Each week of the 2021-22 season, The Morris-Sussex Hockey Report will honor its Three Stars of the Week. We will also have our rankings of the Top 5 teams in the area. You can find out who made the cut this week below.
THREE STARS OF THE WEEK (Jan. 9-15)
Players cannot make this list two weeks in a row.
Noah Jones, Morristown-Beard, D, Sr.
Jones put together a monster performance in the Crimson’s 9-4 win over Morris Knolls-Hills on Monday. He netted two goals and had three assists for a five-point night in that win. He also had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 loss to Randolph on Thursday.
Tyler Paluzzi, Pope John, G, Jr.
Paluzzi had a very strong back-to-back this week, beginning with a 26-save shutout win over St. Peter’s Prep on Tuesday. He followed that up by stopping 35 of 37 to help his team earn a 2-2 tie with state-ranked St. Augustine.
Jase Zangara, Randolph, F, Fr.
The freshman continued his stellar season this week with a pair of big performances. On Tuesday, he was involved in all four of his team’s third period goals as the team rallied from a 4-0 deficit to tie Summit, 4-4. Zangara had two goals and two assists in that game. Then, he scored two goals including the game-winner midway through the third period in Randolph’s big 4-3 win over Morristown-Beard.
To nominate players for the Three Stars of the Week, coaches are asked to e-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com by 12 p.m. each Saturday.
TOP 5 RANKINGS
1-Delbarton (11-2-1)
Last week: 1
Delbarton picked up a big 3-0 win over Bergen Catholic on Tuesday, before losing to the state’s No. 1 team in Christian Brothers on Wednesday, 2-1. It will take on local foe Pope John on Wednesday before facing Brunswick (Conn.) on Friday.
2-Pope John (4-4-6)
Last week: 3
Pope John moves up to the No. 2 slot in the rankings this week after a 5-0 win over St. Peter’s Prep followed by a 2-2 tie with state-ranked St. Augustine. While it only has four wins, it has secured five ties against teams ranked in NJ.com’s Top 20 this season. It is set to take on St. Joseph of Montvale on Sunday before facing Delbarton on Wednesday, followed by Morristown-Beard on Thursday.
3-Morris Knolls-Hills (9-4-1)
Last week: 2
Morris Knolls-Hills drops one spot in this week’s rankings by virtue of the team’s 9-4 loss to Morristown-Beard on Monday. It still remains ahead of the Crimson though as Morris Knolls-Hills bounced back with a 4-2 win over Madison, and is in position to clinch the Mennen regular season title and top seed for the Mennen Cup with a tie or win against Chatham on Tuesday. It also has a big test against state-ranked Ridge on Saturday.
4-Morristown (8-3-2)
Last week: 4
The Colonials had a perfect week this week, as it shut out Chatham, 4-0 before downing Roxbury 9-3 on Monday. It will next be in action against KJS United on Friday in a big Halvorsen Division game.
5-Morristown-Beard (7-7)
Last week: 5
It’s amazing how quickly things can change in this game. Morristown-Beard had the look of a team that had righted the ship after an up-and-down start to the season when it knocked off Morris Knolls-Hills, 9-4 on Monday. But after a strong start against Randolph, it ultimately fell, 4-3 on Thursday. Then, while it was missing several key players, it suffered a 5-3 loss to last-place Madison on Saturday. It is set to take on Pingry, state-ranked Ridge, and Pope John this week, as the Crimson look to get back on track.
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