Sports
Caseys Cruise in First Round of Handchen Cup Playoffs
Behind the strong performance of its first line, Red Bank Catholic Ice Hockey dominates against Wall.
It’s taken a season for the Casey first offensive line to get healthy.
The crew was supposed to anchor Red Bank Catholic’s ice hockey team, but injury and illness plagued the trio throughout the year, leading to inconsistent play and inconsistent results.
But, as is often the case with these kinds of things, it’s all about timing.
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Forwards Trevor Grossman, Bryan Gaburo, and Sean Branagan dominated Red Bank Catholic’s first round Handchen Cup matchup against Wall High School Thursday afternoon, moving the puck and applying constant pressure en route to a 5-2 Casey win.
“They’re really starting to gel,” Casey Coach Ken Carlson said about his three forwards. “It’s really coming together out there. I think the team, overall, worked hard and it’s starting to pay off.”
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Grossman scored two goals, including the first of the game, and added an assist to pace the team. Gaburo added a second-period goal of his own. Though his name wouldn’t appear on the final state sheet, Branagan helped lead the strong offensive effort.
Grossman said the trio has found success through experience.
“My line has got good chemistry,” Grossman, a junior, said. “We’ve been playing together for a long time. I’ve been playing sick for most of the year, but now I’m finally feeling healthy.”
Part of what’s led to the Casey’s recent success is their ability to move the puck effectively in the offensive zone, Carlson said. That ability was on display throughout Thursday’s game between second-seeded Red Bank Catholic and seventh-seeded Wall.
From the start of the game, Wall seemed determine to play physical. While they were able to connect on some big hits along the boards, the effective Casey puck movement took any advantage that might have had away.
Grossman scored the game’s first goal with 2:23 left in the first at the Armory in Red Bank. The Caseys outshot Wall 10-3 in the period, an indication of the kind of offensive pressure the team would continue to apply.
It didn’t take long for that pressure to lead to further scoring.
Off of an assist from Grossman, Gaburo scored Red Bank Catholic’s second goal of the game just 25 seconds into the second period. It took just 15 seconds more for Grossman to give the Caseys their third score of the game.
“It’s been a bit easier to play,” Grossman said. “We just have to keep up the intensity.”
Jack Donleavy and Mike Stickle also added goals for the Caseys. Wall’s two scores from Tom Panico and Devin McCarthy came in the fourth period, with the latter coming with only seconds remaining in the game.
Red Bank Catholic advances to the second round of the Handchen Cup where they’ll face the winner of Sunday’s game between number three seed Toms River South and number six seed Brick Memorial. The game will be played at the Armory on Tuesday at 8:15pm.
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