The Blue Devils strung together a series of passes with Rumson defense staying steady in front, but Rumson could only keep up for so long, until the last pass in the string landed on the stick of senior Tyler Bergman. Without hesitation, Bergman let one fly, a one-timer that soared past the mitt of Rumson’s goalkeeper, leveling the game for the Blue Devils, and kicking off the start to another critical win for Westfield.
The Blue Devils have shown remarkable resilience over the course of their season. Each game highlights vast improvements in team chemistry and trust above all else. Despite letting up a goal with 10:28 left in the second period, the Blue Devils did not put their heads down. Instead, they put their foot on the gas on both ends of the rink. Whether it was senior captain Nick Benson sacrificing his body for a block, or junior Chris Smok working to exhaustion on offense, the Blue Devils proved how much trust they have in themselves individually and as a unit.
Westfield’s defense had a tremendous game, conceding only one goal over the course of the match. But that impressive statistic did not come easy. Senior assistant captain and goalkeeper Troy Conover made several impressive saves, even stopping both 1v1 attempts he was faced with during the game. His individual efforts in the net prompted head coach Joe Bertucci to say, “We made some good saves, and we knew with our depth that if we continued to pressure them, eventually the goal was going to happen.”
After a scoreless first period, the Blue Devils knew they had to make a change, they needed to start putting away their chances. Senior captain Andrew Lisnock came out guns blazing, creating a number of chances for Westfield, but it took Bergman to break the ice for the team. His goal inspired a swell of offensive dominance from the Blue Devils, and once they got that first goal, they never looked back.
Senior defensemen Luke Fitzgerald played a silent but crucial role towards the Blue Devils triumph over Rumson. With unrelenting consistency he glued together the Westfield defense through smart decisions and patience. Fitzgerald discussed that the defense remained calm after they were scored on. Fitzgerald said, “If they can’t score, they can’t win, and when our defense plays well, nobody can hang with us.”
The third period was lights out for the Blue Devils with four different goal scorers, establishing yet again the depth that they possess as a team. Sophomore Colin McGeehan was one of those four, with a perfectly placed, back-handed goal that was unsaveable for the Rumson goalkeeper. McGeehan said, “After we came out of the locker room, we were just all motivated.” But he went on to emphasize the bigger, underlying drive for the underclassmen specifically saying, “It feels great, I mean, just to be able to go all out for the seniors and help them continue going, and hopefully get them to a state chip.”
Next up, Westfield will face off against Middletown North in the semifinal round of the sectional tournament on March 2 at 6 p.m.
