Senior scores in OT to keep title shot alive
By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
Rich Francis is the sort of player that can make his own breaks, and he certainly did so at a key time Monday.
Seconds into overtime, the senior forward’s flip found the back of the net innocently to give the third-seeded Robbinsville High School ice hockey team a 2-1 win over sixth-seeded West Windsor-Plainsboro South in the Mercer County Tournament quarterfinals.
”It’s definitely up there,” Francis said. “Being that it’s senior year, I’m not ready for the year to end. Any time you score a goal in overtime, it’s huge.”
It was one of only two shots to slip by WW-P South’s Andrew Holubec, who made 53 saves to keep the upset bid alive.
”I went to chip it up to someone,” Francis said, “and it went off his back and right across the goal-line.”
Francis is not the sort of player who draws headlines like some of his higher scoring teammates, but his value is undeniable.
”Richie Francis has been an absolute lynchpin for us,” said Robbinsville head coach Dan Bergan after his team improved to 13-5-2. “He’s a relentless forechecker. He scares you with his speed. He goes to the dirty spots of the ice. He pitches in with some huge clutch goals for us, as he did today, 14 seconds into overtime. No way we’re where we are today or even last year without Richie Francis being a big part of it.
”He was important to us last year,” he added. “He’s older doing the same things He’s a year older, a year stronger, and he makes you a little faster, a little more confident.”
Francis kept the right attitude when the Ravens ran into a hot goalie.
”The goalie played phenomenal today,” Francis said. “It starts out frustrating, but it makes you want to try harder.”
WW-P South scored in the first period to take a 1-0 lead. In the second period, Coleman Anker scored with assists to Francis and Scott Kurzeja.
”He got it right in front of the net,” Francis said. “Once he got that, we were right back into the game.”
Neither team would score the remainder of the regular time, and that forced overtime and potentially a tough spot for Robbinsville, which could have tightened up with the pressure on it.
”For them, as a lower seed, there’s nothing to lose, they can go all out,” Francis said. “We have more on the line. There’s a higher sense of urgency. One bounce either way, that’s the game.”
The Ravens made sure that risk never materialized in the quickest overtime game that Francis could remember.
”It happened so fast,” he said. “We lined up and got the puck and scored.”
Joey Nolan made 23 saves in goal for the Ravens, who played well at both ends. If it wasn’t for Holubec, the game could have been a lot more decisive on the scoreboard.
”He just played out of his head,” Bergan said. “He’s an excellent goalie to start with. We got 55 shots on net. I’ll take that any game of the week.”
The win helps the Ravens advance to face second-seeded Hun School in a game scheduled for Wednesday. The finals are slated for 5:30 p.m. Friday at Mercer County Rink.
”We definitely feel confident,” Francis said. “We really started to play well in the past couple weeks. It’s going to be tough with two private teams with Notre Dame and Hun, but we’re looking forward to it.”
The Ravens reached the finals last year where Notre Dame stopped them. Francis is doing everything in his power to get Robbinsville back there. He’s willing to do the little things that might not get as much attention but are integral to any team. It’s the way he has always played.
”That’s definitely more my game,” Francis said. “Somebody has to get it done out there. That’s always been how I’ve played.”
Said Bergan: “There’s no glory there, but it’s everything to a coach. That’s the guy that turns the puck over, keeps the puck in, keeps the play alive, keeps the puck on their end where they can’t hurt you. He’s the guy screening in front of the net, getting deflections that become goals.”
It was nice then that Francis finally grabbed some of the spotlight with an overtime win to keep Robbinsville on track for one of its goals this year.
”I definitely have to step it up this year more after losing some of our better goal scorers,” Francis said.
He has tried to boost an offense to take some pressure off an inexperienced group of goalies. The Ravens have made the big plays to sustain a high level of success in front of their emerging net minders.
”With younger goalies this year, we were unsure how the year would go,” Francis said. “Our coach has been working with them and he’s got them to pick up their game. And the whole team has come together throughout the season.”
Francis was part of an offense that did everything it could against West Windsor to push into the next round. Bergan was pleased with his team’s efforts.
”We had good possession time,” Bergan said. “Our goalie played well. Any time you stop 90 percent of the shots, that’s good. To keep it down to 24 shots is good. We outshot them, 2-1. All we can keep doing is peppering them on net and eventually they’ll go in.”
Robbinsville had not played since the previous Wednesday, and it took them a bit to skate off their rust. Having survived a tough challenge in the quarterfinals has them on their toes in the do-or-die scenarios of the MCT and the state tournament ahead.
”Right before they come,” Francis said, “with the rest of the playoffs coming, playing against Notre Dame and Hun, we definitely needed that as a wake-up call.”
If Monday’s overtime MCT win over a team that they had beaten 5-2 earlier this year proved anything, it is that there are no easy games ahead in tournament time. Francis, whose hockey future is up in the air depending on what school he attends next year, is looking to help the Ravens go farther than they ever have in his final scholastic season.
”I never know when my last game is going to be,” Francis said, “so I have to leave it all out there.”

