PARSIPPANY REGIONAL (Parsippany Hills-Parsippany)
Head coach: Anthony Egidio, ninth season
Division: MCSSIHL- Haas-Charette
Last year: Parsippany Regional had its best season in years as it went 7-11, which was the team’s first time winning more than six games in a season since it went 12-8-2 in 2016-17. It went 4-4 in the Charette Division and qualified for the Charette Cup, where it fell, 6-3 to Newton-Lenape Valley in the semifinals. It did not qualify for the state tournament.
Key losses: Parsippany Regional graduated two seniors from last year’s team- forwards Nicholas Hornung and Adrianna DiDomenico. Hornung had five goals and three assists for the team last winter.
Forwards: This team will be buoyed by a trio of forwards who bring some nice scoring punch. Junior Robert Hemenway, a First Team All-Charette recipient last year, showed off his playmaking ability by leading the team in points (24 g., 14 a.). Senior Joseph Gasparro (8 g., 9 a.) is a versatile player who Egidio can count on in any situation, while sophomore Kaden Bland (5 g., 6 a.) was the Charette Division Rookie of the Year last year.
Defense: Parsippany will lean on two defensemen to lead the way, starting with senior William Shoemaker (1 g., 2 a.). Egidio touted Shoemaker as a shut down defenseman who will play physical and will block shots to help his team win. Junior Matthew Hemenway (5 g., 16 a.) brings more of a two-way game to the table, as he can bring physicality but is also a very adept puck-mover and scorer.
Goaltending: Andrew Nicholas was a First Team-All Charette honoree as a sophomore after posting an .890 save percentage while starting all 18 of his team’s games. He figures to be poised for an even better junior season, and stands just 82 saves shy of 1,000 for his career already.
Outlook: Last season was a huge step forward for Parsippany Regional. Not just because of the improved results on the ice, but from a numbers perspective as well. For years, Parsippany has struggled with its roster size, but after years of working with the youth programs in town, Egidio has gotten his roster built up to where there are now over 20 players in the program this season. The improved manpower should take some pressure off of the team’s top players, as they should be able to get more breaks and time to recuperate during the course of a game. This is a young, but continually improving program, and it hopes to take another big step forward this winter. There are some strong teams in this division such as Roxbury and Mountain Lakes, but Parsippany has a real opportunity to finish in the top half of the Haas-Charette if it can stay healthy and continue to improve.
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 