Sometimes the perfect storm comes along in a good way, blowing in historic achievements on its way through.
It happened this winter, as a talented Robbinsville-Allentown co-op ice hockey team finally won that elusive Mercer County Tournament championship.
“It seemed every year when we had our best teams, that Notre Dame had some juggernaut, or Princeton would be great and win it,” veteran coacn Dan Bergan said. “It’s always something, right?”
This year it was something good, as R-A topped Notre Dame, 3-1, in the MCT finals. Jamison Pike, Zach Duggan and Charlie Luizza had goals while Luke Gensinger notched two assists and goalie Zander Wiley made 28 saves.
“It means everything to our team to win the MCT title and to be the first in team history to do it; it says a lot about our team,” said Gensinger, a senior captain. “There have been so many great teams in Ravens history, but to finally raise the trophy and make history, words can’t describe that accomplishment.”
For Bergan, it ended 15 years of frustration. R-A won a CVC tournament in the Covid-plagued season of 20-21 but this was the first outright county tournament title.
“I’m not gonna say it was now or never,” the coach said with a laugh, “But I’m gonna be 70 next month and I graduate 10 seniors. It will be a rebuilding year next season so who knows how many years I’ve got left.”
After the MCT triumph, R-A ran its winning streak to eight with a 6-0 win over North Hunterdon in the first round of the NJSIAA South Public Co-Op tournament. It was a game that Bergan was worried about going into it, as the Lions had fared better statistically against common foes than R-A despite a losing record.
“We’re the three seed and we’re playing a 14th seed and I’m sitting here scared to death,” Bergan said a day prior to the game.
His fears were unfounded after Jake Lachance’s two goals led five Ravens in the scoring column. Wiley made 19 saves for the shutout.
That gave the Ravens an 18-5 record heading into their Feb. 23 second-round game with Ocean Township, and their win total broke the mark of 17 set by the 2019-20 squad.
While the team is senior-heavy, there is also a mix of sophomores that have helped out this year. Aside from their obvious talent, both players and coach feel the key to success is togetherness.
“The foundation of this team is just the brotherhood,” Bergan said. “They enjoy playing together, they enjoy each other’s company. They look forward to coming to the rink because they’re hanging out with their guys. For the most part you get the sense there is no place they’d rather be. It’s not work like it is to a lot of other teams.”
Gensinger confirmed his coach’s assessment.
“What makes this team so special is our chemistry,” the senior forward said. “We have a family type of bond on and off the ice, and everyone wants to work together and be better every day. Coach Bergan gives us an advantage every day too, we run the systems and play as a team really well.”
It’s a system being run by quality players, as Robbinsville has three strong lines, two solid defensive pairings and a stud with Wiley in the net.
Entering the Ocean game the senior had 525 saves, a .910 save percentage and six shutouts.
“He’s done an outstanding job,” Bergan said. “When anybody makes a mistake, he’s gotta be the one there to stop it. He’s come up huge for us. You don’t go 18-5 without your goaltender performing admirably and he’s been a stellar backstop for us.
The first line of senior Luizza (20 goals, 35 assists), junior Duggan (31 G, 31 A) and Gensinger (27 goals, 29 assists) had amassed 78 of R-A’s 115 goals and had 59 percent of the team’s points.
“They play like magic together,” Bergan said. “The chemistry is unbelievable with these guys. One is a prototypical power forward, (Gensinger), another is a distributor (Luizza) and Zach Duggan does a little of both. They’re one of the best lines in the CVC, and one of the better lines in public schools throughout the state.” The second line is sophomore Lachance (11 G, 7 A), sophomore Jack Lawrence (2 G, 2 A), and senior Jamison Pike (5 G, 12 A).
“They’re all hard workers, good speed guys,” Bergan said. “They play well together.”
The third line features freshman Cole Martinez (1 G, 4 A), sophomore James Morino (3 G, 6 A), who has “really developed nicely,” according to Bergan, and sophomore Alex Margolin (4 G, 5 A).
Also rotating in is sophomore Marcus Johansson, who filled in for Lawrence earlier this season when he was still recovering from an ACL issue.
“I plug him in here and there as needed,” Bergan said.
The defensive units, which Bergan said “have been the pillars of the team,” pair seniors Colin Rubin (3 G, 14 A) and Brendan Goddeyne (1 G, 6 A) as the first unit, and senior Jack Lawrence (2 G, 2 A) and sophomore Michael Buchanan (2 G, 13 A) as the second.
“I think Rubin is the best defenseman in the CVC,” Bergan said. “And Goddeyne is just a steady Eddie. He’s tough as nails. Not a big guy but plays bigger than he is. Jack Morgan is a not-fun-to-play-against kind of guy, and Buchanan has stepped in nicely into that number four role.”
Asked if his number one line was the best he ever had, Bergan said he would consider it one of his top two best lines. He also rated the team as one of the two best teams he has coached and admitted he had a good feeling about this year.
So did Gensinger.
“I felt very confident coming into this season,” he said. “I knew we had a great team with great skill and coaching, but it was our hard work and dedication that I felt most confident about. Losing last year in the semifinals hurt, but I knew this year we would come back stronger and take our game as a team to a new level.”
They did indeed, take it to a higher level than it has ever been before.
Members of the Ravens hockey team and their coaches celebrate on the ice after winning the Mercer County Tournament on Feb. 16, 2024.,
