Cardinals challenge Mahwah in playoffs

ICE HOCKEY

By: Tim Falls
   By now the Lawrence High School Ice Hockey team has either made history or is history.
   The Cardinals traveled to play Mahwah in the first-round of the NJSIAA posteason last night (Wednesday).
   A win would have been quite the achievement for the Lawrence ice hockey program. A loss would have ended an otherwise successful season.
   Lawrence coach Andy Borowsky didn’t know when the last time the Cardinals advanced past the first round was or if Lawrence even has.
   "They may have done it over 10 years ago," said Borowsky, "but not since I’ve been here. Last year was the first year I’ve taken the team to states. Last year was the first time in 10 years."
   Advancing to the second round, "would be a big event," added Borowsky.
   Even if the Cardinals did come away victorious last night, it couldn’t have been easy.
   The 42nd-seeded Cardinals would have had to upset the 23rd seed.
   That Mahwah was the higher seed was almost all Borowsky knew of Lawrence’s opponent.
   "I know I want to beat them," said Borowsky. "That’s about it. I know they’re ranked 23rd, so I’m sure they’re a good team."
   Still, before the game, Borowsky felt Lawrence could reach the second round.
   "They’re prepared," said Borowsky. "It just depends if they’re going to come prepared."
   After reaching the postseason for the first time in 10-years last season, Lawrence almost upset the 25th seed. That gives the Cardinals hope this year.
   "Last year we played a team ranked 25th and we were able to hold our own," said Borowsky. "We just ran out of some gas and had a couple of penalties at the end."
   Lawrence has handled tough competition all year, defeating West Windsor-Plainsboro North to defend the Hornet Holiday Classic title it won last season.
   Though there have also been a few setbacks with less than stellar play on occasion.
   "They know what they need to do," said Borowsky. "Whether they’re ready is up to them. They know when they played bad and why they played bad and they know when they played good and why they played good."
   The Cardinals got in a good game against Robbinsville to conclude its Colonial Valley Conference season.
   Borowsky got a lot of his players more ice time than they usually have as his Cardinals earned a 7-5 victory and gave the young Raven program a competitive game.
   "This was a game I could get a lot of my players who didn’t see a lot of ice time during the year and get the out," said Borowsky. "Seniors who may not see much time in the state game, we got them out."
   Senior goalie Terrence Den.. gained the win in his last start of the season.
   The Ravens put Den.. to the test, while getting by the Lawrence defense on occasion.
   "Our defense is pretty good when they pay attention," said Den.. "They’re were a couple of times they gave up turnovers."
   Den.. handled the pressure and preserved Lawrence’s lead.
   "I tried to focus on the play and focus on the puck, of course," said Den.. "I tried to read the play to know where to set myself in the crease."
   Den.. finished with ——saves.
   Lawrence tried to get Heather Olex, another senior and one of two girls playing on the team, a goal against Robbinsville.
   "They really pulled for me," said Olex. "It just means a lot, to me anyway. "They really pulled through. It’s nice to see how dedicated they are. They’re not just caring about themselves. They really care about everybody else."
   The Cardinals tried to feed Olex the puck in the crease, but despite the setups Olex didn’t score.
   "They’re all really funny and they keep me up," said Olex. "I really enjoyed my past three years on the team and my first year doing stats."
   While Lawrence could afford to give its seniors opportunities against Robbinsville, the Cardinals will have had to be at their best against Mahwah last night.
   "We’re going to have to be really focused," said Borowsky. "That’s been the biggest thing all year, playing three periods focused the whole time. These guys know what to do. We go over certain systems and plays, they know how to do it, they just have to remember to do it. It’s a lot easier to talk about it than it is to do it."
   "We’re going to have to focus," said Den.., "use our systems, watch how they play and get some goals out of it."
   The Cardinals have shown what they could achieve through their hard work all season. A win would set Lawrence up against 10th-seeded Montgomery, an even tougher challenge.
   Still, one win in the NJSIAA postseason would be an impressive achievement for the Cardinals.
   Otherwise, Borowsky said it simply enough, "that’s it the season’s over."