By, David Hashagen

Morristown, NJ —

Rivalries are defined by a couple of factors; consistent meetings between the teams, major moments on the ice and a back and forth of who wins.  This year’s Mennen Cup final comfortably fits the first two, with Chatham and Randolph being constant Menne division foes and games in recent years especially that have brought out the passion from both fans bases and benches.  The third quality though has been lacking, as in the last 5 years Randolph has dominated the Cougars going 9-1-1.  However its that 1 in the loss column that will weigh heaviest on both teams minds as it came in last years Mennen Cup final where Chatham ended its over 4 decade cup drought with a 2-1 OT victory. There’s no question that last years final will be fresh in both teams minds, while for the neutral it looks to be another classic Mennen division final between two of north Jersey’s blue blood programs.

Chatham Cougars (14-7, +21 Goal Differential)

While this season didn’t see a lot of turnover to the squad, the team still had to deal with the departure of the Curry’s, Nikita Konevych and defenseman Ryan Burke.  But this year’s team has more than performed at the same standard. A 7 game win streak early in the season set the tone for the squad, with a dominant top line and a great combo in net leading the way.

Offense: 

The Chatham offense is led by one of the best top lines in the state.  The combo of Matt Nacinovich, Luc D’Costa and Thomas White have contributed 48 goals and 58 assists this season.  Beyond the deadly top line, Chatham has gotten plenty of supplementary scoring from Drew Munsey, Conor Gillece and Charlie Dunn.  Isaac Suh has come on strong in the last few weeks of the season while Dillon Gagliardi has contributed 18 points from the blue line.  The Cougars’ abundance of scorers makes them a headache to defend.

Defense:  

Defensively,  the Cougars have been hot and cold all season and that has been mimicked in the past few games.  On one hand they have held big time offenses like Morris Knolls/Hills, Colonia and Morristown-Beard 10 goals total plus a shutout against BSM.  However in that same frame they allowed seven goals to both Beard and Randolph in their past 5 games.  Which version of the Chatham defense shows up Thursday will be key to claiming the crown this year.  Gagliardi and Nate Crowley have been the leaders this season, with Connor McRae making a solid impact this season.  In goal Chatham has the real advantage in this matchup, where sophomore Snowden Lange has supplanted last year’s state final starter Nate May as the number one, earning a 2.86 GAA.  However the combo of playoff experience of May and the high upside of Lange, makes Chatham’s goaltending group maybe the best in the Mennen.

X-factor:

Psychology:  There’s no denying the facts here; Chatham is the underdog going into this cup final.  Randolph is the last undefeated team in the state, number 1 seed in the Public North bracket and have beaten the Cougars by a combined score of 12-3.  However, the memory of last year’s final and the run that Coach Herr’s side had to the Prudential Center last year will still be fresh in this team’s mind.  It’s a squad that knows how to win the big games despite the odds, and their skill all over the ice, will prove critical to taking back-to-back Mennen Cups.

Randolph Rams (18-0-1, +91 Goal Differential)

To call this year’s Randolph squad historic, would not be an understatement.  They are on the verge of being just the 5th undefeated regular season team in state history, and Coach Rich McLaughlin became just the 4th coach in state history to reach 500 wins.  But what’s most surprising about this squad is that as opposed to years past, it’s the offense that is leading the way for the Rams.  The revenge tour after losing last year’s cup final has been impressive on all parts of the ice, and could be one for the history books.

Offense:

Usually not synonymous with Randolph teams, the Rams offense has been prolific this season, racking up 125 goals this year with 8 players cracking the 20 point barrier. Jase Zangara has led the way with 55 points this year (30 G, 25 A), but this is a team that runs 3-4 lines deep who can all put the puck in the back of the net. The Melly twins Keegan and Shane, Daniel Sharkey and Drew George have had career seasons, and Vincent Crisafulli has had a breakout year with 30 points on the season.  Ashton Feinberg, Brian Cislo and freshman Bryson Findling have made solid contributions from the blue line to add to the two layer attack.

Defense:

While the offense may have taken over the headlines this year, don’t let it be misunderstood: Randolph is still VERY good on defense.  The Rams 34 goals allowed this season is the best in the league.  The group has a great mix of offensive and defensive defensemen, with Feinberg, Findling and Cislo leading the scoring threats, while Ryan Potanovich and Logan O’Malley have done a great job shoring up the back end.  Senior John Krynicki has done a phenomenal job in goal despite a lack of varsity experience, racking up a 1.78 GAA and .897 save percentage. The Ram’s defensive group will be key to victory.

X-Factor:

Unstoppable force. With the lone exception of a tie against St. Joes (Met.), Randolph has been all but perfect. On a 13 game win streak, and winning their division games by 3.55 goals per game, Coach McLaughlin has this group running on all cylinders.  Now all that’s left to accomplish is to avenge last year’s cup defeat, and take home the first Mennen cup for the program since 2017-18. But doing so against the defending champs will be anything but easy.

You can watch the Mennen Cup final live on Garden State Sports on Thursday, February 15th at 7:30 PM. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Jkqv_f65fc

Cover Photo Credit: Mike Cahill