DON BOSCO PREP IS THE 2018-19 NJ.COM TEAM OF THE YEAR

The trek to its first ever state championship started soon after a second heartbreaking loss for Don Bosco. At the Ironmen's season-ending dinner at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season, a year that ended with a 27-2-1 record and a loss to Delbarton in the NJSIAA/Non-Public state championship game for the second year in a row, Ironmen head coach Greg Toskos made sure that the returning players knew the mission hadn't changed. "I made the comment that we had graduated the most decorated senior class ever. And that was true. I said to everyone there that, for everyone else returning, that doesn't mean that I don't expect us to be back there. It was something to the effect of, 'just because we graduate these guys, it doesn't mean we won't make it back. I expect this group to be back to the finals.' "It started there because it wasn't like we were waving the flag after losing there two years in a row. It made the mission even stronger." Don Bosco, from the coaches to the players, the fans and the former Ironmen, never forgot that mission until it was accomplished. Its first ever Non-Public title in 54 years, clinched along with revenge on Delbarton in a 3-1 victory in the championship game, to go along with its second ever Gordon Cup and a 27-1 record in what turned out to be the best season in the half-century-plus of Ironmen hockey. It all started on opening night, a little over an hour before Don Bosco's game against (who else) Delbarton, when Toskos closed the door, literally, on the 2017-18 season. "That message was delivered before that game. It was at 6:15 (p.m.) game and we had our team meeting at 5:00," Toskos said. "I closed the door a little forcefully to get everyone's attention and I said, 'That's the door closing on last year. Everything that took place doesn't matter. The journey for this season starts right now.' The guys had the same mentality. They refused to lose and it was unbelievable to see that." The three senior captains in Tyler Sedlak, Liam McLinskey and TJ Schweighardt made it their mission to get a relatively young team, one with just six seniors, ready for the stretch both by their play on the ice and their composure off it. Sedlak and McLinskey combined for 149 points on the top line while Schweighardt, a defender, was one of the top two-way players in the state commandeering a blue line unit that allowed just over one goal per game this year while posting 48 points of his own. "Between us three captains we were going to lead by example but we were going to teach everyone how to make an impact right away," Sedlak, the NJ.com 2018-19 ice hockey Player of the Year, said. "It's going to take everyone time to get comfortable and get to a place where they can do their thing. That was the main thing this year that helped us out." A year after going undefeated in the regular season, Don Bosco tripped up early after running into a hot goalie and falling to Christian Brothers, 3-2, in the fourth game of the season. It was that loss, which set off what would eventually be a 24-game winning streak, that actually helped relieve pressure off the Ironmen en route to an unforgettable season. "It was a good loss for us. We played well. It was on the road and CBA's goalie (Jake Brown) played outstanding" Toskos said. "Had it been a 5-2 game where we didn't play well, I'm not sure what would have happened. But we walked out of there after losing 3-2 and it felt like the pressure was off for that type of season. But we still felt we played a good game so I think that helped us as we moved forward." With the burden off and a team that Toskos described as loose throughout the year, the Ironmen responded with an amazing run, both in New Jersey and against top-tier, out-of-state competition. In postseason play, they ran through its first two Gordon Cup games to set up a rematch with Delbarton, a game where Don Bosco would score four unanswered goals en route to a 5-3 win to avenge one of its two losses from last season. After outscoring its opponents by a combined 19-1 in its first three Non-Public tournament games, Don Bosco finally brought home a state title to Ramsey in that 3-1 victory over the Green Wave. It not only was a completion of a magical season for the Ironmen, it could be what Toskos and the rest of the Don Bosco hopes is a sign of things to come in the future. "The kids, even our JV team, had a phenomenal season this year. They got a taste of winning at that level and hopefully, as they move up and watched us play this year, they realize how difficult it is to stay at that level, at the top," Toskos said. "You look at the success that Delbarton and CBA have had over the years, the reason that they're there year after year is that they did get that first win. "At some point, those guys that played got their win and realized what they had to do to continue that. Hopefully our guys have witnessed it and felt it and now can maintain it."

DON BOSCO PREP IS THE 2018-19 NJ.COM TEAM OF THE YEAR

Photo Credit: Andrew Mills