by Brian O’Halloran

Call them diligent. Call them resilient. But don’t call the Barrons Ice Hockey team lazy or apathetic.

Call them diligent.

Like all new seasons, the Barrons ice hockey players began their 2014-2015 campaign with promise and positivity, but when they tied an overmatched Scotch Plains-Fanwood team at home in their third game, their frustration ran high.

Over the course of the first ten games of the season, Woodbridge went 3-6-1, their strongest play coming on the road against a young Marlboro team, where the Barrons focused on strong fundamentals and teamwork to put the Mustangs away, 7-1.

The worst of that stretch was between December 15th and January 1st, when the young Barrons team dropped five straight. In fairness, the first of that stretch was against a stacked St. Joseph’s team, and the rest of that drought came with limited scoring.

Call them resilient.

When junior Kyle Mortensen rejoined the team on December 29th after missing the first six games of the season due to injury, the Barrons found in him one of their most prolific scorers behind team captain Bobby Mulligan, and co-captains Hunter Spearnock and Nick Kuchie.

Mortensen netted an impressive 20 goals and seven assists in 10 games, grabbing a hat trick in three of those games. When the Barrons met up with a combined Colonia-JFK team on January 28th, Mortensen was good for five of the Barrons’ 11 goals.

Mortensen’s return sparked a resurgence of sorts, and the Barrons went 6-3 through their last nine games, in part through strong play, but also thanks to a strategical move by Coach Rotella wherein he shuffled the lines to keep his talented forwards on the ice longer. In the middle of it all was senior Bobby Mulligan, one of five seniors a part of the run that the Barrons made in the State Tournament the last two seasons.

Mulligan put up 29 goals and 22 assists this season. His 51 points puts him at an impressive 158 career points, good enough for the school’s all-time points record, and all-time assists record. Not surprisingly, Mulligan’s unselfish play and masterful stick work earned him an all-star nod as he was named to the Greater Middlesex Conference’s 1st team.

Mulligan and Mortensen weren’t the only bright spots on the young team this year. Assistant captain Nick Kuchie, junior, made the transition from defense to forward. Rotella’s gamble paid off, and Kuchie managed 14 goals and 21 assists while setting a personal career high in both categories. The charismatic forward, who played most of the season in a stained jersey to strike fear into the hearts of his opponents, also managed to keep his penalty minutes down, though that is purely speculation based on the recollection of this writer.

Of course, let’s not forget the quiet demeanor and all-business approach of assistant captain Hunter Spearnock, junior. Despite battling nagging injuries through the end of the season, Spearnock had his best year yet, netting 14 goals and a gaudy 23 assists, with two hat tricks. While the offense found its rhythm later in the season, the defense worked hard all year.

Do not call them lazy or apathetic.

The absence of Kuchie on defense was made up for by hard-hitting senior, Sean Brody; the smart play of sophomore DJ Schnee; the size of Darren Sopp; and the talented newcomer, freshman Amber Spearnock. Behind the wall created by these four was senior Lenny Schnee or freshman phenom Adam Godfrey in net, depending on the day.

While Schnee found his way to four assists and an .837 save percentage, his young protégé, Godfrey, came up with 253 saves for a .861 average, and earned himself two assists. The net minders were pivotal parts of a penalty kill that made the 2015 Barrons an exciting team to watch. Though the results weren’t always there, the work ethic and intelligence was.

The Barrons closed their campaign at 9-9-1, playing their way through shutouts—both on the receiving and delivering end—, upsets, nail-biters, and heartbreakers. And that’s how the season went. But it was never one person making the big play.

Senior Nick Bauer came up with four goals this season, all in clutch situations. Junior Mike Parfitt found his confidence, along with 16 points. Factor in sophomore Dylan Weidele’s 11 points, and it’s evident that the Barrons will take the lessons learned this season into next year, where they’ll begin again—with promise and positivity.