Rising Stars and Team Dynamics in the Colonial Valley Conference

Brian McGurney, the coach of the West Windsor-Plainsboro ice hockey co-op, has seen his team face some challenges this season. However, two standout players, senior Aditya Rath and junior Louis Barrandon, have continued to shine despite the difficulties.

“Aditya continues to do what Aditya does,” said McGurney. “He skates hard each shift, is constantly looking to get points on the board, and if it were up to him, he’d be on the ice 45 minutes per game. He’s got his sights set on getting 100 career points.”

Rath has been a consistent performer, with a career high of 25 goals this season, bringing his total to 51. He also has 13 assists, making for 84 career points. Meanwhile, Barrandon has 22 goals and 15 assists this season, contributing to his 81 career points. Both players have been the heart and soul of the Co-op for several years and are considered All-CVC caliber performers.

“Other teams know this, and put their top guys against them,” said McGurney. “Yet those two continue to put numbers up.”

Robbinsville/Allentown Stepping Up

Robbinsville/Allentown has emerged as the best team in the Colonial Valley Conference, largely due to the efforts of many players who have taken that extra step. Dan Bergan, the Co-op coach, highlighted several key contributors:

• Jack Lawrence reading Jake Lachance’s game so well.
• James Morino grinding and now scoring for the first line.
• Alex Margolin leading the second line with Cole Martinez, a fixture.
• D-Men like Michael Buchanan, Couper Martinez, and Zack Guttormsen anchoring the blueline despite numerous injuries.
• Tyler Wagner rounding into a championship caliber goalie.

Bergan noted that the Co-op has an all-hands-on-deck mentality, which hasn’t surprised him. With nine seniors, eight of whom have worked together for four years, the team plays a structured game. They hope to get healthy in time to see what their best looks like by the CVC Tourney.

Paul VI Looking to Tournament Time

The Eagles’ state tournament hopes have been clouded by early season ejections, but they are focusing on the Egan and CVC tournaments. Chalie Hall, the PVI coach, said, “We’re still seeing if there’s anything we can do about the state’s, but it’s unlikely anything will come of it. So, we’re focused on the Egan and CVC tournament, which winning either of those (hopefully both) would be a great way to cap off a great season for us.”

The Egan Cup final against Pope John XXIII (8-3-3) is on Monday. Hall emphasized the importance of the game: “The Egan Cup, it’s going to take everything we have. It’s something that we’ve never experienced before, so I’m interested to see how the team responds. Beating Pope John once was a tremendous task and took a physical and emotional toll on us; beating them a second time will take all that and more.”

Senior Nick Aversa leads the Eagles with 24 goals and 27 assists, while Bloor has 14 goals and 13 assists. Brayden Mills has 25 points, and Brock Mission has 24. Nick Lento returned from an injury and had three goals and four assists against Hamilton.

“Pope John plays the game the right way and they’ve got a very good goalie,” said Hall. “We need to be ready to do the little things that make the difference between winning and losing, stops and starts, winning races and board battles, being in the right position. If we can do all of that, then we might have a chance.”

With a state tournament appearance looking bleak, the Egan and the CVC tournament are on PVI’s radar. Hall added, “We’re hoping to make a run in the conference tournament. We’ve got Nicky Lento back, so that’s going to be a huge boost for the team the rest of the way. We’re hoping to get Joey Marchiano back by the time the tournament starts as well.”

From the Point

• The Hamilton Tri-op has a 1-13 record, but it’s a very young team starting three freshmen with only a few seniors on the roster. Despite the struggles, the team is working hard to improve.
• Not sure if Paul VI needed to score 17 goals against the struggling tri-op.
• Robbinsville/Allentown won the CVC Colonial Division, and Paul VI captured the Valley.
• The annual Princeton Day and Lawrenceville meeting didn’t disappoint as it wasn’t decided until overtime. The Big Red came away with a 2-1 win. Senior Jack Green had the game winner.
• The PDS Girls have a big game on Monday when Morristown-Beard comes to the McGraw Rink. Mo-Beard (11-1), always a rivalry game, handed the Panthers (9-1) their only loss.

PDS is led by Della Gilligan with nine goals and eight assists, Sam Dandy has 11 goals and five assists, freshman Layla Klapak has 11 goals and six assists, and Alexis Moslin has a team-high nine assists.