The 18-3-1 Bridgewater-Raritan High School ice hockey team is the 2026 Skyland Cup champion for the second straight season.

Second-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan improved to 18-3-1 when it defeated top-seeded North Hunterdon/Voorhees High School co-op team,  6-5, in a thrilling overtime victory on Wednesday, February 18.

Senior captain Alex Kotelnikov scored the game-winner to secure the team a back-to-back Skyland Cup championship.

The first period saw North Hunterdon score two unanswered goals, completely shutting down Bridgewater-Raritan’s offense. The Panthers got off to a slow start, ending the first period trailing 2-0. 

Starting the second period strong, sophomore Jason Rutkowski got the Panthers’ offense going with the team’s first goal of the night, closing the gap to a 2-1 lead for North Hunterdon.  Rutkowski finished the night with one goal and one assist.

Less than a minute later, North Hunterdon fired back with another goal, restoring their two-goal lead to a 3-1 score. The Panthers’ top scorer, junior Sasha Abolenskiy, scored one of his two goals at the end of the second period, cutting the deficit back to a one-goal lead by North Hunterdon. Abolenskiy finished the night with two goals and one assist. 

Cheers erupted from the Bridgewater Sports Arena crowd going into the third period, with the Panthers trailing by only one goal, with plenty of time left for a comeback. The Panthers’ offense exploded during the third period, tallying three goals. Top goal scorers Sasha Abolenskiy, Alex Kotelnikov and Stanley Xenakis all recorded goals in the third period, with assists from Jimmy Kramer, Matthew Harrison and Jason Rutkowski. North Hunterdon was not willing to give up without a fight, ending the period with a tied 5-5 score. 

Everyone sat on the edge of their seats as the Panthers took the ice again to prepare for overtime. The puck officially dropped for overtime, welcoming the sudden-death atmosphere to determine which team would score the final goal and become the 2025-26 Skyland Cup champions.

Four minutes into overtime, Kotelnikov scored the game-winning goal with an assist from Abolenskiy, resulting in a 6-5 win for the Panthers. 

Kotelnikov spoke about what it was like to score the crucial goal for such an important game.

“We fought for every second to get here, and overtime tested everything we had,” he said. “At that moment, I was just glad we accomplished what we came here to do.” 

Sophomore goalie Justin Madison finished the night with a save percentage of .815, saving 22 of 27 shots. Madison has been a huge asset to Bridgewater-Raritan’s success this season.  

The Panthers celebrate their conference championship win, but they aren’t done yet.

Bridgewater-Raritan is the top seed in the South Public state sectional tournament and will meet 16th-seeded Central Regional High School in the first round on Thursday, February 26, at the Bridgewater Sports Arena at 4 p.m.