By Mike Gurnis
I’m going to have recaps of all Cup playoff action from the MCSSIHL this year. Tonight, we had the Mennen Cup first round take place with a doubleheader at Mennen. Here’s what went down.
3-KJS United 7, 6-Chatham 3
Behind a seven-point performance from Eddie Brown, KJS United knocked off Chatham to advance to the Mennen Cup semifinals.
Brown netted four goals and also had three assists for KJS, which went 2-1 against Chatham this season. Braydon Sisco had two goals and three assists, while Maximo Rodriguez added a goal and an assist. Stefan Filewicz stopped 33 of 36 shots as KJS United improved to 9-6-2 on the season.
This is KJS United’s second-straight Mennen Cup semifinal appearance.
Luca DeNichilo, Luke Brendle, and Owen Young each found the back of the net for Chatham, which fell to 9-11-2 on the season.
5-Mendham 3, 4-Morristown 1
Thanks to a 46-save performance from Brendon Eigner, Mendham picked up its first win over Morristown this season to advance to the Mennen Cup semifinals.
Despite a 47-19 shot advantage by Morristown, Eigner was able to keep the Colonials at bay, and sophomore Kacper Lesiak recorded a hat trick to account for all three Minutemen goals.
This win came just three days after the last meeting between these teams, which was a 3-2 win for Morristown. It was Mendham’s first win over Morristown since the 2022 Halvorsen Cup final, which ironically also came after the Minutemen lost both regular season contests to Morristown.
Mendham improved to 7-8-2 on the year, while Morristown dropped to 10-7.
WHAT’S NEXT
A semifinal doubleheader is set for Monday at Mennen Arena. Mendham will take on top-seeded and defending champion Morristown-Beard at 4:30 p.m., before KJS United faces off against second-seeded Randolph at 6:30 p.m.
Morristown-Beard swept the regular season series with Mendham by scores of 4-1 and 9-2. KJS and Randolph also played twice this year, with KJS winning an 8-6 thriller on opening day, before skating to a 3-3 tie on Jan. 5.
While Morristown-Beard and Randolph have been virtual regulars in the Mennen Cup final, Mendham is seeking its first-ever Mennen Cup final appearance in its first season in the division. KJS United, on the other hand, was last in the final when Kinnelon was a solo program and played to a 4-4 tie with Morris Knolls in the 2013 final.
The winners of the semifinal matchups will meet in the Mennen Cup final, set for Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 7:45 p.m.
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 