MOUNT OLIVE-HOPATCONG-HACKETTSTOWN AND MENDHAM SKATE TO TIE
In a back-and-forth Halvorsen contest, Mount Olive-Hopatcong-Hackettstown and Mendham played to a 3-3 tie at Mennen Arena.
Mo-Ho-Ha led, 2-1 early in the third on Liam Parr’s power play goal. But Mendham’s Ian Aikenhead tied it up with a power play goal of his own with 4:51 left, before Jake Fox gave the Minutemen the lead with 2:30 to go. Parr, however, netted the tying goal to force overtime with 1:01 to go in regulation as the teams combined for three goals in 3:50 in the final minutes.
Parr finished with a hat trick for Mo-Ho-Ha, which is now 0-1-1 in the Halvorsen. Talon Muscolino stopped 40 of 43 shots to help his team earn a crucial point despite being out-shot 43-23.
Aikenhead scored twice with an assist for Mendham, which is now 1-0-1 in the division. Jake Fox had a goal and an assist, while Brandon Eigner dished out two assists. Brendon Eigner made 20 saves.
FRESHMAN TIGHE SHINES AS GILL ST. BERNARD’S DOWNS VERNON
Freshman Michael Tighe scored an impressive five goals with an assist to help Gill St. Bernard’s earn a 11-2 win over Vernon at Skylands Ice World.
The six-point performance was the first points of Tighe’s varsity career.
Julian Tramontano had a hat trick and two assists, with Trey Sanford contributing a goal and an assist. Brandon Whiteley and Porter Clark each had three assists in the win, as Gill St. Bernard’s improved to 3-1 on the early season. Luc Jansson made 29 saves.
Christopher Gay and Luke Zabriskie each had a goal and an assist for Vernon, which dropped to 0-3.
BERNARDS-SOMERVILLE-MIDDLESEX EARNS HALVORSEN WIN
Jimmy Hathaway scored twice with an assist to propel Bernards-Somerville-Middlesex to a 6-3 win over Madison at Mennen Arena.
The win improved BSM to 2-1 in the division and gave it sole possession of first place.
Taylor Favreau had a goal and two assists, while Daniel Adams chipped in with a goal and an assist. Baylyn Shankman made 22 saves.
Sam Gero scored twice for Madison, which dropped to 0-2 in the division. BSM out-shot Madison, 47-25.
HIGH POINT-WALLKILL VALLEY-KITTATINNY CONTINUES STRONG OFFENSIVE START
Michael Sadowski scored three goals with two assists to lead High Point-Wallkill Valley-Kittatinny to a 9-3 win over Johnson-Dayton-Roselle Park at Skylands Ice World.
The High Point tri-op had opened the season with an 8-7 win over Vernon before falling, 7-6 to Montville in overtime in its second game. With this nine-goal performance, it is averaging just under eight goals per game through three games en route to a 2-1 record.
Alex Sonvico had a goal and three assists. Hunter Baker dished out three assists, while Joshua Custode netted two goals. Sebastian Hamarcak chipped in with two assists in the win.
PASTUKH HELPS NEWTON-LENAPE VALLEY BOUNCE BACK
Just 24 hours after suffering a 12-2 loss, Newton-Lenape Valley bounced back with a solid 6-3 win over Paramus-Lyndhurst at Skylands Ice World.
Maksym Pastukh scored twice in 29 seconds early in the first to get his team out to a 2-0 lead, en route to a hat trick. Brayden Dabrowski scored twice, Justin Zappe had a goal and an assist, and Martin Murphy had three assists. Ryan Salerno made 20 saves in the win.
Newton-Lenape Valley evened up its record at 2-2 with the win.
MONTVILLE ROLLS PAST MORRIS CATHOLIC IN CROSSOVER GAME
Aidan Stepien recorded two goals and two assists to propel Montville to a 10-1 win over Morris Catholic-St. Elizabeth at Mennen Arena.
Paul Kounouklos scored twice with an assist for Montville (2-1), which picked up its second-straight win after winning in overtime against High Point-Wallkill Valley-Kittatinny on Thursday. Zander Novak, Matt Trifari, and Cole Riley each had a goal and an assist.
Mercer Acuna scored the lone goal of the game for Morris Catholic-St. Elizabeth, which fell to 0-3.
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 