By Mike Gurnis
The proverbial target on KJS United’s back was considerably bigger than it was going into the state tournament a year ago.
Last year, after an up-and-down regular season, KJS United found itself as the eighth-seed in the North, Public Co-Op bracket, before taking down several higher-seeded opponents in dominant fashion en route to the sectional and eventual Public Co-Op state title.
This time around, KJS United wasn’t going to sneak up on anyone or catch anyone by surprise in the slightest. A team that has been in the statewide Top 20 for virtually all season, the reigning champs went into the state tournament with the top seed, and thus, became the hunted.
But as much as KJS played like a team that deserved a considerably different seed than the eighth-seed a year ago, this year its seed has been more than fitting.
Top-seeded KJS United took down 10th-seeded Mount Olive-Hopatcong-Hackettstown, 5-0, to win its second-straight North, Public Co-Op sectional title at Codey Arena in West Orange on Thursday.
“We have a target on our back, so we know everyone’s coming for us and it’s everyone’s Stanley Cup when they play us,” Eddie Brown said. “So I mean, really the kind of difference is just proving to everyone that we are better than everybody. There’s a reason why we’re the number one seed. So we’re just gonna go out there and prove why we are.”
KJS United did just that, and earned a spot in Monday’s Public Co-Op state championship. The game is set for 7:45 p.m. at Newark’s Prudential Center, and KJS will take on South champion North Hunterdon-Voorhees as it looks to repeat as state champions.
Brown set up Braydon Sisco for the opening goal of the game just 6:49 in, before Michael Pandiscia doubled the lead with just one second remaining in the period to give KJS a commanding 2-0 lead.
It could have been considerably more if not for the play of Mount Olive-Hopatcong-Hackettstown netminder Connor Lomax. Just days after an incredible performance in an upset win over Morris Knolls-Hills, Lomax came to play again, making several saves, including one on a breakaway by Pandiscia in the opening frame.
But KJS just continued to find its way through. It scored another last-minute goal with 37 seconds left in the second as Sisco buried his second of the night to make it 3-0.
“The puck wasn’t bouncing at first, and then once Braydon (Sisco)got that one, I think that kind of got the nerves loose, and we brought it home,” Pandiscia said.
Brown and Cormac Gibbons each scored early in the third to essentially put the game out of reach.
Through four state tournament games, KJS has outscored its opposition 21-4. It is the type of dominance it experienced during last year’s sectional championship run, where it outscored opponents 26-7 in its four games leading up to the state final.
Now, it hopes it will continue on Monday, as it takes on a North Hunterdon-Voorhees program which finds itself in its first-ever state final in just its third year of existence.
“It’s amazing. Like, people don’t come to this very often, and I think the fact that we’re doing this twice is just amazing,” Pandiscia said. “It’s going to be a great memory for all of us.”
E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 