MORRISTOWN-BEARD CRIMSON
Head coach: Scott Greene, seventh season (73-53-7 career record)
Division: MCSSIHL-Mennen
Last year: The 2023-24 season was very much a mixed bag for the Crimson, who finished with a 10-10 overall record. It lost, 4-2 to Chatham in the Mennen Cup semifinals, before suffering a 4-0 defeat to Princeton Day in the first round of the NJSIAA Non-Public tournament.
Key losses: The Crimson graduated five seniors, including a Second Team All-Mennen selection in Peter Cross (8 g., 19 a.). It was also hit hard by transfers, with junior forward Ryan Tartaglione (14 g., 12 a.) headed to Frederick Gunn Prep, junior forward Kevin Fraga (7 g., 13 a.) heading to Mount St. Charles, and junior defenseman Nick Zayas (4 g., 9 a.) moving on to Don Bosco.
Forwards: The team will have to replace some key players up front in Cross, Tartaglione, and Fraga. Senior Nick Squashic (8 g., 8 a.) will lead the way, and will be joined by junior John Gonnella (3 g., 14 a.) and sophomore Hudson Salvador (8 g., 9 a.). Sophomores Trenton Fei and Florian Gao showed flashes last season and will be counted on to take a step forward this year with a year of experience under their belts. Freshmen Marcus Cassidy and Austin Gildea figure to play a big role this year, with sophomore transfer Evan Redman (Seton Hall Prep) also expected to contribute.
Defense: Morristown-Beard will rely on a core of experienced defensemen, highlighted by seniors Evan Jones (7 g., 11 a.), Lucas Krzanowski (4 g., 11 a.), and Robert Magnotta (1 g., 8 a.). Junior Logan Turner saw some minutes last year and figures to take on even more this year, while transfers Alex Hriczov (junior, West Essex) and Peter Clark (sophomore, Delbarton) should also be factors. Hriczov posted two goals and eight assists last winter for West Essex-Caldwell.
Goaltending: This, without question, is the strength of this Morristown-Beard team. Sophomore Mason Hriczov put together eye-popping numbers as a freshman last season and figures to be even better this year. He had a .932 save percentage in 17 starts for the Crimson, and earned Mennen Division Rookie of the Year honors as well as Third Team All-Non-Public by NJ.com. He enters this season as- at a minimum- one of a handful of goalies who could lay claim to being the best in the state this year. His ability to be a steadying presence in the crease was vital for a young team last year, and he’ll be asked to do the same again this year. The team will also turn to sophomore Caleb Elias as its backup this year.
Outlook: Morristown-Beard will be an interesting team in the Mennen Division. The team has largely gone through ups and downs since its last Mennen Cup title in 2021-22, and the loss of five seniors- plus three transfers- is a lot to replace. The defense and goaltending are what this team will be able to count on, with one of the best goalies in the state in Hriczov, along with a very experienced and talented blue line led by Evan Jones, who was First Team All-Mennen last year. It lost a lot of production offensively and will need to replace that, so the trio of Gonnella, Salvador, and Squashic will need to continue to improve and it will need some of the newcomers to make their presence felt. With a goalie like Hriczov in net, this team shouldn’t need to fill up the scoresheet on a nightly basis. If it can find enough offensive production consistently, Morristown-Beard should be right there near the top of the Mennen Division when all is said and done, and will be a dangerous team come postseason play.
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 