February 1, 2012
Randolph's success story
Over the last decade, no public school in New Jersey can match the accomplishments of Randolph
by Roman J. Uschak/Correspondent
Ever since making it to the New Jersey state public final in 1999, the Randolph High School boys hockey team has just kept rolling along.
"They're one of our better sports, and to win state championships has been outstanding," said Randolph vice principal and athletic director Theodore Loeffler of the program, and its state tournament success in the last decade.
Ever since a 5-1 loss to Brick Township almost 13 years ago at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, the Rams have made several additional appearances in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) public hockey final. They again fell to Brick by a 5-1 count in 2002, but broke through a year later for a state title with a 7-0 shutout of Brick Memorial.
The pipeline to the Rams' program actually starts much earlier than the high school ranks.
"We've got a lot of kids playing in town in the Randolph recreation program," said Randolph High School head coach Rich McLaughlin, who is now in his 19th season at the helm of the Rams. "It's a great starting program."
He estimated there were at least 16 Mite-level players enrolled this season in the rec. program, which has served as a starting point in the past for players to graduate to other youth organizations, particularly the New Jersey Freeze and New Jersey Colonials.
"Hopefully, they start to play with the Freeze and the Colonials," said McLaughlin, who himself played at Livingston High School and Merrimack College.
"We get a good nucleus, and hopefully get eight or nine kids (at the high school) every year," he added.
After a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Morris Knolls in the 2005 public final, Randolph responded with back-to-back state titles the following two seasons, besting Montgomery the first year and then Bridgewater-Raritan the next, with both championship wins coming in overtime.
"In our league, it's Morris Knolls, Morristown-Beard, Chatham and Kinnelon," said McLaughlin, of the Mennen Division of the Morris County Secondary Schools Ice Hockey League. "We beat each other up, but it's a very good league and has been for probably 15 years or more."
In addition to those teams, McLaughlin also said that Morristown and Mendham are schools on the rise.
"We have a good league schedule, and it helps us all in the end," he explained.
After the state public final was split into two divisions beginning in 2009, Randolph kept right on going. It defeated Ridge that year, 1-0, before falling to Toms River South by a goal a year later.
Last season, Randolph returned to the top of the roost with a 1-0 win over Montgomery in the Public A final before more than 7,000 spectators at the Prudential Center in Newark, home of the New Jersey Devils. Senior forward Matt Kral's goal was the difference, while senior goaltender Danny Fullam recorded his fourth shutout of the state tournament.
Fullam was also named the Player of the Year by the Star-Ledger after leading Randolph to a 21-2-2 record and a No. 3 ranking in New Jersey. He is now at Division 3 power Middlebury (Vt.) College, while Kral is playing for East Carolina University's club team.
Through late December, Randolph had fashioned a 4-0-2 record to start the 2011-12 campaign. Connor Ryan tallied two goals in a 3-0 win over rival Morris Knolls on Dec. 9, while Michael Pollio posted his first shutout of the young season with 21 saves in that same contest.
"Connor is our leading scorer," said McLaughlin. "He's not a big guy, but he's a good skater with speed and a good shot, and he can score goals."
Though Pollio took a back seat to Fullam in the Randolph net last season, he already has plenty of experience. He backstopped the Rams to the state Public A final two years ago when Fullam was sidelined by a hip injury.
"He didn't play much last year, but he took us to the finals as a sophomore when Danny was hurt," said McLaughlin. "Michael got us there, and he's playing great now."
On the blueline, the Rams will look to Tyler Heineman to lead the way this winter.
"He's one of the better defensemen in the league, if not the state right now," said McLaughlin.
Other key players include defenseman Brad Lindquist and center Nick Holowko.
"We'll have some trouble scoring, because we have a lot of young guys," said McLaughlin. "We'll rely mainly on our defense and goaltending."
The Rams can also count on their usual backing in the stands.
"We have a nice group of kids, and we have a good fan base that follows them," said Loeffler. "We get four or five hundred students a game, and at states we'll have over 1,000 students and fans."
Roman J. Uschak can be reached at feedback@nyhockeyjournal.com.
