The Robbinsville High ice hockey team has a legitimate star in Eric Hildebrand.
But every star needs those guys behind the headlines who make things happen in quiet but effective ways. The Ravens have a bunch of those players, and two such seniors really stand out to coach Dan Bergan.
“If you were to ask me what two (underrated) players come to mind that deserve a lot of credit for what we’ve done, Keith Allen and Cole Sousa immediately come to mind,” Bergan said. “Those guys just come out and bring it every game, every practice.”
Allen is a defenseman who has started since his freshman year, while Sousa centers the second line but can pretty much do everything.
With Hildebrand and the graduated Kellen Anker and Logan Fredericks leading the way, Robbinsville reached the Mercer County Tournament championship game for the first time last year, and made it to the NJSIAA Public A State quarterfinals before dropping an overtime decision to eventual champion Randolph.
Hildebrand was a huge force in the run with 31 goals and 21 assists. But also making their presence felt were Sousa, who chipped in with seven goals and 11 assists, and defensive anchor Allen. Both are back this year, but are keeping last season’s accomplishments in perspective.
“It’s a great experience to have that,” Sousa said. “But the one thing is, we can’t play off of that. It’s an entirely different year.
“We can’t come in thinking ‘We took Randolph to overtime last year and they went on to win it.’ We can’t write that off and think we can coast this year. We still have to put in a whole lot of work.”
Which should not be a problem for Sousa or Allen, whose work ethic has set an example for the younger Ravens.
“Keith Allen is one of the most dominant defensemen in the CVC,” Bergan said. “He’s not just a great player, he’s a team player. But he’s a tremendous player in his own right.
“He’s been a regular for us since day one. He walked into the lineup and he was one of our standout defensemen right off the bat.”
Allen’s résumé leading up to high school was impressive. He began skating at age three, admitting, “I needed a little help from my dad, but I started to get the movements down pretty good.”
He began organized hockey at age 5 at Iceland in Hamilton, then joined the Mercer Chiefs travel team before making several other stops, including the New Jersey Titans. He now plays for the Philadelphia Junior Flyers.
“I’ve been passed around a lot,” Allen said with a laugh.
You won’t find Bergan passing him off to anybody, as the coach can’t say enough good things about Allen.
“The kid is one of the most underrated players around,” the eighth-year coach said after a win over Nottingham in early December. “He doesn’t get a lot of fanfare, but he’s a lot like Hildebrand (the team captain).”
During that win over the Northstars, the Ravens had a large lead and Bergan was giving his second-tier guys some playing time. Allen decided to feign disappointment during the contest.
“You talk about keeping our locker room loose,” Bergan said. “He’s got a great sense of humor. He was arguing with me for fun on the bench the whole time: ‘Let me in, coach. You mad at me?’ So on and so forth. The barbs back and forth are nonstop with the kid.”
On the ice, Allen is all business, saying, “The key to being a good defenseman is you have to have really good vision. You have to see up ice, be able to communicate. You need to have good passing skills and be able to be unselfish.”
Allen has all that, according to his coach. While his stats may not make news, his ability makes others take notice.
“He’s probably our number one defenseman,” Hildebrand said. “He’s gonna be a big factor in our run to states this year and throughout the entire season. He’s got a very nice shot, he has great vision of the ice and he’s a great player.”
“Allen can flash some really high end skills,” Bergan said. “He’s got all the qualities and he’s also got a lot more polish in terms of being a next-level player.”
And as coach and teammates lavish praise on Allen, he does likewise with Sousa.
“Cole’s a big asset,” Allen said. “He gets out there, and he’s a big grinder. He gets into the tough battles, he wins battles. He goes hard to the net. He never quits. He’s like a bull and he’s got the stamina of a bull.”
Sousa collected two goals and three assists as a sophomore and had seven goals and 11 assists last year. During the Ravens 2-0 start this season he had two goals and two assists, but Bergan feels his value is more than scoring.
“He chips in with some goals, and he’s a four- or five-tool player,” the coach said. “He’s gonna dump the puck in and forecheck. He’s gonna work hard. He’ll turn it over and create opportunities for his teammates. You give him the puck in a good scoring situation and he’ll put the puck in the net as well.
“But more than anything, I trust him. I could put him at center, at winger. I could throw him back on defense in an emergency. Any place I need that kid, I know that he knows what to do and I trust him.
Like Allen, Sousa began hockey at an early age, following his father and grandfather into the game. He played in-house through high school before playing travel for the New Jersey Stars as a freshman. He then moved to the Lawrenceville Flames Double A team, where he played the past two seasons.
Aside from his skills, Sousa is one of those guys who sets the tempo with both hard-nosed play and a knowledge of the game.
“You talk about a quiet, workmanlike, hard-to-the puck kid,” Bergan said. “He never says boo, but knows every single assignment of every single player for every position. He’s the type of kid that plays perfect positioning. Other kids go to him and say ‘What was I supposed to do?’
“He’s one of these high energy kids that is just one of your favorite grinders on the planet. He just grinds and grinds and grinds and works and works and works. It’s never about him. That’s what you gotta love about a kid like that.”
What you really have to love about guys like Allen and Sousa is that they stick with their high school team despite having so much travel experience. Some players abandon high school just to focus on travel in order to further their future.
But the family atmosphere on Robbinsville was evident during the aforementioned Nottingham game, and it keeps the players coming back. Hildebrand played against the Northstars after his dad passed away the previous night. He was there for his teammates and they were there for him.
“I’ve known Eric’s dad for a while, and it was sad to hear that,” Allen said. “We just wanted to rally around him. “
It’s all part of the team fabric.
“High school is a little different than travel,” Sousa said. “Everyone is here, we all get to know each other better, we’re around each other 24-7 basically. It makes us a ton closer.”
“We’re a really tight knit group,” added Allen. “We’re a big family. We support one another. It’s fun to be around these guys. I love them to death. I’d do anything for them.”
He and Sousa do just that, in an understated but effective way.
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