Szary rose to the occasion for Morristown

If Morristown’s Evan Szary was looking for some advice on how to get things done at the Prudential Center prior to his team’s NJSIAA Public A final against Randolph, the sophomore goaltender didn’t need to look very far.

Just two years earlier, his twin brothers Cam and Jack were part of a Morristown team that captured the Public B championship with a 1-0 victory over Ramsey in the final. Fast forward two seasons, and it was little brother’s turn to see if he could add to the championship hardware in the Szary household.

Evan certainly didn’t disappoint the family or his teammates.

Szary capped a tremendous season by stopping all 28 shots that came his way against Randolph in the final, including 14 in the third period. The Colonials skated away with a 2-0 victory and the school’s first Public A championship.

He finished 25-2-1, with a stingy 1.19 goals-against-average, a .935 save percentage and seven shutouts.

“My older brothers were bragging about winning a state championship, and we had a lot of fun with it leading up to the game,” said Szary, the 2015-16 All Daily Record Hockey Player of the Year. “They weren’t able to be at the final but texted me and helped me deal with the pressure.”

Pressure did not seem to affect Szary throughout the entire 2015-16 campaign. After missing the opening game of the year — a loss to Morristown-Beard — he played in 28 of his team’s next 31 games and allowed only eight goals against in nine Mennen Division contests. He was also at his best in big games, allowing just one goal in a loss to Kinnelon in the Mennen Cup final before blanking Randolph in the Public A title game at the Prudential Center.

“Every season there’s pressure, and this season was no different,” said Szary, who won the starting job as a freshman last year. “But this year I felt like I needed to be at my best for our seniors with the expectations we had. And knowing I was coming into the season with the starting job also helped take some of the pressure off.”

In four NJSIAA victories, Szary allowed just four goals and backstopped a wild 3-2 win over Ridge in the semifinal as the Colonials were outshot 23-10.

“Evan treats hockey like a business, and his work ethic is second to none,” Morristown head coach Bobby Jones said. “He tracks the puck better than any goalie I know, and his poise in critical situations separates him from other goalies and is his best quality. While everybody else in the zone is running around, he patiently tracks the puck and makes the save, and makes it look easy. He just had an amazing season.”