

March 2024

Morris Knolls Hockey Coach Tim Kepler Gets Win #100

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By Steve Sears areer win #100 did not come easy for Morris Knolls ice hockey head coach, Tim Kepler, but come it did. On Friday, January 12 at Monmouth Junction’s ProSkate Ice Arena in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, Golden Eagles leading scorer, junior forward Jake McCloud, scored four goals, including an overtime game winner, as he and his team defeated the state’s 15th ranked squad, the Hillsborough High School Raiders, 10 – 9. McCloud also assisted on two other goals, giving him a total of six points for the game, and garnering Kepler his century mark triumph. Kepler said of the victory, “This milestone of 100 wins, whatever you want to call it, definitely does not happen without the players and their dedication that comes to our program, along with the unwavering support, dedication, and time that my assistant coaches put into our program.” Kepler, 48, who is also a Lieutenant with the Rockaway Township Police Department, is in his 19th season coaching at Morris Knolls. He was an assistant for former head coach, Walt Keiper, for 11 years, coached the junior varsity club for nine of those seasons, and he took over as head coach prior to the 2016 – 17 season. Kepler also played hockey at

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Head coach Tim Kepler (center) surrounded by his Morris Knolls hockey team after his 100th career victory

Morris Knolls in the early 1990s, and then went on to play at Randolph’s County College of Morris for CCM Hall of Fame head coach, Edward Nelson. Heading into the 2023 – 24 season, Kepler’s Golden Eagles have been successful, sporting a record of 95 – 52 – 19 the past seven seasons, and his teams snared 2019 and 2020 New Jersey Public A titles. The latter was as coach of the Morris KnollsMorris Hills Coop team, which he still coaches. “It was great,” Kepler says of being Keiper’s assistant. “We kind of grew up together, but he is a little bit older than me, but I grew up playing with his brothers. He actually coached me when I played rec hockey when I was younger. I guess the best way to say it is he is like an older brother and mentor for me. His passion and dedication to the program, along with a couple of other

assistant coaches that have been here a long time, have helped this program become what it is.” As win #100 approached for Kepler, he never thought about it. He focused on something more important. He said, “It is about the kids, it is about the players. We have had a little bit of a struggle this year, which we are not used to - our players are not used to it, our coaches are not used to it. There are struggles every season, but we usually find a way to right the ship, get on somewhat of a winning streak. This year we have not won more than one game in a row, and we are playing most of the top teams in the state.” Against the Raiders, the Golden Eagles were trailing 5 – 1 in the second period but were not deterred. Kepler said, “We are never out of it. With some of the players that we have, we do not ever feel like we are

out of a game. To start the second period, they scored a shorthanded goal, and then we scored the next five or six in a row.” The teams then traded goals to force a 9 – 9 tie and head to overtime, when McCloud netted the game winner. “It was just an unbelievable experience for our players,” Kepler said of his milestone win. “We have tried to build that culture of responsibility, accountability, and maturity. It is our job as mentors and coaches to help our players grow up and learn life lessons, and hopefully contribute to society once they finish. There is no better way to do that than playing sports, in my opinion. You are part of a team, learn how to work together and problem solve, and sometimes your working together leads to failure – and then that failure usually leads you to some type of success.”

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Denville Life March 2024 by My Life Publications..Maljon LLC - Issuu