By Mike Gurnis
Friday night marked the beginning of a new era for West Morris.
After three-straight Haas Cup final appearances, including back-to-back titles in 2021-22 and 2022-23, followed by a regular season division title last year, West Morris made the move up to the Halvorsen Division as part of the MCSSIHL’s realignment this year.
It was already going to be a step up in competition. Factor in that the team was going to have a new coaching staff this season as veteran coach Dave Hansen took over as head coach, there figured to be a bit of an adjustment period, especially early on.
But not for this team.
West Morris opened the season with a statement, as it took down reigning Public Co-op state champion Morris Knolls-Hills, 6-3, in the season opener for both teams on Friday night.
It was the second-straight year that West Morris had knocked off Knolls-Hills from the top-tier Mennen Division, as it defeated it 6-5 on Jan. 28 of last season.
“It’s a great start,” said senior Ben Barnhill. “We’re going to keep going up from here and keep producing, keep doing what we’re doing, and hope for the best.”
It got out to a quick start in this one, as it responded to an early Morris Knolls-Hills goal from Marek Kazek in the opening minutes. The Wolfpack scored three times in 2:48, with Rhone Armijo, Shiva Kuttikat, and Gavin Smith all scoring to give the team a commanding 3-1 lead.
Kazik buried his second of the game with 1:47 left in the first, but Barnhill found the back of the net early in the second to restore the two-goal advantage. After surrendering a late goal in the second period, the Wolfpack secured the win with two third period goals, as Armijo buried his second on an empty-netter in the final minute.
While the six goals will get most of the attention, the team’s defensive play should get its share as well. For large stretches of the game, the Wolfpack stayed disciplined in the defensive zone, keeping a lot of the shots to the perimeter. And when breakdowns happened, freshman goalie Jason Trezza came to the rescue.
Trezza’s best save came late in the third period with his team protecting a two-goal lead. Knolls-Hills’ Jake McCloud, one of the more dynamic scorers in the area, took the initial shot which the freshman stopped. Then, off the rebound, McCloud was in all alone, and Trezza sprawled to stop that one as well, keeping Knolls-Hills from getting a key goal to cut into the deficit.
“He did a great job,” Barnhill said of his goaltender. “He had a great game all-around, I’m so proud of him. He’s a freshman coming in hot. He’s doing a great job, he’s going to keep producing and keep doing what he does.”
It was just the first step for a West Morris team which is hoping for big things in its new division this season, and one that certainly will be motivated to capture the Halvorsen Cup after losing in overtime in the Haas Cup final to Gill St. Bernard’s last year.
Hansen, who has been a long-time head coach and led Madison to a Mennen Cup title in 2019 and led Hillsborough to a state final appearance in 2022-23, is the man tasked with leading this team, after Phil Togno’s very successful eight-year run came to an end after last season.
While it’s only one game, it’s hard to ask for a much better start to a new regime than knocking off a state champion from last year.
“It’s definitely great to see these results and starting off strong,” Barnhill said. “It’s all about our mentality. The boys did a great job converting over to the new coaching staff. I’m proud of the boys and happy that we’re doing well with it.”
But, there will be little time to celebrate, as it will have less than 24 hours to prepare for facing Montville on Saturday night in its first Halvorsen Division game.
“We’re feeling very confident and excited for tomorrow against Montville. Can’t hope for more, except for another W.”
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 