By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
Kellen Anker acknowledges that playing ice hockey goalie has its challenging times.
”There’s undeniable pressure,” Anker said, “like a pitcher in baseball.”
Anker has been cool under pressure all season, and it’s given the Robbinsville High School ice hockey team confidence going into tournament times. The Ravens already have a piece of the Colonial Valley Conference Colonial Division championship, and they’re looking for more in the Mercer County Tournament. They were scheduled to host West Windsor-Plainsboro South on Wednesday after receiving a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed.
”I feel pretty confident with where we are,” Anker said. “We played South once. We know what to expect. Our defense is going to have to stand up strong. I hope we can go as far as we want this year.”
Anker’s development into a more reliable goalie is one reason for optimism. With so many of the Ravens’ losses after last season coming at the offensive end, Anker and the defense have been asked to do more this year.
”I try to use the pressure,” Anker said. “The more pressure the situation is, the better I feel myself doing. It’s something I’ve never reacted badly to. I try to zone it all out.”
Anker has proven more effective this year after starting as a sophomore last year.
”There were a few games last year where I felt I was very not clutch,” Anker said. “Saves needed to be made, and I didn’t. Last year was OK. From my perspective, I thought I could have done better. We’re aiming to make every year better than the last. That’s what I’ve been doing.”
Anker is quick to credit his defense for their role in his improved play. The Ravens have put more emphasis on the defense and the players have responded.
”Our D men have done a better job of clearing the front of the net this year,” Anker said. “We’ve been saying, they need to get the guys out so I have a chance to see it. I’ve been calling out in mid-play to them, and they do their job pretty well. There are shots that should have gone in that they’ve stopped for me.”
Those that have gotten through the defense haven’t gotten past Anker often. His .930 save percentage is among the best in the county this season, and he’s been a staple for a defense that has carried Robbinsville.
”He’s been as good as anyone in the CVC,” said Robbinsville head coach Dan Bergan. “He’s always had a tremendous down game. He has excellent crease movement. His hands have improved. It’s not a surprise to me. He was a good goaltender last year, and he’s improved this year. Part of it is we’re doing a better job around him.”
The Ravens need their defense to come up big, regardless of who they are playing. While there have been some breakout offensive games against some lower level teams, the Ravens have build their season on playing good defense which could serve them well in the tournaments.
”We’re a blue collar, hard working, grind it out team,” Bergan said. “South has been playing very well lately. We’ve been a defense first, low scoring team. No team all year has scored more than four goals against us. We can win 3-2 against a good team and can lose 3-2 to a lesser seeded team.
”I think we’re accustomed to playing close games, which is a good thing. The few things we want to shore up, are we need to get some goals in the ugly areas of the ice. Screens and rebounds will be the key if we move through the tournament, if we’re lucky enough to do so.”
Anker made 33 saves as the Ravens fell to defending state B Division champion Chatham, 4-0, Saturday. With the loss, Robbinsville dropped to 13-6-3, but the game will prepare them for tournament play.
”It benefited us,” Anker said. “We saw we could play with higher tier teams. There were points where we kept the puck in their zone. Right before the MCTs and states, it boosted our confidence.”
Playing a highly regarded non-conference opponent like Chatham was something that the Ravens want to do more of as they try to improve the program.
”We had four, five, six good scoring opportunities,” Bergan said. “The Chatham goalie is tremendous. We were outshot, 37-23, but that’s not bad against the state champs. I was pleased we were able to keep up with the pace and the skating. It felt like a 2-1 game.
”We schedule some tough non-conference games this year – Chatham, Hun, Westfield, Howell. Those are all pretty tough top-rated teams. I think next year we’ll go for even tougher schedule. Next year, we’ll play some of the tough, lower Gordon and Mendham teams.”
Bergan is hopeful that seeing a higher level of play will lift the play of his Ravens in time for a tournament run when the deeper they go, the tougher the teams are.
”Just to play faster teams helps,” Bergan said. “When you come play a fast team, you can keep up with them, but you’re not that comfortable. The more you play at that pace, the more you eliminate the mistakes and bobbles.
”I think it’s a good experience for the kids. It gets you battle tested. It gets you moving the puck faster out of necessity. Against a team ranked considerably lower, you would expect a little more time and space than you’d have against a team like Chatham. They were what you called hard to the puck. They took away time and space.”
It forced the Robbinsville puck-handlers to make quicker decisions, and the Ravens proved they can hold their own. Anker is hoping they can ride the confidence gained to a first-ever appearance in an MCT semifinal.
”I haven’t been that far in my high school career,” Anker said. “Maybe we’ll get past the second round. Maybe it’ll be another year of firsts for us.”
The Ravens already have a Colonial title. It’s come together quickly for the Ravens, who for the first time have Allentown players on their team. What was a necessity to fill out the team with high enough numbers of players has become a boost to the program.
”It’s pretty impressive how the coaches managed to bring the Allentown kids together with the Robbinsville kids,” Anker said. “All the time we spent in the offseason getting to know each other, with pasta parties and everything, it’s almost like we’re not from different schools. The chemistry is pretty darn good out on the ice. We have the plays. It’s tough to tell we were a split team before the season started.”
Anker has seen the offense develop in front of him, and it’s taken some pressure off the defense.
”We don’t have all the superstar finishers, but we’ve done a pretty good job with what we have,” Anker said. “And the defense has done its job.”
With the tournament time here, there is pressure on every player on the ice. Just a couple of plays can change the outcome. Kellen Anker is looking forward to his chance to lead the Ravens farther than they’ve ever been.
”The more that’s on the line, the better the victory is,” he said. “If we win these MCT games, we’ll feel so great about us. The board in front of our school for the first time ever, it says something about the hockey team. It says we’re the Colonial Division champs, which is really cool to see.
”I like the pressure. I’m sure a lot of the other kids do too. There’s so much on the line. Winning is worth that much more.”

