Chatham Hockey Advances to Quarterfinals

MORRISTOWN — The No. 17 Chatham Cougars hockey team took another step towards its goal of winning a state title as they defeated eleventh-seeded Lakeland High School, 5-2, on Thursday night at Mennen Arena.

Despite being the more physical team in the early stages of the game, Lakeland had trouble dealing with Chatham's speed and scoring ability, as Chatham was able to rattle off three goals in the second period and control the game from that point on.

"We scored that burst of three goals in a short time, and I think our depth kind of wore them down," Head Coach Harvey Cohen said after the game. "They play two lines, and we play three, and I think they got tired in the end."

Junior Billy Pellegrino led the charge for the Cougars with two goals and two assists on the night.

"A lot of it just comes from my team. There was a good screen in front on my first goal on the power play by Alex Guider and I just walked in, took the shot and it bounced of the goalies pad for the goal. A little bit of luck, a little bit of skill," Pellegrino said.

That goal, the first of the game, came only seconds after a slashing call put Lakeland one man down. Six minutes after that, a Pellegrino wrist shot snuck past the Lakeland goaltender's stick side to give Chatham a 2-0 lead.

Sophomore Danny Casey also got in on the second period scoring action.

After a slashing call put Chatham senior Nick Ivers in the penalty box, Casey was fed a breakaway pass by sophomore Alex Rauter and, after a quick deke, put the puck in the net with a backhanded shot to put Chatham up, 3-0.

Chatham continued to handle Lakeland in the third period as Trip Burke and Roger Wilson added two more goals. Despite Lakeland's two goals in the period, the Cougars skated to the 5-2 win.

Chatham is set to face crosstown rival Madison High School in the tournament quarterfinals on Sunday at 4 p.m at Mennen Arena.

"I'm very happy that we earned our way to the quarterfinals again. Madison is a very good team and it's going to be a very good challenge," Cohen added.