On Thursday, February 13th, Delbarton faced off against Christian Brothers Academy of Lincroft in a matchup that would decide the Gordon Cup. Entering the game, Delbarton boasted a #5 national ranking by MaxPreps, while CBA cracked the top 50. Delbarton’s 15-1-1 record was the best in the state, and they were riding a five-game winning streak. Similarly, CBA entered the game at 19-5. The highly anticipated matchup took place at Codey Arena in West Orange.
In the first period, CBA drew first blood with a goal from Anthony Brereton, giving the Colts an early 1-0 lead. Delbarton responded quickly when Egor Andreev scored to tie the game after a Jack Gerne face-off win. Junior Ayden Puppe then added another goal, putting the Green Wave ahead 2-1 heading into the first intermission.
In the second period, Delbarton extended its lead to 3-1, courtesy of an Aidan Pasic goal. However, Logan Kenney responded for CBA, capitalizing on a power play to help his team mount a comeback and close the gap to one.
The third period forced extra time after CBA’s aggressive offense powered through with a Francesco Donohue goal, erasing the two-goal deficit and pushing his team into a tie and overtime to decide the Cup winner.
Reminded of their previous overtime win against CBA, the Green Wave came out firing. Egor Andreev, already familiar with clutch moments, netted the game-winning goal. The puck slid between a defenseman’s legs and past the goalie before hitting the back of the net, sending the Colts home in defeat. The Green Wave student body erupted in a frenzy as the Delbarton bench rushed the ice, celebrating their newest accomplishment: Gordon Cup champions once again.
For both teams, more is to come. Delbarton and CBA will now attempt to work their way back to the State Championship, where the two have a long history. Though Delbarton has successfully fended off CBA three times this season, a meeting in the championship may mean they will need to do it a fourth time to be officially crowned the 2025 NJSIAA Ice Hockey Champions.
