The regular season is complete for SJR hockey. From here on out, we're talking playoffs.
Over the past two weeks, the 3rd ranked Green Knights wrapped up their regular season with three straight wins against No. 5 CBA, No. 7 St. Augustine, and No. 4 Morristown-Beard. SJR should be feeling confident following an impressive 13-3-1 record and a Bergen County title through January. Now looking forward, SJR will look to capture both the Gordon Cup and the Non-Public A state title.
"You don't win anything in December, you don't win anything in January. We want to win a state championship," said Coach Matt Juneau.
In pursuit of both the Gordon Cup and the State Championship, the Green Knights have placed themselves at the top of the food chain, standing alongside both Delbarton and Don Bosco Prep as the state's top three teams.
Despite Delbarton being the top team in the state and the reigning state and Gordon Cup champions, the Green Knights have shown they can compete. In two regular-season meetings, SJR lost one match up and tied the other. The first meeting resulted in a 2-2 tie with SJR coming from behind and notching two goals in the third period. In the most recent meeting, just a week ago, SJR lost 2-1 despite holding a 1-0 lead most of the 2nd and 3rd periods.
Don Bosco has been no stranger to SJR as the two teams have faced off three times this season, twice in the regular season and once in the Bergen County championship. During the regular season, the Green Knights dropped both games 2-1 despite being tied 1-1 in the pair of games. In the Bergen County final, SJR won 2-1 in overtime after jumping to a 1-0 start early.
"I think if we played Don Bosco 100 times this year, it would have been 50 to 50," said Coach Juneau.
The team kicks off the Gordon Cup on Tuesday February 10th with a quarterfinal match vs. Princeton Day at 4:45 at Sport-O-Rama. If the Green Knights advance, the semifinals would be the following night, followed by the Cup Finals February 18th at Codey Arena.
Following Gordon Cup play, the State title race begins February 24th and follows through March 9th, where the finals are held at Prudential Center.
