On an unusually warm March afternoon in Newark, Bridgewater-Raritan High School hockey players stormed the ice of the Prudential Center to celebrate their first-ever state hockey title.
In their fourth-ever appearance in a state championship, and their first since 2014, the Panthers finally snapped their streak of three straight title game losses and were finally on top.
Minutes after the final siren sounded, a No. 50 jersey was brought onto the ice by the players for their celebratory photo.
The jersey belonged to Collin Zavoda, a Bridgewater-Raritan hockey player whose life was tragically cut short in June 2024.
Zavoda spent his first few years in Edison before moving to Bridgewater in 2013. He played for several youth hockey teams growing up, before landing a spot in Bridgewater-Raritan’s varsity team during his freshman year.
On top of this, Zavoda was a dedicated Boy Scout and had volunteered as a hockey referee. To those who knew him, Zavoda was remembered fondly.
Junior player Riley Rak, who was Zavoda’s teammate on the youth team Protec Ducks, described him as a “really great friend to be around.”
“Being with him both on and off the ice was always fun,” he said. “He was such a funny kid to be with, and he basically felt like a family member to the entire high school team.”
When the news of his passing broke, it sent ripples of shock and devastation throughout the school. Zavoda was only 15 and about to finish his freshman year, while his older brother, Mitchell Zavoda, was about to graduate from high school.
The Bridgewater-Raritan community rallied behind Zavoda and his family, quickly donating more than $55,000 to a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses, with tributes pouring in from across the school.
Fast forward to the start of the 2025-26 season, which would have been Collin’s junior year. After being defeated in the state quarterfinals the prior season, the Panthers responded with a dominant regular season, losing just three of their 18 games.
Bridgewater-Raritan also captured its second straight Skyland Conference Cup, securing a spot in the NJSIAA playoffs, which they kicked off with an 11-1 victory over Central Regional High School
As the season progressed, the loss of Zavoda continued to feel larger, but instead of letting it break them, the team used it as motivation to push them even further.
By the time they faced Middletown High School in the South Public Tournament sectional final, the Panthers’ momentum was too strong.
After Bridgewater-Raritan won on Thursday, March 5, by a score of 5-2, the No. 50 jersey was brought onto the ice for the first time, an idea credited to head coach Vincent Arnone. An Instagram post featuring the team with the jersey, captured by local photographer Tommy Fagan, received more than 700 likes and was topped with the hashtag #forcollin. In a comment, Mitchell wrote, “Now I’m crying again, thank you guys for this.”
A few days later, gameday for the state final had arrived. Topped off with a packed sendoff from the school and a police escort, the Panthers had their eyes set on their first-ever state title. The emotions heading into the game were described as a mix of nervousness and excitement.
For Rak, it was the second game he had ever played at the Prudential Center. The first was a 2023 youth hockey game between the Union Thunder and the Hunterdon Bears. Rak played for the Thunder, while Zavoda played for the Bears. According to Rak, it was the last time they ever shared the ice.
After three periods, thanks to junior Stanley Xenakis’s two goals and a dominant defensive performance led by sophomore goalie Justin Madison, the Panthers defeated Ridgewood High School in the final and reached the summit of New Jersey public school hockey. As an emotional Bridgewater-Raritan team hoisted the NJSIAA trophy, Zavoda’s No. 50 was once again brought onto the ice and permanently etched into Panther history alongside the rest of the team.
The scene was eerily reminiscent of the Winter Olympics a month prior, when the U.S men’s national hockey team defeated Canada in the gold medal game. After the win, players skated around the ice holding up Johnny Gaudreau’s No. 13 jersey following the NHL player’s passing in 2024.
Fittingly, Stanley Xenakis was named the Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau MVP, an award dedicated to the Jersey native and his brother, who died alongside him.
But from Milan to Newark, the motivation was the same.
Rak said the loss of Collin was the main force that pushed the team to greatness. Similarly, U.S national team defenseman Zach Werenski said it “meant the world” to honor Gaudreau at the Olympics.
Grief is a strange thing. Why does something that seems designed to destroy also push and motivate more than anything else?
Sports are also strange.
Leicester City winning the Premier League at 5000-1 odds in 2016 is improbable. Marquise Goodwin catching an 83-yard touchdown hours after losing his baby is improbable. Bob Beamon recording a record 29’ 2” long jump in the 1968 Olympics after being dropped by his college is improbable. The United States’ defeat of the Soviet Union in the Miracle on Ice is improbable.
The greatest sports moments are just a series of physical, personal, and statistical improbabilities.
And making an impact so large it carries an entire team to accomplish something never before seen in program history, despite never stepping onto the ice that season, seems pretty improbable, too.
