Four CVC teams are set for semis at Mercer County Park

Come tournament time the early rounds are always fun to be in a winnertake-all setting, and then when it gets to the semifinals the tension goes up a notch, the nerves get a little jumpy and everyone realizes the championship is one win away.

That’s the feeling Notre Dame, Paul VI/Camden Catholic, Robbinsville/Allentown and Hopewell Valley/Montgomery are facing as they are the Final Four for the Colonial Valley Conference Ice Hockey Tournament.

Wednesday’s first game at 4 p.m. in the Mercer County Skating Center has No. 1 Notre Dame (5-0-1) facing No. 5 Hopewell Valley/Montgomery (2-7-1).

HV/M advanced with an impressive 7-1 win over No. 4 Lawrence, snapping a six-game skid.

The nightcap at 6 p.m. has No. 2 Paul VI/Camden Catholic (4- 1-1) against No. 3 Robbinsville/Allentown (7-2-1).

The Ravens advanced after a tough 2-0 battle with the Hamilton Schools.

“I’m happy with the way the team has played this season considering all the challenges,’’ said ND coach Mike McVey. Hopewell has some very talented players and they can never be taken lightly.’’

The Irish are coming off a 5-5 tie with Robbinsville that saw them down early and rally late to salvage the tie.

One of the teams with plenty of firepower, ND had a pair of regular season games with HV/M and came away with a 7-1 and 7-2 win.

Will Celli leads the Irish with nine goals and a team-high 12 assists for 21 points, Carson Skove leads in goals with 13 and adds seven assists, and young Mike McVey has played a key role with eight and eight.

The tie with Robbinsville/Allentown will serve as motivation to the Irish.

Hopewell Valley/Montgomery got all the motivation it needed just by having a second life with the tourney after a 1-7-1 regular season.

Sean Amon and Lucas Gaissert have been crucial to the Bulldogs as each has a team-high 13 points. Gaissert has six goals and seven assists and Amon has four goals with a team-high nine assists. Joe Greenspoon leads with seven goals. HV/M will be playing with reckless abandon and the Irish will need to be the fundamentally disciplined team on the ice.

Early in February, Paul VI/Camden Catholic and Robbinsville/Allentown tangled and the Eagles flew past the Ravens, 6-3. Since then, R/A is 6-1-1 and PVI/CC is 3-1.

No matter the outcome the first game, the Ravens are not a team to look past.

“Avoiding complacency is going to be huge and we’re going to address that in practice as well as before the game,’’ said Paul VI coach Charlie Hall. “We’re going to make sure that we know that the Robbinsville team we beat earlier is not the same one we are going to see on Wednesday. We’ll be confident like we always are, but we will be sure to respect this Robbinsville team and not play down a level.’’

Both teams have earned a lot of respect throughout a tough year and both are grateful for the tournament.

“Having this tournament is huge, not just for us but the whole conference,’’ said Hall. “It’s great that the CVC was able to put something together for the teams and give this season a bit more meaning given the circumstances we’ve all had to deal with. We’re excited as a team that we have an opportunity to play for something and we plan to make the most of it.’’

Robbinsville/Allentown coach Dan Bergan is just as appreciative.

“Thanks to the AD’s, Supers and others helping make this happen,’’ said Bergan. “It’s really important to have a conclusion to the journey. The kids are very excited.’’

The Eagles have been led by Jack Paolini with 10 goals, C.J. Compagnola has five goals and five assists and Eddie Lutz has three goals and five assists.

“A key for us will be putting pressure on their defense and dictating the pace of the game,’’ said Hall. “We want to play in their end as much as possible. They have good forwards who are really clicking right now and we have to minimize their scoring opportunities. Another key will be playing as a team. I think we succeeded last time against them because we played as a five-man unit in every aspect of the game. We need to stay with that style and mindset for us to be successful again.’’

Robbinsville/Allentown has been led by Mitch Ducalo with 13 goals and 11 assists for a CVC-best 24 points, Teddy Wittenborn and Charlie Pallitto each have 19 points and Tyler Guttormsen and Ty Thomas have 14 points.

While all four teams have shown they can score, it might just come down to goaltending.