White comes through as Chatham tops Morristown in OT

By Mike Gurnis

Thomas White’s sophomore season saw limited playing time on the third line, recording just one goal and one assist.

But in his junior year, he has taken a promotion to the top line and has ran with it. Through four games this season, he has recorded a goal in each game, with his latest being the game-winner in overtime on Friday night as the Cougars took down Morristown, 4-3 for a key Mennen division win at Mennen Arena.

“Last year, I didn’t really get much ice time,” White said. “I was on the third line and not playing much. This year, I worked hard over the summer and made it to the first line, and now I’ve got a goal in every game. It feels great to score these goals.”

What also probably feels great for Chatham is the team’s ability to come through in the clutch and bounce back. After an 0-2 start to the season, the Cougars bounced back with a pair of overtime wins over Mendham on Tuesday, before downing Morristown on Friday night.

“You never want to start 0-2 in the Mennen division,” Chatham coach Brendon Herr said. “It’s really tough to battle back with only eight (divisional) games. This was huge for us. This may well put us in the Mennen Cup and not be looking in from the outside.”

This was a back-and-forth, even game throughout. Chatham held a 2-1 lead early in the second period on a power play goal from Drew Munsey, but Morristown responded quickly, as Liam Wilson scored a pair of goals in a span of 55 seconds to give the Colonials the lead.

The second period, in a strange development, also saw a total of three goals waved off- two for Chatham, and one for Morristown. Chatham, however, was able to persevere, and Luc D’Costa scored with 6:09 left in the second to knot it up at three.

Both goalies shined in this one, as each team had nearly 40 shots between regulation and overtime. Morristown’s Thatcher Neville made 34 saves, while Chatham sophomore Snowden Lange- making his second-straight start- stopped 34 as well.

Overtime began inauspiciously for Chatham, as it was called for a penalty early on, meaning the team would have to kill off a penalty at 4-on-3 thanks to the new 4-on-4 overtime rule.

With so much open ice available, it’s not a situation that any team wants to be defending. But thanks to some timely saves from Lange, as well as a penalty kill that took away passing and shooting lanes, Chatham was able to get through it.

“I’ll credit my assistant Bob Ritchie,” Herr said. “He’s responsible for PK. I think we did a good job of getting in their shooting lanes. Our sticks were well-positioned. The stuff we’ve been doing in practice, it’s nice to see that out on the ice here.”

Then, shortly after, it was Matt Nacinovich’s shot which deflected in front to Dillon Gagliardi. Gagliardi took it behind the net and sent it in front to White, who ripped it home to give the team its second-straight overtime win.

“It felt amazing,” White said. “It’s a great feeling to score a goal, especially in overtime.”

Chatham had four different goal scorers in the game, between Gagliardi, Munsey, D’Costa, and White. The team’s top offensive threat in Matt Nacinovich had several grade-A chances throughout the night but was unable to capitalize.

But luckily for the Cougars, they were able to get contributions throughout the lineup, something it will need to do with key players such as Connor Gilleece out due to injury.

“It’s a new team, and our goal is to get better each week, each game, and each practice,” Herr said. “I think we’ve come a long way. We had a couple of good video sessions in between. I thought tonight was probably our best game we’ve played in the short season we’ve had, which was good to see. I thought Snowden, for a sophomore goaltender hung in there. Especially in the third and overtime. 

“On a night where they had Nacinvoich’s number, we had other guys ready to step in. White scores the game-winner tonight, so it’s nice to see it all spread around here.”

THREE STARS
First star: Thomas White, Chatham, Jr., F- game-winning goal in overtime
Second star: Liam Wilson, Morristown, Sr., F- 2G
Third star: Luc D’Costa, Chatham, Sr., F- 1G, 1A

SCORING SUMMARY
First period
CHA — Dillon Gagliardi (Hunter Albert) 12:11
MOR — Jackson Byrne (Scott Williams) 5:18
Second period
CHA — Drew Munsey (Luc D’Costa) 13:23 PPG
MOR — Liam Wilson (Jackson Byrne) 10:48 PPG
MOR — Liam Wilson (Charlie Dvorscak) 9:53
CHA — Luc D’Costa (Matt Nacinovich) 6:09
Third period
No scoring.
Overtime
CHA — Thomas White (Dillon Gagliardi, Matt Nacinovich) 0:41

Shots on goal: Chatham 38, Morristown 37
Saves: Snowden Lange (Chatham) 34, Thatcher Neville (Morristown) 34
Team records: Chatham 2-2, Morristown 0-2-1