The NJIIHL McMullen Conference recently released its 2020-2021 All-Conference recognitions, and three members the Jonathan Dayton High School Bulldogs ice hockey team were recognized for their achievements.

Senior Forward and Co-Captain Gary Mignone, Jr. of Springfield was named to the 1st Team All Conference. Senior Defenseman and Co-Captain Mark Cunningham of Springfield and Junior Forward Giuseppe Wadowski of Union received Honorable Mention recognitions.

Mignone has been a prolific scorer for Dayton with 46 goals and 31 assists during his high school career. He was on a pace to surpass the 100-point career mark if not for the cancellation of more than 3/4 of the season due to the pandemic. A 100-point career would have earned Gary recognition on the 100-point scorer banner hanging in the Dayton gym rafters. The last Dayton 100-point scorer was Rob Carroll in 2002-2006.

Last season in his junior campaign, Mignone finished among the top five goal scorers in the entire state. He was touted by NJ.com as a “Top Player” and earned an All-Conference Honorable Mention.

Cunningham has been a recognized leader of the Bulldogs defense since his freshman year. Throughout his Dayton career, he always showed a unique ability to frustrate the opposition with physical play while also flashing talented skating and passing skills. Coaches and teammates turned to Cunningham as a vital part of the team’s gameplan to help shut down top players on the opposing teams.

Wadowski of Union High School has been a consistent scorer during his Dayton ice hockey career. He has steadily increased his production each of his first three seasons despite a late start in beginning his hockey career. The talented forward will surely continue to build on his already-impressive physical offensive play.

Springfield’s Mignone and Cunningham have been good friends since meeting their first day in Pre-Kindergarten at Edward V. Walton School. They began playing ice hockey during their elementary school years, and have been teammates on several advanced club teams for the Cranford Hockey Club and Union Thunder organizations.

Pictured left-to-right are Cunningham and Mignone