No. 10 Madison earns first ever Mennen Cup, beating No. 14 Randolph (PHOTOS)

  • 02/15 - 6:00 PM Boys Ice HockeyFinal
    Madison 3
    Randolph 1
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It was a joke among the Madison senior class, after coming into the program that had won its first Haas Cup the year prior, that maybe one day they'd be holding up the Mennen Cup at some point before they moved on from Madison.

For a Dodger program that had been a mainstay in the Haas division, reaching the highest point of the MCSSIHL seemed unattainable even as Madison rose through the ranks from Haas to Halvorsen all the way to Mennen.

That joke, that unfathomable goal that seemed so far fetched at the time, isn't a laughing matter anymore. It's now reality after second-seeded Madison, No. 10 in the NJ.com Top 20, won its first even Mennen Cup with a 3-1 win over top-seeded and No. 14 Randolph Friday night.

"We always joked about getting the Mennen Cup. We never actually thought we could make it," senior Dave Renzulli said. "We started from the Haas, won Halvorsen last year and made it to the Mennen this year. We never knew we could make it here."

Added senior goalie Matt Ubertaccio, "Coming into freshman year, I thought we would just be a regular Halvorsen team without even getting a chance of making it in the Mennen. Now, winning the Halvorsen and the Mennen in the past two years, I can't even put into words how cool this is."

Madison is the first team in MCSSIHL history to win all three of the Mennen, Halvorsen and Haas Cups. The Dodgers first won the Haas Cup in 2015 then, after falling twice in the Halvorsen final after that, raised the Halvorsen Cup last season.

Ubertaccio was his usual spectacular self, brushing off an early first-period goal to hold Randolph scoreless the rest of the way as he turned away all but 29 shots on net. Renzulli and sophomore Jason Siedem were the offensive catalysts as the two combined to score all three Dodger points with both of them adding assists. Ubertaccio's counterpart, Randolph's Gavin Einfeldt, was just as ready for the spotlight, making 18 saves to keep the Rams within striking distance.

Justin Harper's goal five minutes in, with assists from Evan Xhumba and Luke Spagnuolo, gave Randolph a major boost in momentum out of the gates. Madison would regroup, however, and was able to net the equalizer when Renzulli found the back of the net in the final minute of the first period.

"It put us back a little bit but I knew we would come out even stronger after they scored and that's exactly what we did," Ubertaccio said. "We bounced back and got that late goal. That was a huge momentum changer going into the second period."

Neither side struck paydirt in the second period but it was Siedem, off an assist from Renzulli, that pushed Madison ahead early in the third period. Randolph had its chances late in the game, turning up the pressure in the final seven or so minutes with a two-minute power play included but Ubertaccio and Dodger defense were able to keep the Rams from scoring the equalizer.

The pressure kept coming as Randolph pulled Einfeldt near the 1:30 mark of the third period. Renzulli was able to corral the puck in the neutral zone then fling the puck up the ice for an empty netter that all but sealed the win with 86 seconds remaining.

"We knew they would have a big push," Siedem said. "It was a battle all game and our defense and goalie stepped up, especially down the stretch."

Madison coach Dave Hansen, who took the head coaching position before the 2004-2005 season, said he never could have imagined in all his time at the helm of the Dodgers that they'd be hoisting the Mennen Cup. Even as Madison started its run in Mennen this year, Hansen wasn't sure if his team would be able to stay alongside with the likes of Mennen mainstays in Randolph or Morristown-Beard.

Now, as reality set in, the only thing Hansen could feel was pride.

"It's nice to see how these guys have progressed and that bond has really impacted our play as far as moving up through the Haas, Halvorsen and now the Mennen division. In the beginning of the season, the boys didn't really know if they could hang with these guys. That's a Randolph team that is strong, well-coached."

"Just to see these guys with that cup gives me a lot of pride and they deserved it tonight."

Andrew Koob can be reached at akoob@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewKoobHS. Like NJ.com High School Sports on Facebook

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