KJS starts season with 8-6 win

Sparta seniors Cormac Gibbons and Eddie Brown combined for five goals and two assists as the Kinnelon-Jefferson-Sparta tri-op ice hockey team began its 2025-’26 season with an offensive outburst in an 8-6 victory over Randolph on Friday night at Skylands Ice World in Stockholm.

Senior goalie Stefan Filewicz made 32 saves to anchor the defense with Cooper O’Neil and Michael Pandiscia each adding a goal and an assist with Ryan Saletto also scoring and Cody Sutton, Caden Lombardo and Alex Roslan each totaling two assists.

Kinnelon-Jefferson-Sparta - referred to as KJS United - is coming off a 15-8-2 season that culminated with the NJSIAA Public Co-Op state championship last March.

This year’s team returns a slew of talented players, including junior Brayden Sisco, who had 50 goals and 22 assists last season, including 17 goals and four assists in five state tournament games.

A year ago, the program boasted 11 players from Sparta that were the first to play for a state title. Gibbons and Brown combined for a goal and two assists as KJS United defeated Marlboro-Holmdel, 4-3, in the championship game.

Other returning players this season include seniors Sutton (four goals, 10 assists last season), Roslan (one goal, nine assists), Pandiscia (seven goal, eight assists), O’Neil (seven assists), Lombardo (two goals, one assist), junior Saletto (one goal, three assists) and sophomore Nicolas Ciarelli (one assist).

Head coach Jeff Myhren, who led Kinnelon for 16 years before taking the reigns of the tri-op four years ago, is back for his 20th season behind the bench and now owns a career coaching mark of 221-153-40.

Upcoming games for KJS United include a meeting with Morristown on Friday, Dec. 12, at Skylands Ice World at 4:40 p.m., a clash with Mendham on Dec. 17 at Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown at 7:45 p.m. and a contest with Morris Knolls on Dec. 19 at Skylands at 4:40 p.m.

Pope John

The Lions were scheduled to open its 2025-’26 season on Monday, Dec. 8 against St. Joseph of Metuchen before meeting Seton Hall Prep on Wednesday, Dec. 10.

Pope John went 14-6-1 a year ago, losing to Seton Hall Prep, 5-2, in the first round of the NJSIAA Non-Public tournament.

Under the direction of head coach Ryan Brown, the Lions swept three games during the Ice Vault Classic last December and also won their second straight Egan Cup title.

This year’s team returns seniors Hunter Parrillo (20 goals, five assists), Nicholas Colatrella (11 goals, 10 assists), Aidan Perry (four goals, 10 assists), Cameron Guerra (six goals, four assists) and Alex Mizak (five goals, two assists) and Jacob McCullough (six assists) and juniors Liam Amabile (four goals, nine assists), Sean Hughes (three goals, seven assists), Nicholas Moschello (five goals, one assist) and goalie Mason Giordano (392 saves, four shutouts) and sophomore Michael Perry (one goal, five assists).