Morristown High School avenged an opening night loss to Mendham by defeating its arch-rival 4-2 on Wednesday, improving its record to 12-3.
“Any time we beat them, it’s a good feeling,” said Colonials coach Bobby Jones, whose team is ranked third among public schools statewide and seventh over all.
Mendham edged Morristown 2-1 in the season opener last month, and took a 1-0 lead into the Mennen Arena locker room after two periods on Wednesday.
Photos by Scott Schlosser. Please click icon below for captions.
Coach Jones was not happy with the Colonials’ performance or their attitude, and he let them know during the brief intermission.
The players were down on each other, he said, and that had to change.
They responded with four goals in the third period, starting with Cam Szary. Morristown co-captain Zach Mourad put the Colonials ahead.
A penalty to Luke Freeland for unsportsmanlike conduct gave Mendham a chance to even the score. Instead, Brian Begley popped in a shorthanded goal to extend Morristown’s lead to 3-1.
Brian Reed kept things interesting, whipping home a one-timer for Mendham to close the gap with about five minutes to go. Zach Mourad answered for the Colonials with his second score of the afternoon.
Mendham yanked goaltender Conor Lam for an extra attacker, and the team crashed the Morristown net but could not beat goalie Shane Brown, who stopped 24 shots during the game. His counterpart made 23 saves. Mendham’s record now stands at 7-6-1.
Two strong opponents–Morristown Beard and Ridge–await the Colonials in the coming week. Coach Jones likes his boys’ chances. He said they probably are the best bunch he’s had during his four years behind the bench.
“We’re feeling really good about this year,” he said.
