By Mike Gurnis
It is crazy to think that two weeks from Thursday, the Cup Tournaments will begin.
The final regular season games, weather permitting, are set for Wednesday, Feb. 4. But in advance of that, let’s take a look at what we know and what is still to be decided in each of the three divisions.
MENNEN CUP
— Morristown-Beard has clinched the top seed, currently 10-0-1 in the division with one final divisional tilt against Morristown set for Thursday at Mennen Arena.
— Randolph, KJS United, and Morristown have all qualified for the Mennen Cup, just a matter of determining who is seeded where. Randolph and KJS each have two divisional games left, while Morristown has three.
— Chatham (6 points), Mendham (5 points), and Morris Knolls-Hills are all battling it out for the final two playoff spots. Chatham could clinch its spot as early as Wednesday, if it beats Randolph and Morris Knolls-Hills loses in regulation to Mendham.
— To say Wednesday’s Mendham/Morris Knolls-Hills game is massive is an understatement. Mendham would clinch its Mennen Cup spot with a regulation win, as that would mean the best Knolls-Hills could do would tie them if they win their final two games, but Mendham would hold the head-to-head in that scenario. A loss would not eliminate Morris Knolls-Hills, but the math would get much, much tougher.
HALVORSEN CUP
— West Morris has already clinched the top seed with two divisional games remaining.
— Madison and Mount Olive-Hopatcong-Hackettstown have both qualified for the Halvorsen Cup, with seeding to be determined. Park Regional needs a win, tie, or overtime loss in any of its final four games to officially qualify.
— Montville is also in very good shape to qualify. Based off my calcuations, it needs three points in its final three games against Bernards-Somerville-Middlesex (twice) and Madison, without help from anyone else.
— Bernards-Somerville-Middlesex interestingly finds itself in last place in the division, but it still has five divisional games left, so a lot of points still on the table for them. Meanwhile, Roxbury is in sixth with two points, but has just three games left. The teams will play each other on Friday which could go a long way toward determining which team gets in. Roxbury won, 1-0 in overtime back in December in the first meeting.
HAAS CUP
— This is the one division that has not settled its top seed yet. Parsippany Regional (18 points) and Gill St. Bernard’s (16 points) are currently neck-and-neck, with each having three games left. Monday’s game between these two at 8:30 p.m. at Mennen may very well determine the top seed.
— Newton-Lenape Valley and Mountain Lakes-Boonton have both qualified with seeding to be determined.
— High Point-Wallkill Valley-Kittatinny needs a win in its final two games against Newton-Lenape Valley and Parsippany, or any regulation loss by Morris Catholic to officially qualify.
— Vernon (3 points) and Morris Catholic (1 point) are in sixth and seventh in the division. The two will meet on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Mennen Arena. If Morris Catholic loses to Parsippany on Thursday, this game could be a play-in game for Vernon.
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 