This is the seventh entry of The Morris-Sussex Hockey Report’s 27 teams in 27 days, where each day (except for Thanksgiving) there will be a team preview of each area team (boys and girls) leading up to Opening Day on December 7.
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RANDOLPH RAMS
Head coach: Rich McLaughlin, 31st year at Randolph (33rd year overall, 484-202-76 career record). He was named Mennen Division Coach of the Year last season by the MCSSIHL.
Division: Mennen
NJSIAA Classification: Public, North
Last year: Randolph put together a very solid regular season last year, finishing with a 14-4-4 overall record. It reached the Mennen Cup final, where it lost, 2-1 in overtime to Chatham. In the Public B state tournament, Randolph fell to Ramapo in the quarterfinals, 3-2.
Key losses: Randolph will have to replace two First Team All-Mennen selections in goaltender Connor Thomas (.913 sv%, 3 SO) and forward Zach Gallo (18 g., 17 a.). Forward Jack Rueff (9 g., 9 a.) and defenseman Jack Barry (3 g., 8 a.) will also be important pieces to replace.
Top returners: Randolph has the good fortune of returning a lot of talented players, highlighted by perhaps the most dynamic player in Morris County in junior forward Jase Zangara. He posted 17 goals and 21 assists last winter.
Juniors Jacob Campbell (5 g., 8 a.), Andrew George (8 g., 9 a.), and sophomores Dan Sharkey (11 g., 8 a.), Shane Melly (9 g., 4 a.), and Vin Crisafulli (4 g., 9 a.) round out a very young but talented group of forwards. The Rams will be able to count on some offense from its blue line as well, with senior Ashton Feinberg (1 g., 13 a.) and juniors Brian Cislo (2 g., 10 a.) and Ryan Potanovich (15 a.) headlining that group.
It is not known who will be in goal for the Rams this winter after the graduation of Thomas.
Potential newcomers: None listed.
Burning question: Who takes over for Thomas in goal?
Connor Thomas started every game in net for the Rams over the past two seasons, so whoever steps in in goal this winter will not have any varsity experience. Senior John Krynicki and junior Michael Buckley were both listed on the roster last season but did not play at the varsity level.
Outlook: Year-in and year-out, you can always count on Randolph to be in the mix.
Sure, the Rams fell on some hard times after winning the Public B title in 2020, as it played just six games in the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 and went through a 10-7-3 season the next year, which was a difficult year by its own lofty standards. It bounced back in a big way last season by going 14-4-4, earning the third seed in the Public B state tournament despite an early exit. Much like last season, this is a Randolph squad that is light on seniors- it graduated four from last year’s team, and there are only three players from last year’s roster that would be going into their senior years.
But don’t let that fool you- this is an experienced team. Players like Zangara, Campbell, Sharkey, Cislo, Feinberg, and George- just to name a few- have all been impact players since the day they first stepped on the ice as freshmen. If this team can continue to play a strong defensive game and get quality goaltending, the Rams should be right at the top of the Mennen Division and be a legitimate contender for the Public state title.
Check back Thursday for a preview of Morristown
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
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