CHATHAM BOOKS RETURN TRIP TO FINAL
When Morristown-Beard struck for a pair of goals in a span of 1:25 early in the second period to take the lead, Chatham found itself in a tough spot after out-shooting Morristown-Beard 12-2 in the first period.
But the Cougars responded in a big way, with Matt Nacinovich tying it up before the end of the period. Luc D’Costa then scored 32 seconds into the third to take the lead, and its defense along with goaltender Snowden Lange held it down the rest of the way as the third-seeded Cougars upended second-seeded Morristown-Beard, 4-2 in the Mennen Cup semifinals at Mennen Arena.
Chatham, which won last year’s Mennen Cup in overtime over Randolph, is on to next Thursday’s final at 7:30 p.m. It will face top-seeded Randolph in a rematch.
The Cougars managed to get four goals past Morristown-Beard goalie Mason Hriczov, something not many teams have been able to do this year. Dillon Gagliardi and Roman Kostrowski each chipped in with goals, with Gagliardi opening the scoring five minutes into the game.
Kostrowski’s empty-netter with 1:24 left effectively sealed the win.
“He’s probably the best goaltender in the entire state,” Chatham coach Brendon Herr said of Hriczov. “For us, it’s all about traffic and pucks to the net. We had 12 shots in the first period. I think our lightest period was the second. To get the empty-netter was a little cushion and it was good for us.”
The Chatham defense, led by senior Kiernan Smith, as well as sophomore goalie Snowden Lange, kept the game under wraps in the third period. Despite a furious push from Morristown-Beard to tie it after Chatham took the lead, the Cougars managed to keep the Crimson off the board the rest of the way.
“We didn’t want to play to not lose,” Smith said. “We wanted to keep scoring goals and keep the puck in our offensive zone. If it’s not in ours, they can’t score.”
He added of Lange, who made 28 saves on 30 shots: “He’s just phenomenal for us. Whenever our defense messes up, I feel like he’s always there. He’s always got our back. We just prop each other up because of that.”
Now, Chatham will look to win its second-straight Mennen Cup title after breaking a 42-year drought last winter.
“It means the world to us,” Smith said of returning to the final. “Especially with all the seniors we have, we’re ready to get another shot at winning.”
“(It’s about) never giving up. We have to keep pushing all game. As long as we keep the pressure on, I think we’ve got it.”
RANDOLPH RALLIES FROM RARE DEFICIT TO SET UP MENNEN RE-MATCH
Trailing by two goals has been a scenario that Randolph simply hasn’t experienced this season.
In its first postseason game of the year, the Rams found itself in that spot just 5:25 into its Mennen Cup semifinal with Morris Knolls-Hills.
But a shorthanded breakaway goal from Jase Zangara got the Rams back in it, and a save by John Krynicki on a penalty shot early in the third provided a major momentum boost. The top-seeded Rams went on to score five-straight goals in the second period en route to a 9-2 win over fourth-seeded Morris Knolls-Hills in the Mennen Cup semifinals.
The Rams, seeking their first Mennen Cup title since 2018, will face third-seeded Chatham in the final on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
“We never panic,” Krynicki said. “We know when we’re on our game that we can make any team stuck in their own end. We’re confident in what we can do. We’re going to do whatever we can to win the Mennen Cup and the state championship.”
Morris Knolls-Hills got goals from Luke Dickerson and Dylan Williams to build the two-goal edge. It had the chance to restore that lead when Dickerson was called upon to take a penalty shot early in the third period.
But despite making a good move, Dickerson was denied by Krynicki, and it was all Randolph from that point forward. The Rams scored eight goals from that point on.
“Everyone’s jumping after that save,” Zangara said. “(Krynicki) got all the momentum going for the whole team. If it wasn’t for him, we could’ve been in trouble.”
Krynicki added, “I just wanted to make sure I used my stick to follow the puck. My focus was making sure I didn’t go down before he made his first move. I didn’t, and I was able to come out of it with the stop.”
The offensive onslaught was led by Zangara, who finished with five points (two goals, three assists). Daniel Sharkey had a hat trick and an assist, Vincent Crisafulli contributed a goal and three assists, while Jacob Campbell scored twice.
Randolph completed a season-sweep of Knolls-Hills in its three contests, and scored nine or more goals in all three meetings. It outscored its rival by a score of 28-10 in those games, an unheard of goal differential between two perennial state powers.
“There’s no quit in this team,” Zangara said. “We’re going to keep on pushing no matter what.”
Now, the Rams, which improved to 18-0-1, will look to snap a six-year Mennen Cup drought next Thursday. It hasn’t forgotten about the heartbreaking overtime loss to Chatham in last year’s final, and is hoping it can come out on top this time. It has defeated Chatham by scores of 5-2 and 7-1 this season.
“We just have to do what we do,” Zangara said. “If we play our game, hopefully we’ll come out with a different ending.”
Krynicki added, “It’s awesome. Especially against Chatham, we want nothing more than to give them some payback for what happened to us last year.”
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 