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ROBBINSVILLE: Ravens ready for MCT hockey

Robbinsville looks to make big run

By Bob Nuse, The Packet Group
   Dan Bergan is happy he has a few days to work with his team before they kick off the tournament season.
   Bergan’s Robbinsville High ice hockey team ended the regular season with a 10-3 win over Hightstown on Monday night. The win was the Ravens’ eighth straight and the margin would suggest all systems are go as the Mercer County Tournament gets set to begin. Bergan wants his team playing at the top of its game as the tournament season arrives.
   ”I was not happy with our performance as well,” said the Robbinsville coach, whose team ended the regular season with a 15-4-1 record and a CVC Colonial Division title. “We had four days off the ice and one day on the ice and I thought it was a scramble of open hockey rather than any systems I would recognize. If we play like we did today we’re not going to get very far in the tournament at all. This was simply skills and open hockey and we happened to come out on top.”
   The Ravens jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first period and made it 8-0 by the end of the second period before the Rams got a little closer with a solid third period. Logan Fredericks scored three goals, while Eric Hildebrand and Zack Bryan added two apiece in the win.
   With the MCT set to begin Monday, Robbinsville hopes to keep the winning ways going forward.
   ”I want to win MCTs for the first time ever and beat Notre Dame for the first time ever,” Bryan said of his goals for the team in the final weeks of the season. “And I’d like us to do well in states.
   ”I’ve been here four years and played all four years and now it is starting to wind down. I am starting to feel it because it is almost over. I want us to do well in these tournaments since it is the last time I’ll be playing.”
   Bryan was one of four seniors honored prior to the regular season finale on Monday, joining Fredericks, Chris Deck and Kellen Anker. It is a solid group that has been the foundation of the team.
   ”They have been everything for us,” Bergan said. “You’ve got Kellen Anker, who was the Player of the Year last year and is a candidate again this year. You’ve got Logan Fredericks, who may end up leading the team in scoring with 30 goals or better. Chris Deck has been Mr. Versatility for us. He is the glue that keeps us together. And Zack Bryan is your absolute rock of a physical defenseman and has been solid since we put him out there four years ago.”
   The second-seeded Ravens will open MCT play on Monday at 7 p.m. at Mercer County Park against the winner of the opening round game between seventh-seeded Hightstown and No. 10 Nottingham. The semifinals are scheduled for Feb. 20 with the finals slated for Feb. 22. All games are at MCP.
   Bryan is hoping for good things from the team as the season – and his career – winds down.
   ”We have gotten better every year,” he said. “We’ve been together for four years now. I feel like we have a special bond.”
   One that could lead to some special things.