CBA Hockey: Kings of the Ice
They did it, again.
On Monday, March 7, the Colts handily defeated the Delbarton Green Wave, 3-0, at the Prudential Center. As the final seconds came off the clock, the Colt Crazies erupted as they celebrated the conclusion of a historic season for CBA on the ice, while the hockey team enjoyed their second state championship in three years.
For the first time since the 2007 season, New Jersey high school hockey has witnessed an undefeated campaign, last pulled off by the St. Augustine Hermits. With a 27-0-3 record, a 26 game win streak, a number one rank in the state for almost the entire year, a Gordon Conference championship, and a state championship, the Colts cemented their legacy as one of the best high school teams this state has ever seen.
However, when the puck dropped in the first period, it did not seem as if the Colts would be able to pull off this tremendous achievement. Delbarton came out firing in the first period, trying to catch CBA off their game. Thankfully, the best players shine in the biggest games when everything is on the line. This could not have been more true for CBA starting goaltender John Donohoe.
Donohoe had many big saves in the opening period, including multiple breakaway opportunities for the Green Wave. But every time Delbarton was unable to get the puck past Donohoe. After his tremendous efforts and stellar showing in the first period, the teams went into intermission still tied at zero.
When the second period started, we saw the CBA team that we were used to seeing. They looked sharper offensively and were making good plays all over the ice. With just under five minutes left to go in the middle period, senior forward Ray Cartigiano took a shot from the point, and the rebound went right to star defenseman Pat Reilly who smartly found an opening on the side of the net. Reilly was able to put the puck past the Delbarton goaltender and into the net. The Colt Crazies became ecstatic as CBA took the 1-0 lead.
The score remained the same as the teams entered the final period, and the Colts showed once again why they were ranked the best team in the state and how they have avoided losing the entire season. After the Colts had killed a Delbarton power play, forwards Will Thygeson and Aidan Guinnessey found themselves with a two-on-one in the other direction. Thygeson held the puck the entire way and sniped a beautiful shot over the shoulder of the goalie and in the upper corner of the net.
CBA had now taken a 2-0 lead with just over eleven minutes left in the game. And with Donohoe essentially being a brick wall the entire night, that score would remain the same with two minutes to play. The Green Wave had pulled their goalie to get an extra skater on in an attempt to score two and tie the game. But once Reilly got the puck, he fired it the length of the ice and into the net for his second goal of the game. Donohoe rushed over to the Colt Crazies as it became evident that CBA was going to win as they had a safe 3-0 lead with a minute and a half remaining.
CBA fans counted down the final seconds and cheered once the clock hit zero, as one of the best CBA teams that we have ever seen take the ice walked off as state champions. The picture-perfect season for the Colts was now complete, they had achieved all they set out to accomplish and the Colt Crazies applauded their outstanding season with an outgoing ‘undefeated’ chant.
The amount of talent on this team might never be replicated. Six different skaters for the Colts had more than 30 points on the year, and three of them had 49 or more, including Zach Wagnon’s insane 74-point season. The goaltending this year was also impeccable, both Donohoe and Joseph Cartigiano had at least a 91-percent save percentage. In 20 games played, Donohoe only allowed 23 goals, and none in either the Gordon finals or the state championship.
There is still one more award that the hockey team looks to bring back to the halls of CBA, that being the NJ State Player of the Year, last won by Donohoe in 2020 after his first season with the Colts. Donohoe is one of two CBA names that will be discussed this year, along with Wagnon, who proved to be a problem for almost every opposing team.
Wagnon is the front-runner to bring home the award this year, as 74 points in a single season is unheard of. He averaged just less than 2.5 points per game and had multiple highlight-reel goals to go along with it. The star-forward showed exactly why he is committed to playing hockey for Yale in the future, and why his name is one you should keep an eye on.
With what is most likely the best season the Colts have ever had on the ice coming to a victorious end, the team looks to come back just as strong next year, despite losing some high-caliber players. But with the determination and talent that still lies within this team, CBA can never be counted out when they take the ice. And it would certainly not be a surprise to anyone if we found ourselves at this same point next year, celebrating another state championship victory for the Colts.
