CBA hockey team wins Gordon Cup
On Friday night, the second-seeded CBA hockey team defeated the first-seeded Don Bosco team, 2-0, to win their ninth Gordon Cup.
After an impressive regular season, the Gordon Conference Tournament began on February 17th when the Colts squared off against St. Augustine Prep. The Colts took the lead early, and never looked back, sophomore Zach Wagnon scored twice in the 4-1 victory that would send CBA to the semifinals.
The semifinals was an epic rematch between CBA and Bergen Catholic on February 19th. After the Colts lost a heartbreaking game in the regular season, CBA was looking for revenge on their home ice.
In the middle of the first period, sophomore Evan Brown won the faceoff in the offensive zone and passed to puck to Wagnon by the crease. After he fanned on the first shot, Wagnon kept poking at the puck, which trickled over the line for a goal. Wagnon skated towards the Colt Crazies as CBA took a 1-0 lead.
“It was a big goal,” Wagnon said. “Evan Brown made a nice play on the face-off and all I had to do was tap it in. We were very motivated that game and that goal really helped push us to a win.”
The CBA defense in this game was stellar, even when Bergen Catholic had a two-man advantage early in the third period. With under a minute left in the game, senior Kyle Contessa faked out the goaltender and put the puck in the back of the net to give CBA a 2-0 lead, and sent them to the conference finals.
The championship game against Don Bosco was packed with Colt Crazies, but the game would get off to an odd start. Within the first five minutes of the game, senior defensemen Chad Schneider cleared the defensive zone by sending the puck around the boards from behind his own net. The puck would slide under the stick of the Don Bosco goalie to put the Colts up 1-0.
Just like in the semifinals, the Colts defense was strong in the championship game when it mattered the most. Don Bosco could not find the back of the net, thanks to one of the best goalies in the state this season with CBA sophomore John Donohue. With just over a minute left in the game, Contessa clinched the championship with an empty-net goal.
This postseason was highlighted by two sophomores who rose up to the challenge and did not crack under pressure. Wagnon’s three goals in the postseason led the team, including his game-winning goals against St. Augustine Prep in the first round and Bergen Catholic in the semifinals. Wagnon’s play demonstrated how he will continue to lead this team over the next two seasons.
“It feels great [to be Gordon champions], but we are focused on bigger things now,” Wagnon said. “At the beginning of the season, we set three goals: to be ranked number one [in the state], to win the Gordon Conference, and to win states, two of our goals are done right now. Everyone was super pumped and excited about winning the Gordon, but now we know we need to have our mind on states.”
Donohue came up clutch during the Gordon playoffs, only allowing one goal in three games, with a shutout in the semifinals and a 25 save shutout in the championship game.
This is CBA’s first Gordon Cup championship since 2016, and their ninth in school history. They will look to ride this momentum into the state tournament where they look to continue the success they have had this season. And with the way the Colts are playing, this CBA team will be very difficult to beat in the state tournament.
