Delbarton made a statement win in the opening round of the Gordon Cup playoffs, skating past Pope John, 8-0, in a complete three-period effort.

The Green Wave struck early and often in the first period. Sean O'Gwen opened the scoring, igniting the offense before Marco Zimovcak doubled the lead with a power-play goal. Aidan Pasic added another before the break, giving Delbarton a commanding 3-0 advantage after one.

The second period saw the Green Wave pull away for good. Michael Pirot extended the lead early in the frame, followed by goals from Ayden Puppe and Egor Andreev as Delbarton continued to control play in all three zones. Cole Hurst capped off the four-goal period, pushing the margin to 7-0 heading into the third.

In the final period, Matthew Good added the finishing touch to complete the eight-goal outburst.

Delbarton showcased impressive offensive balance, with 11 different players registering at least one point. Andreev (1G, 2A), Hurst (1G, 2A), and Pasic (1G, 2A) each recorded three-point nights, while Matthew Peng dished out three assists. Zimovcak's tally came on the power play, as the Green Wave went 1-for-3 with the man advantage.

Defensively, the Green Wave were just as sharp. Paul Insauto stopped all 12 shots he faced to earn the shutout, while the defensive unit in front of him limited Pope John to few quality opportunities.

With the decisive win, Delbarton advances to the semifinal round where they will host St. Augustine Prep.  The winner moves on to the Gordon Cup final against the winner of Don Bosco and St. Joe's Regional on February 18.