Mahwah Hockey Loses Close Game in State Playoffs

With a trip to the Prudential Center and the Public B State championship game on the line, the Mahwah Thunderbirds went punch for punch with top-seeded Chatham in a game that mirrored a heavyweight title bout.

Though the Thunderbirds eventually came up short, falling 4-2, the team showed tremendous poise and heart in their tournament run that had them just one period away from the state final.

Chatham got on the board first on a fluke goal by Trip Burke that bounced high in the air and went over the shoulder of Mahwah goalie Sean Scannell who was unable to find it.

Though the first goal is usually a huge momentum shift, the T-birds bounced right back.  Luke May knotted the game up at 1-1 as he beat Chatham goaltender Jordan Boles.

Mahwah was no stranger to close games, as their last two playoff wins, (3-2 over West Essex and 1-0 over Ramapo) had the team ready for the rigors of another tight contest.

In the second period, Chatham took the lead once again at 2-1 as Trip Burke found the back of the net for the second time. 

But again, Mahwah was able to answer.  Just a minute and ten seconds later, Matt Gutierrez buried his own rebound down in front to pull Mahwah even at 2-2, as the T-birds would not quit.

“I’m proud of the fact that we were down 1-0 and came back and made it 1-1, then we were down 2-1 and came back and made it 2-2.” said head coach Kevin Sabella. “I have nothing but positive things to say about this team and the way we played.”

The game then headed into the third period with both teams looking for that decisive third goal. 

The two squads had played just over seven minutes of scoreless hockey in the third period when the tie was finally broken. 

Danny Casey lit the lamp for Chatham with just 8:06 remaining in the game to give the Cougars the lead for good. Alex Rauter added an empty net goal for Chatham with only 15 seconds remaining as the Cougars survived a furious comeback attempt by the Thunderbirds.

Though Mahwah’s incredible season comes to an end, this team accomplished so much.  They finished with a 24-4 record and took home the Big North Green Division Cup with a thrilling 4-1 win over bitter rival Ramsey.

“This season is a dream,” said Sabella, “Beating a team like Ramsey three times, beating Ramapo, beating the defending champs, (West Essex) winning the league cup and finishing in first place, from where we started with this team to where we are now is like night and day.”

Though the dream finally ended on the ice of Codey Arena in the Public B semi-finals, this team should be able to take away plenty of proud moments from what was truly a spectacular season.