All Daily Record: Randolph ended season with another state crown
Dan Breeman
The buzz around the Prudential Center prior to the Public A final between Randolph and Howell clearly centered around the high-flying Rebels, who were predicted by many to cruise past the Rams and capture the school's first-ever state championship.
The only trouble with that equation was that someone forgot to brief Randolph, which had been down this road before and was more than ready for the classic matchup of offense vs. defense in the title tilt.
The Rams' response? How about recording the first 14 shots on goal and immediately putting the Rebels on their heels. And despite trailing by a goal after two periods, the Rams did what the Rams do, rallying for a pair of third-period goals to pull out a tight 2-1 victory to earn their fourth Public A title in the past five years and eighth in the past 13 seasons.
Which is why Randolph is the 2015 All Daily Record Ice Hockey Team of the Year.
"We definitely felt that we were the underdogs," said Randolph head coach Rich McLaughlin, who has built the most dominant public school program in the state over the past decade. "They were loaded with 40-goal scorers and there was some question of just how fast they would be and if we could keep up."
Those questions were immediately answered following the drop of the puck with the Rams holding a 21-2 shot advantage in the opening period. And despite yielding a shorthanded goal late in the second that put them in a 1-0 hole entering the final period, they again found a way to rally, using their trademark depth to tie the game on a goal by Matt Koop, who was on the ice for his first shift of the game. Matt Redgate, who was in the lineup for an injured Noah Leinwand and who skated JV for much of the season, assisted on the tying goal.
That left the hero role for senior captain Matt Bruno, who had missed the first six weeks of the season due to a broken leg. Bruno came out of the penalty box and won control of the puck behind the Howell net before scoring on a wraparound to put his team ahead for good with just 2:40 remaining. Bruno also scored the game-winning goal for the Rams in the state final as a freshman.
"We just kept playing hard and you couldn't ask for anything else," McLaughlin said. "We believed that if we just kept at it good things would eventually happen. Everyone did what they had to do."
Which is the trademark of McLaughlin's teams at Randolph. Getting big goals from unlikely sources, wearing down teams that may have more weapons, and coming through with the big goal in a big spot is what has consistently produced state titles.
"We have guys that were here last year and that makes a difference," McLaughlin said, referring to his 2013-14 team that bowed out in the semifinals. "It's the time of year that can be a lot of fun and one that we look forward to."
Randolph finished the season with an overall record of 19-5-3, including an 11-1-1 run to close out the schedule. Included in those 11 wins were six shutouts, two coming in state tournament play when senior goaltender Garret Stenberg and the rest of the Rams allowed just two goals in four victories.
"Garret has a lot of confidence in himself and he worked really hard and earned what he achieved this year," McLaughlin said.
Randolph was led offensively by senior captain Michael Slavin, who netted 26 goals, including seven game-winners, while adding 18 assists. Junior Dan Janson also emerged with 18 goals and 12 assists. Sophomore Jack Zimmer (4-15-19), who was outstanding in the win over Howell, led the defense along with Bryan Early (4-11-15).
"It really never gets old," McLaughlin said, referring to adding another state title to the Rams' resume. "It's a different group every time and the thrill of getting to the final after a long, hard season in always rewarding."