It had been nearly 10 years since the Bridgewater-Raritan High School ice hockey team defeated rival Hunterdon Central Regional High School.
Not only did the Panthers snap that streak on Friday night, but they made a statement in their2024-25 season opener at home.
Bridgewater-Raritan (1-0) scored not even two minutes after the opening puck drop against Hunterdon Central (0-1) in front of its loud home crowd and dominated from start to finish.
Bridgewater-Raritan erupted for two goals in each period courtesy of five different scorers, and freshman goalie Justin Madison (30 saves) shined in his debut with a clean sheet to cap off an impressive 6-0 victory over the Red Devils Friday, December 6, at Rock Ice Arena in Dunellen.
“Everybody works hard on this team,” Madison shared after Bridgewater-Raritan’s first victory over Hunterdon Central since January 15, 2016: a 6-3 victory for the Panthers at their previous home venue (Protec Ponds) that has since closed its doors. “The fans are awesome. We just have to focus on the task at hand and do our jobs. We just need to keep working hard all practice. When it comes to the game, we need to go all out.”
Everyone did their jobs and went all out on Friday night, to say the least, and Bridgewater- Raritan quickly made its presence felt against a Red Devils team that has had its number for so long.
This was particularly true for Madison, who earned the coveted opportunity to start on Opening Night as a freshman. That spot previously was previously manned by Class of 2024 graduate Preston Baker, who made 548 of his 1,361 career saves alone last year in a historic season that saw Bridgewater-Raritan finish as Skyland Conference Raritan Division champion, earn its first playoff victory since the 2017-18 season, and surge to a record of 15-8 after going a combined 13-24-2 over the previous two seasons.
The Panthers have only continued to improve under now fourth-year head coach Vincent Arnone, particularly given the growth and experience of his seniors who have been him all four years he has been in charge, along the continued development of Bridgewater-Raritan’s underclassmen.