Rams' hockey players target N.J. title

Ryan Meehan knows today's match will be his last ice hockey game for Gloucester Catholic.

John Gaudreau isn't so certain.

The two athletes know one thing, for sure: This particular Gloucester Catholic team will never play another game after today's Non-Public state championship against Delbarton.

"We know how we want to finish," said Meehan, a senior defenseman. "It's been a dream to get this far. But we want to finish with a win."

Gloucester Catholic (15-3-2), the No. 3 seed, will be the decided underdog against top-seeded Delbarton in the 5 p.m. title game in the Prudential Center in Newark.

Delbarton (26-1) is the two-time defending Non-Public state champion. The Green Wave have won 40 of their last 41 games and are ranked No. 1 in the state by the Newark Star-Ledger.

"They've got a lot of really good players," said Gaudreau, Gloucester Catholic's talented junior center. "They're hard to stop. But we think we can do it."

Delbarton is led by senior forward Kenny Agostino, who was the Star-Ledger's player of the year in 2009. Agostino, who has committed to play at Yale University, scored two goals in Delbarton's 4-2 victory over Morristown-Beard in the state semifinals.

"Their transition game is the best I've ever seen," Meehan said of Delbarton. "We have to play a perfect game."

Delbarton beat Gloucester Catholic, 4-2, in a regular-season game Jan. 20.

"We came out of that game thinking we could have played even better against them," Gaudreau said.

Today's game will mark Gloucester Catholic's first appearance in a state final and mark another step in the remarkable growth of the Rams' program. The school added ice hockey as a varsity sport in 2005.

"It's awesome to think how far we've come in six years," Meehan said.

Gloucester Catholic's defense is led by Meehan (12 assists) and Anthony Calabrese (20 assists). The Rams' goalie is Pat McSparron.

Gaudreau leads the offense with 23 goals and 29 assists. Senior wings Mike McGahey (25 goals, 22 assists) and Alexey Kruglov (16 goals, 17 assists) are prolific scorers.

Gaudreau has committed to attend Northeastern University on a scholarship. Like many Division I athletes, he might play at the junior level for a season or two before attending college.

Gaudreau said he wasn't sure if he would play juniors next year, missing his senior season at Gloucester Catholic.

"I'd like to play for Gloucester Catholic next year," Gaudreau said. "But in case I don't, I'd like to win it this year."