By Mike Gurnis
Championships rarely come without some adversity-filled moments along the way.
For Delbarton, Wednesday’s Gordon Cup final could have gone sideways at multiple points throughout the game. After surrendering a two-goal lead, the Green Wave were hanging by thread as it could generate very little offense in the third period against Christian Brothers.
But while a team with tired legs after killing off multiple penalties in the game had a hard time generating an offensive push, goaltender George Cote was there to save the day.
The senior netminder, who has been rock-solid all season for Delbarton, was that and more on Wednesday night. He came up with several highlight-reel saves, including multiple grade-A stops in the opening minutes of overtime to keep his team’s hopes alive.
It all set the stage for Egor Andreev’s game-winning goal 4:29 into overtime, as top-seeded Delbarton won its second Gordon Cup in three years with a 4-3 win over third-seeded Christian Brothers in the Gordon Cup final at Codey Arena.
“It’s so awesome. It started back last year in November,” Cote said. “Just putting in all that work in the weight room and getting through the off-season and finally now getting to put in the work and just seeing it all pay off, it feels so awesome and it just feels great. Good teams find a way, and we found a way today.”
It was Delbarton’s 10th Gordon Cup title, all of which have come since 2005.
Andreev’s game-winner was his second goal of the game, as he also scored his team’s first goal 5:08 into the game to tie it up at one. He’s been one of the team’s top scoring threats all season, and had the game-winning overtime goal in the team’s comeback win over Christian Brothers in the first meeting between the teams on Jan. 9.
History repeated itself, and with the stakes much higher this time around, Andreev’s shot from the right wing found its way through the five-hole and gave his team the Gordon Cup.
“I took a shot and then I saw it go in and I was like, no way,” Andreev said. “No way this happened. No way we’re winners. That was incredible. It was amazing.”
He added, “(CBA) played a great game. I want to appreciate them for this game. They worked really hard for that, but unfortunately, we were better.”
The Green Wave, after surrendering a goal to CBA’s Anthony Brereton 45 seconds into the game, responded with goals from Andreev and Ayden Puppe to give the team a 2-1 lead going into the second period.
Aidan Pasic then scored a shorthanded goal with 13:34 to go in the second, and with a two-goal lead, it appeared Delbarton was in total command of the game. But a barrage of penalties at inopportune times forced the team’s penalty killers to go full effort, and eventually, it caught up.
Logan Kenney scored a power play goal with 5:57 left in the second, before Francesco Donohue tied it with 8:06 left in the third period. The final frame saw the Green Wave manage just four shots on goal, although a flurry in the final minute gave the team some momentum heading into overtime.
“Well, to be honest with you, CBA deserves a lot of credit,” Delbarton coach Bruce Shatel said. “That’s not how we scripted it, for sure. I think we lost control of the game a little bit in the second period where we took three consecutive penalties, and ran our penalty killers into the ground. It seemed like our legs never recovered after that. We were fortunate. We got some big saves late. I thought we had some grade-A’s that didn’t go for us as well. Their goaltender played well. It was a good hockey game.”
Cote has been right at the center of the Green Wave’s success this season. He’s posted an impressive .936 save percentage in 15 games coming into Wednesday’s final, and his team has gone 13-1-1 in his starts.
Much like Andreev scoring the OT winner the first time the teams met this year, Cote also came through in the clutch in that game. So both him, and his team, had confidence going into the overtime period, especially after the final minute of regulation where the team put together a strong push to get the game-winner.
“It really starts in the locker room and the end of that third period,” Cote said. “The boys were so ready to go and we all brought each other together, we all rose up together, and it feels great. I had so much confidence, so did the team. At the end of the third, we were going and we just kept it going into this overtime, and we got the win.”
Andreev added, “George (Cote) did a great job. I really want to appreciate him because he did an incredibly good job for us. He saved us a lot, and I think he deserved this game. He deserved to be a winner today. It’s 100% his game, his win.”
His performance came even after giving up three goals in the game. The first time around, he gave up four goals by the early part of the second period, but settled down to give his team a chance to come back.
His short memory is something that serves Cote well, Shatel says.
“I think his biggest attribute is he has the ability to erase a goal and and move on to the next save,” Shatel said of his goaltender. “He came up big for us probably like three or four times. That was spectacular.”
Now, Delbarton will look towards the state tournament, where it is expected to be the top-seed in the Non-Public bracket. The Gordon Cup is a big first step, and now this team will look to end a seven-year long state title drought.
“We’re really resilient,” Cote said. “We never give up, we never quit, and we just keep going all the way through. That really shows how we can do it and what we can do throughout the rest of the year.”
Shatel added, “I think we’ve got great leadership. Starting with (Jack) Gerne and (Dante) Rodriguez and (Jack) Ross and the guys who don’t wear a letter. This means a lot to them, and it’s just a tightly knit group. They’re together all the time and they play for each other. It’s a pleasure to be a part of.”
SCORING SUMMARY
First period
CBA — Anthony Brereton (Dominic Szczygiel, Nicholas Desiderio) 14:15
DEL — Egor Andreev (Jack Gerne) 9:52
DEL — Ayden Puppe (Matthew Peng, Dante Rodriguez) 4:48
Second period
DEL — Aidan Pasic 13:34 SHG
CBA — Logan Kenney (Anthony Brereton) 5:57 PPG
Third period
CBA — Francesco Donohue (Logan Kenney) 8:06
Overtime
DEL — Egor Andreev (Jack Gerne, Jack Ross) 10:31
Shots on goal: Delbarton 26, Christian Brothers 24
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E-mail Mike Gurnis at michaelgurnis@gmail.com
Morris-Sussex Hockey Report 