CHATHAM COUGARS
Head coach: Brendon Herr, 10th season (103-81-16 career record)
Division: MCSSIHL-Mennen
Last year: The Cougars had yet another strong season, finishing with a 16-9 overall record with a 4-4 mark in the Mennen Division. It reached the Mennen Cup final for the second-straight year, but was unable to defend its title as it fell, 5-3 to Randolph in the final. It made a run to the semifinals of the North, Public state tournament, where it fell to eventual Public state champion Northern Highlands.
Key losses: Chatham graduated a very talented 11-player senior class, led by forward Luc D’Costa (19 g., 18 a.) and defenseman Dillon Gagliardi (9 g., 13 a.). Gagliardi was a Second Team All-Mennen pick. In addition to that senior class, Chatham will be without its top forward in Matt Nacinovich (21 g., 36 a., First Team All-Mennen) as he departed for Prep school Gunnery in Connecticut for his senior year. Isaac Suh (4 g., 6 a.) will also not be playing his senior season for the Cougars, and will be focused on club hockey for the New Jersey Rockets.
Forwards: After losing important players, Chatham will turn to senior Thomas White (15 g., 13 a.) to lead the way after earning Mennen Division Honorable Mention honors. Senior Roman Kostrowski (5 g., 12 a.), sophomore Charlie Dunn (7 g., 3 a.), sophomore Danil Shlapak (1 g., 1 a.), and senior Tripp Connor (1 g., 1 a.) will all be counted on to step up this season.
Defense: Chatham will be led on the blue line by senior Evan Thomas (4 a.) and junior Nate Crowley (1 g., 10 a.). Senior Dean Swift will also be counted on as well.
Goaltending: Chatham will have some stability in net with the return of junior Snowden Lange. Lange, a Second Team All-Mennen pick last year, posted an .885 save percentage while earning the starter’s role as the season progressed, and he is poised for an even bigger junior year. Freshman Connor Schaff also figures to see some time this season.
Outlook: There’s no question about it, this appears to be a bit of a transition year for Chatham. It lost a massive senior class full of talented players, and also lost one of the top players in the area in Nacinovich. Replacing that level of talent will certainly be a challenge, but Herr’s squads always find a way to be competitive. It’s going to come down to how much of a step forward the team can take up front, because with a talented netminder in Lange, it should not need to fill up the scoresheet to win. As long as it can stay healthy, expect the Cougars to improve as the season goes along and to be a factor once the postseason rolls around, as it often is.
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 