Mountain Lakes-Boonton stuns Parsippany in OT to win 1st Haas Cup since ’21

By Mike Gurnis

All season long, everything came up Parsippany.

The program appeared poised to complete its worst-to-first story with a Haas Cup title after going 11-1 in the division and earning the top seed in the tournament.

But all it took was a hungry Mountain Lakes-Boonton team and one shot in OT to derail those plans.

Despite surrendering the tying goal late, third-seeded Mountain Lakes-Boonton rebounded to win its third Haas Cup in program history, a 2-1 win over top-seeded Parsippany Regional on Wednesday evening at Mennen Arena in Morris Township.

Michael Vergona buried the game-winner on the power play with 8:26 left in overtime off a rebound of an Anthony Maclaren shot. It came moments after the Lakers killed off a penalty, and then when an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was called against Parsippany, it took advantage.

The game-winner was the seventh goal of the year for Vergona.

The two squads played to a scoreless first period, and Mountain Lakes-Boonton broke through in the second period when James Maclaren scored with 6:55 to go to put his team in the lead.

That lead stayed intact deep into the third period, before Kaden Bland capitalized on a power play goal with 5:13 left to tie the game at one. Both goaltenders were spectacular throughout the game, with Parsippany goalie Andrew Nicholas stopping 37 of 39 shots, while Ethan Scanlon made 27 of 28 saves for Mountain Lakes-Boonton.

It was Mountain Lakes-Boonton’s first Haas Cup title since going back-to-back in 2020 and 2021. Each time it’s happened, it has come with a flair for the dramatic. Griffin O’Shaughnessy scored the game-winner with 1:04 left in the 2020 final against Gill St. Bernard’s, before Aiden Reidy scored the overtime winner in the 2021 triumph over Mount Olive-Hopatcong-Hackettstown.

Now, Michael Vergona joins that exclusive club of Cup-winning goals for Mountain Lakes-Boonton.

SCORING SUMMARY
First period
No scoring
Second period
MLB — James Maclaren 6:55
Third period
PAR — Kaden Bland (Michael Rescigno, Matthew Hemenway) 5:13 PPG
Overtime
MLB — Michael Vergona (Anthonay Maclaren) 8:26 PPG