Parsippany continues best start since ’16, rallies past Mountain Lakes

By Mike Gurnis

Parsippany Regional has been building toward this type of success for a long time.

While the Parsippany program had a winning season in its first season under Anthony Egidio in the 2016-17 season, he knew that the program’s participation numbers were struggling, and that it would be a long road to build his team back up.

He remembers going into the middle schools in Parsippany roughly six-to-seven years ago, looking to recruit players at a young age to play the sport. He handed out T-shirts, stress pucks, anything to put the thought of getting young kids involved with hockey, and to eventually play for the high school program.

It has been a long process, but those efforts are finally starting to pay off.

A program which won a combined 11 games from the 2018-19 season through the 2022-23 season took a step forward last winter with seven wins. It has taken an even bigger leap this season, as it is off to a 6-2 start, it’s best start through eight games since it started the year 7-1 in Egidio’s first year in 2016-17.

“Freshman year it was tough,” junior goalie Andrew Nicholas said. “There were a lot of losses, but it’s alright. Sophomore year was better, we were like .500. We started to get older, we started to get more mature. We started to get smarter with the puck. This year, you know, everyone stepping up leadership-wise has definitely improved our team all around.”

Its latest win came on Friday night, when it rallied from an early two-goal deficit to take down Mountain Lakes-Boonton, 4-3, in a Haas-Charette Division battle at Mennen Arena.

Four different players found the back of the net, with senior Max Ingersoll burying the game-winner with 9:07 to go in the third period. Nicholas, who recently recorded his 1,000th career save, has been the backbone of the team through its turnaround, and came through with 36 saves- including several big ones late in the game to preserve a one-goal lead.

“I think that we just have determination, and we also have heart,” Nicholas said. “We all play with heart, and that’s one of the best things that you can have, it’s just determination. We never give up.”

Mountain Lakes-Boonton’s vaunted 1-3-1 neutral-zone trap gave Parsippany nightmares in the early going. It had a difficult time breaking out of its own zone, and Mountain Lakes-Boonton scored twice in 41 seconds early in the game to take a 2-0 advantage.

Lawson Fagan and Anthony Maclaren both scored off turnovers that the perfectly-executed trap created, and Parsippany was on its heels early.

“We’re not really that used to working in our D-zone this season,” Ingersoll said. “We’ve been playing more on offense, and the trap, we’re not used to seeing that. We weren’t really sure how to deal with it at first. Obviously with them playing so high, we just have to chip it off the boards and try to hit that weak side winger.”

The team made adjustments going into the second period, as Robert Hemenway, Kaden Bland, and Shay Anand each scored to give Parsippany its first lead of the night. Mountain Lakes-Boonton’s Eli Forman scored in the first minute of the third, but it was Ingersoll who found the back of the net a few minutes later to give his squad the lead for good.

“We were down against Central Regional last week,” Ingersoll said. “It was 3-1 and we rallied our way back for six unanswered. We know we have that in us. Coming out down 2-0 in that second period, we knew we could come back. That’s our play style.”

It was only Ingersoll’s second goal of the year and 13th of his four-year high school career.

“It felt great. I wasn’t sure if that was going to be the last goal of the game, because I know Mountain Lakes is a good team, and I wasn’t sure if they were going to rally back,” Ingersoll added. “But getting a big goal like that, it’s just so special. (There haven’t been) many, and any goal I can score is always a big one.”

Mountain Lakes-Boonton had a golden opportunity to tie it up and force overtime when Parsippany was called for a penalty in the final two minutes. But Parsippany’s penalty kill unit did a solid job limiting opportunities, and when it didn’t, Nicholas was there to make the save.

Nicholas made multiple highlight reel saves throughout the game, including a couple in the final minute to preserve the win for his team. It’s something that his teammates and coaching staff have come to expect over the past few seasons.

“As a junior, he has the ‘C’ on his jersey, and as a goalie,” Egidio said. “That might be rare for some programs, but for me, a leader is a leader. He’s been the guy, whether he’s quiet as the backbone of our program making those big saves in big situations, or he’s the one in the locker room talking to try to rally the troops. He means a ton to this program.”

The squad also showcased its depth, something it did not have much of in years past. A program that regularly struggled to safely put out a roster big enough to play on a nightly basis, Parsippany iced a roster of 15 skaters on Friday night. It can play three lines and multiple defensive pairings, which was something Egidio could have only dreamed about just two years ago.

On Friday, four different players found the back of the net offensively. Additionally, it was without one of its top players in defenseman Matthew Hemenway, yet the team still found a way to win without a vital piece of its blue line and top power play unit.

“Missing him is huge, obviously, but being able to have other guys step up into that role, I think gives them confidence,” Egidio said. “We have three lines that we can play. So I think the depth that we have, and that next up philosophy is just our mentality.

Egidio added, “I think the biggest thing is everyone’s buying into their role. You might not be a top-six forward, but when you get that opportunity to step on the ice, you have to make plays, and you have to make something happen. Sometimes you may be a little more defensive, but everyone’s willing to step into their role and do whatever it takes for this program to be successful and try to win some hockey games.”

The win moved Parsippany into sole possession of first place in the Haas-Charette Division, just one point ahead of Roxbury (which has one less game played). It sets the stage for a big matchup on Tuesday, when it meets Roxbury for the first time this year in a battle for first place.

This team’s start has it thinking of big things, including a run at a Haas Cup title. But Tuesday’s game will serve as a huge measuring stick as to where this team is now, as Roxbury is unbeaten in divisional play.

“We’re buzzing right now,” Ingersoll said. “I’m hoping to get to a Haas Cup championship game and hopefully win, but right now, we’re just taking it one game at a time. You don’t want to look too far ahead, but I think we have the talent and the depth here to take it all the way.”

SCORING SUMMARY
First period
MLB — Lawson Fagan (Eli Forman, Kyle Wenzel) 11:39
MLB — Anthony Maclaren 10:58
Second period
PAR — Robert Hemenway 12:26
PAR — Kaden Bland (Sean Coyle, Robert Hemenway) 10:03 PPG
PAR — Shay Anand (Kaden Bland) 3:04 PPG
Third period
MLB — Eli Forman (Lawson Fagan) 14:22
PAR — Max Ingersoll 9:07

Shots on goal: Mountain Lakes-Boonton 39, Parsippany Regional 23
Saves: Andrew Nicholas (Parsippany) 36, Ethan Scanlon (Mountain Lakes-Boonton) 19

E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com