Monday concluded an incredible winter of Shore hockey, even if it ended in heartbreak for the last team standing. Manalapan put together a comeback effort in aiming to pull off the upset of powerhouse Northern Highlands. After Manalapan overcame a 2-0 deficit to tie the game at 3-3 in the third period, Northern Highlands responded to seal a 4-3 win. Still, the Braves put together a memorable season and secured the first section title in program history.

There were standout performances across the Shore that were a testament to the league's mettle. Manasquan nearly took down powerhouse Governor Livingston in the Co-op South section final. And Rumson-Fair Haven nearly knocked off top-seeded Westfield before Manalapan ultimately finished the job. In the Non-Public postseason, elite Gordon program CBA was once again strong. The Colts fell 2-1 to top-seeded Don Bosco in the semifinals.

All these results proved that the Shore was one of the best places in the state for high school hockey. And these were the players who were the best of the best. Given the depth and talent across the league, it was a herculean task to make the cut for any of the three All-Shore teams. The teams are below along with the selection for Coach of the Year.

FIRST TEAM ALL-SHORE

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: NIK DOUMAS

Team: Rumson-Fair Haven

Position: Forward

Year: Senior

Doumas was the maestro of Rumson's offense this season. What is astounding about the senior's game is that every opposing defense knows his shots are coming, and yet he only infrequently could be stopped. The perfect example was his hat trick in his team's 5-4 comeback victory over last year's state runner-up Hillsborough in the playoffs. He had both his team's goals in the season finale, a courageous upset bid against Westfield. He finished with 39 goals and 22 assists to cap off an incredible 61-point season.

MICHAEL SCHMELZER

Team: Manalapan

Position: Forward

Year: Senior

There is no doubt about who the best team in the Shore relied on to spark their offense. Schmelzer was astounding in his final season with the Braves, finishing with a team-high 32 goals in addition to 15 assists. The senior was clutch in wins and difficult losses. He had a hat trick in the third period of the team's 4-3 loss to SJV in the Shore Conference Tournament. He also had the Braves' lone goal in their 1-0 victory over Westfield to take home the first section title in program history.

MICHAEL HOARLE

Team: Wall

Position: Forward

Year: Junior

Hoarle had an astonishing seven hat tricks in 21 games for Wall this season. The junior fell just short of the rarified air of the single season 70-point club, finishing with 36 goals and 32 assists. The team needed the underclassmen to carry the offensive load and he consistently delivered at unmatched pace within the Shore. The Knights essentially return all of their leading scorers and will be one of the early favorites to win the conference next season.

DAKOTA VASTOLA

Team: St. John Vianney

Position: Defenseman

Year: Senior

Vastola was the engine of the Lancers this season. He finished the season with seven goals and nine assists, solid numbers for a defenseman. But his impact, and even those goals, go far beyond the stat sheet. He scored a goal in the semifinals upset of Manalapan and the winning-goal in the Handchen Cup final against Rumson. But the senior was true to his defensive responsibilities throughout this season, and there was no better defenseman in the Shore Conference.

DEREK FIORE

Team: Christian Brothers

Position: Forward

Year: Senior

Similar to Vastola for SJV, Fiore was the unsung soul of the Colts this season. He led all Colts defenseman with four goals in addition to 13 assists. He's been on a scoring tear lately, but the senior is the key piece in the back end of the CBA defense.

CHRISTIAN ESPOSITO

Team: Manalapan

Position: Goaltender

Year: Junior

Playing goalie at an elite level simply comes easy to Esposito, as demonstrated by his .927 save percentage and two shutouts. If he has a flaw, it's that he processes the game so quickly that at times he can almost look disinterested. But the talent is always on display. One of his most impressive showings of the season came in a loss, as the Braves nearly upset CBA because of Esposito keeping the game tied for 44 minutes while withstanding a barrage of shots from the Colts' elite offense. He was at his best in the team's section title victory as he handed Westfield their first shutout loss of the season.

SECOND TEAM

Sean Guinnessey, Senior, Forward, CBA

Jack Buonato, Senior, Forward, Manasquan

Brendan Shaughnessy, Senior, Forward, Manasquan

Owen Mumm, Senior, Defenseman, Ocean

Troy Mulholland, Senior, Defenseman, CBA

McLein Barenbaum, Junior, Goaltender, Southern

THIRD TEAM

Josh Kushnir, Senior, Forward, Manalapan

Jake Toye, Senior, Forward, Brick

Nicholas Desiderio, Sophomore, Forward, CBA

Jake Sturman, Freshman, Defenseman, Lacey

James Lucosky, Junior, Defenseman, SJV

Robert Petillo, Senior, Goaltender, Howell

COACH OF THE YEAR

Eriz Zullo, Rumson-Fair Haven

The context of Rumson-Fair Haven's remarkable run still undersells the incredible coaching work of Zullo. It's been repeated ad nauseam how the Bulldogs opened the season with four straight losses and a 1-4-1 record over the first six games.

But the details of how that start could've derailed the season are more daunting: Rumson nearly pulled a remarkable upset in the opener against CBA, leading 3-2 midway through the game. The Bulldogs conceded four straight goals and lost 6-3. They took state champion Northern Highlands to overtime before losing 3-2. Then they fell 3-2 to local rival and state runner-up Manalapan, losing as a shot in the final second was saved.

Those aren't just losses, they are demoralizing and heartbreaking defeats. And yet, the Bulldogs showed their resilience. After starting the season 1-4-1, they were 13-3-1. They nearly pulled a stunning upset against Westfield in the semifinals of the section playoffs, and possibly would have if not for some questionable officiating.

There's also the team itself. Nik Doumas was a star and the Shore Player of the Year, but it's not always easy to build a team structure with the buy-in that the Bulldogs had. They played incredibly sound hockey and were dogged defenders, allowing Doumas to flourish as the team's primary source of offense.

Above all else, the team was resilient. Not just in the start of the season, but in the final stretch. The Bulldogs could have folded after a heartbreaking loss in the Shore Conference championship against St. John Vianney, a team they easily beat in the regular season. They could have given in against Hillsborough, in what was ultimately their last victory of the season.

The Bulldogs trailed 3-1 to last year's state runner-up in the first period, but fought back to tie the game 3-3. Then Rumson conceded an early goal in the third and trailed 4-3 in the final minutes before Doumas scored to force overtime and the team finished the job 5-4.

The team is a reflection of their head coach. Zullo and his team should be incredibly proud of what they see when they look back on this season.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore NJ hockey All-Shore team: Who made the cut?