On the 22nd of February, The eleventh-seeded Montclair High School Varsity Ice Hockey Team faced off against the 3 seeded Chatham Cougars in the Quarterfinals of the State Tournament yesterday. Chatham started hot when number 27, senior forward Connor Gilleece, scored the first goal of the game just 1:31 into the first period. The Mounties held on and play remained even for the next few minutes until Montclair received a bench penalty for too many men on the ice. With junior Leland Gibson serving the two-minute minor for Montclair, Chatham went on their first power play. Senior goalkeeper Sam Korenbaum stood strong, and Montclair was killing the penalty off until a gap in the slot created a chance for Chatham’s number 19, junior forward Matt Nacinovich. A shot from the slot made its way through the Montclair ranks, into the back of the net, and Chatham went up 2-0 about halfway through the first frame. The Mounties’ focus then took a noticeable shift, with defensive play coming into the foreground. You could clearly see this when, during an odd-man rush by Chatham, sophomore Sean Dunne blocked a shot and prevented Chatham from extending their lead. Korenbaum and Gibson also zoned in on their defensive play, blocking multiple close and far-range shots from Chatham. The Cougars continued their dominance, with the puck staying locked in Montclair’s zone. Senior captain Gavin Parma was then given a two-minute minor for elbowing with less than two minutes left in the first period. Chatham’s power play was immediately playing strong, with Montclair’s goaltender Korenbaum recording both a glove save and a crucial, last minute, pad save. Chatham ended the period leading 2-0 in goals, as well as 17-6 in shots.
To kick off the second period, Chatham remained on the power play for 39 seconds. Montclair killed off the remaining time, and they returned to even-strength play. The Mounties’ senior captain Sam Rotella then tallied the team’s first points of the game when he got the puck past Chatham’s goaltender 1:18 into the period. Play again evened out for a few minutes, until Chatham managed to gain the upper hand and Gilleece scored his second goal and third point of the game. Montclair’s netminder Sam Korenbaum continued to play his hardest, stopping multiple Chatham shots and even diving to control a rebound. The Mounties then flipped the puck out of play, and a faceoff win by Chatham created a rush for their forwards. They were unable to get a shot off, and Montclair’s junior Anders Jenkins had a chance on a breakaway. He attempted a wraparound that was kicked away by Chatham’s sophomore goalie Snowden Lange, and the Mounties were unable to pick up the rebound. Montclair repeatedly attempted to get the puck past Lange, with three consecutive high-danger chances. The game then saw an uptick in physicality, with Montclair laying big hits on Chatham. Montclair junior forwards Colin Felber and Anders Jenkins, and sophomore Hannah Rosenheck put the pressure on Chatham, recording multiple back-to-back shots, but Chatham’s goaltender kept the puck out. The Mounties continued to stay in Chatham’s zone, but the momentum then shifted and Chatham had multiple rushes back down the ice toward Korenbaum. The second period ended with Chatham still leading 3-1, as well as shots 29-14 in favor of Chatham.
To begin the final period, Montclair received another bench penalty, this time for a delay of game. Sophomore Jayden Manabat was chosen to serve the penalty, and Montclair killed off Chatham’s man advantage with vital help from Korenbaum, who repeatedly gloved and hugged the puck to stop play and give Montclair the ability to regroup. Montclair then forced Chatham out of the Mounties zone, and Rotella turned this into a rush towards the Chatham goal. Montclair gets a shot off from the point, but a glove save from Lange kept the score 3-1. Freshman Jaxon Parma then created another key chance for the Mounties, taking the puck off a Chatham defenseman following a misplay between the Cougars. Parma rushed down the ice and was able to rip a shot towards Lange, but could not get it past him. The Cougars then took control right back, nearly netting another goal when Gavin Parma cleared a Cougar off of the puck. Montclair once again adopted a defensive-minded style of play, as Sean Dunne prevented two cross-ice passes from reaching their mark in quick succession. Following this, Chatham’s number 16, junior forward Thomas White, sent the puck into Montclair’s net for Chatham’s fourth goal of the game. Rosenheck continued to put pressure on Lange, with a powerful five-hole shot that was stopped before crossing the goal line. Both Felber and Korenbaum were able to give Montclair a chance to breathe, with Felber dumping the puck so the Mounties could get a line change and Korenbaum gloving the puck down to stop play. Chatham then received their first penalty of the game, a two-minute minor for tripping, and Montclair was on their first power play with less than five minutes to play. As Rotella took the first face-off, Korenbaum made his way to the bench to give Montclair a two-man advantage. Chatham was then immediately able to fire an empty net attempt down the ice, only missing Montclair’s net slightly to the right. The two-man advantage allowed Montclair to keep the puck in Chatham’s zone, though they were struggling to get shots off and Chatham was able to kill the penalty. The Mounties then took a timeout with 26 seconds left on the clock. Play resumed, and another attempt at the empty net by the Cougars stopped only a few inches short of the goal line. Time then elapsed, and Chatham came away with a 4-1 victory over Montclair to move onto the Semifinal round. This Quarterfinal exit from the State Tournament proved to be an unfortunate end to a terrific season that saw the team record their first winning record in nearly half a decade at 14-7-3. Montclair’s chances of making a deep run in counties and states were hampered by injuries that saw star junior captain Logan Brown knocked out for the remainder of the season only 60% of the way into the season. Additionally, Montclair went on a 1-2-1 skid against inferior opponents following a concussion to star goalkeeper Sam Korenbaum, and this poor stretch of play hurt Montclair’s seeding in the County and State Tournaments.