MORRISTOWN-BEARD CRIMSON
Head coach: Bruce Driver, 24th season (357-92-23 career record)
Division: NJIIHL-Librera Division
Last year: For the first time since the NJSIAA began a girls state tournament, Morristown-Beard fell short of the title. The Crimson fell, 2-1, in overtime to eventual state champion Pingry in the state semifinals, to finish off a 16-5 season. It went 8-0 in regular season Librera Division play, and reached the Librera Cup final, where it fell, 3-1 to Princeton Day.
Key losses: Morristown-Beard graduated a very talented six-player senior class, highlighted by forward Jessica Sperling (32 g., 20 a.), a First Team All-State pick by NJ.com last year. Also gone is forward/defenseman Kailin Kane (11 g., 23 a.), defenseman Brooklyn Chen (2 g., 11 a.), defenseman Keira Redmond (2 g., 4 a.), and forward Gia Becchi (2 a.).
Forwards: The Crimson will be led up front by senior Julie Jasaitis (20 g., 25 a.), a Second Team All-State pick who comes into this season eight points shy of 100 for her career. Juniors Sylia Sawale (9 g., 4 a.) and Marilee Vartanian (2 g., 10 a.), as well as senior Julie Kirshenbaum (12 a.) are all returning players who should see increased roles this year. Also look for freshman Emma Fuchs to have a role up front as well, although she is capable of playing any position according to Driver.
Defense: Junior Reid Snyder (10 g., 13 a.), a First Team All-State pick as a sophomore, will lead the Crimson blue line. Sophomore Keira Walsifer (6 a.) and junior Gabbie DiGeronimo (2 g., 3 a.) are also returning players on defense.
Goaltending: Junior Hannah Mortazavi had a breakout year as a sophomore, posting a 1.69 GAA and .927 save percentage in her first full year as a starter. She earned First Team All-State honors for her performance last year.
Outlook: Year-in and year-out, Morristown-Beard is the gold standard for girls hockey in the state. But, the past two years, it has lost a lot of players to graduation, and finds itself needing to retool a bit. Make no mistake about it, this program still has a lot of talent in it, and the players who remain will be motivated to reclaim the Librera Cup and state championship after its first year of not winning either. Expect this team to be a top contender for both once again in 2024-25.
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 