This is the 24th entry of The Morris-Sussex Hockey Report’s 27 teams in 27 days, where each day 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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MADISON DODGERS (GIRLS)
Head coach: Ryan Bailey, fifth year (9-32 career record)
Division: NJIIHL-Annis Division
NJSIAA Classification: Girls
Last year: Madison finished 2-13, with a 2-10 record in the NJIIHL-Cohen Division. It lost to Chatham in the quarterfinals of the Cohen Cup, and then lost to Summit in the first round of the NJSIAA state tournament.
Key losses: The Dodgers graduated five seniors from last year’s squad. Forwards Asha Sinha (3 g., 1 a.), Claire Sheeleigh (1 a.), and Chloe Niceburg (5 g.) will leave a void up front. Orla Maxwell (2 g.) and Shayne Carfano (1 g., 2 a.) were able to play both forward and defense.
Top returners: Madison brings back the team’s top offensive threat in senior forward Mia McSherry, who registered a team-high of 26 points (13 g., 13 a.) last year. Sophomore Athena Halewicz is back after a strong freshman season in which she found the back of the net eight times, second on the team. Junior Emma Wirth (1 g., 1 a.) is also back.
Defensively, senior Izzy Hunter (1 g.) will be back to anchor that unit. Junior Iris Piskula will be back in goal after starting every game for the Dodgers in 2022-23.
Potential impact newcomers: Freshman goalie Clementine Dickson-Child will see time in net along with Piskula. Freshmen Brooke Gundlach and Leah Jobe are skaters who will provide depth.
Burning question: Can Madison take a step forward in a new division?
The Dodgers, since becoming its own individual program in 2019-20, have yet to win more than two games in a season. It went through a tough year last year in which it had to face really strong programs in the Cohen division such as Immaculate Heart, Kent Place, and Chatham. This year, the NJIIHL has been split into three divisions, and Madison will now be in a five-team division with first-year varsity programs in Cranford and Newark East Side, along with Princeton and Westfield. While it remains to be seen how each team will progress this year, this new division should give Madison a chance to put together its best season in program history. That will be important as it continues to grow as a program, with 43 players signed up to play this year.
Outlook: Madison expects to be anchored by a strong defense and goaltending tandem between Piskula and Dickson-Child. It will likely have a very strong top line between McSherry and Halewicz, who both had good years last year and figure to be even better this season. This is still a young and developing program, but in a division with other programs which are in a similar spot, this team will have a legitimate chance to compete for a division title and Cup title this season.
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
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