This is the 27th and final 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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VERNON VIKINGS
Head coach: Nick Vanderlofske, first year
Division: Charette (moved from Haas)
NJSIAA Classification: North, Public
Last year: Vernon finished 1-16, with a 1-9 record in the Haas division, which prompted a move down to the Charette. It did not qualify for postseason play in either the Haas Cup or state tournament.
Key losses: Vernon graduated its top scorer in forward Devin England (Second Team All-Haas, 5 g., 10 a.). It also lost defenseman Jonathan Chromcik (3 g., 7 a.) and goalie/forward Max Badu.
Top returners: Vernon will be led on defense by senior Christopher Gay (3 g., 3 a.) and junior Jake Chromcik (Haas Honorable Mention, 8 g., 4 a.). Senior forward Luke Zabriskie netted 10 goals and had four assists last year and will be the team’s top returning scorer.
In goal, Vernon returns senior Brady Hendricks, a Haas Honorable Mention pick after posting an .820 save percentage last winter.
Potential impact newcomers: Freshman defenseman Nate Kouretas will look to have an impact right away for this Vernon squad.
Burning question: Can Vernon improve in the Charette division?
Vernon is a program that has certainly gone through peaks and valleys in recent years. In the last decade alone, this team has gone from the Charette up to the Halvorsen, and in the last couple of years has moved down from the Halvorsen to the Charette. This program, led by a strong upper class, hopes that it will begin another ascent this year after one of its toughest seasons in recent memory.
Outlook: This will be a new era for Vernon, as former player and long-time assistant Nick Vanderlofske takes over the program after Christian Conway led the team for the last two seasons. The Charette division figures to be a very competitive division this season, with Newton-Lenape Valley and High Point-Wallkill Valley-Kittatinny both looking very strong, and a Parsippany squad that figures to be improving. But Vernon has a nice core returning between Zabriskie, Chromcik, and England, and those three figure to be even better this year. Factor in another year of improvement for Hendricks in goal, and this is a Vernon team that can certainly surprise some people in the Charette division this year.
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
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