A new Skyland Cup champion will be crowned on Wednesday night, February 19.
After its second victory of the season against rival Ridge High School, the Bridgewater-Raritan High School ice hockey team is now just one triumph away from being that squad.
That is because top-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan (20-3): ranked No. 16 in New Jersey, built a four-goal lead and allowed just eight shots on goal against fourth-seeded Ridge (13-9-2) in the semifinal round of the Skyland Cup, which saw four different Panthers score in a dominating 4-1 victory over the Red Devils on Monday, February 17, at Bridgewater Sports Arena in Bridgewater.
“We’ve seen a lot of results from Ridge this year,” shared Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Vincent Arnone after the Panthers also tallied an 18-8 advantage in shots on goal. “They’re disciplined, smart, they have a great coach, they play really good hockey, and they have a winning pedigree. When you can beat a team with that kind of winning pedigree in a playoff atmosphere like tonight, it’s a big step forward for these kids and this program.”
With four-time defending Skyland Cup champion and second-seeded Pingry School falling in overtime, 3-2, over the sixth-seeded North Hunterdon Regional High School / Voorhees High School co-op squad Monday night’s other semifinal matchup, either the Panthers will win their first Skyland Cup title since 2014-15 or North Hunterdon / Voorhees will hoist the trophy in its second year of existence as a sanctioned program on the night of February 19.