With a little over eight minutes left in the first period, senior Blake Wotanowski fired the puck into the back of the net, igniting what would become a relentless offensive surge for the Blue Devils. His opening goal set the tone, and fittingly, his final strike — completing his first career hat trick — ended the night early with two minutes left in the third period, sealing a 10-0 mercy-rule victory in the sectional first round of the NJSIAA state tournament.
Behind Wotanowski’s three goals, the dominant victory also came from goals by senior captain Nick Benson, junior Liam Duffy, junior Conor Heffernan, senior Tyler Bergman, senior Louis Ciullo and junior Ryan Droskoski. “The team did a very good job moving the puck in the neutral zone and we got the puck deep,” Benson said.
Right from the start Westfield controlled every facet of the game. The Blue Devils executed relentless pressure and turned strong defense into quick scoring opportunities. Cranford struggled to match Westfield’s pace and with so many players finding the back of the net, it made it nearly impossible for them to recover.
The second period showed just how dangerous the Blue Devils can be when their chemistry is on point. Their physical play and crisp passing led to six more goals that quickly put the game out of reach. Defensively, Westfield remained composed, limiting chances and those attempted were stopped by senior goalie Troy Conover who secured the shutout.
The team’s focus was especially sharp after last week’s loss. “After our loss against Livingston last week, we realized we needed a mentality shift and our next practice and next day, we brought a whole new intensity, and I think there was a whole new level to our game,” Wotanowski said. That mindset translated into their execution and determination which left no doubt in a win or go home environment.
Benson talked about the importance of consistency, regardless of the opponent. “We know this isn’t the best competitor but it doesn’t really matter who we’re playing, we have to play to our best ability. They’re a high school team, they can come out and score goals, but we have to play our best game to make sure that the game doesn’t go their way and we can come out with the win,” he said.
Head coach Joe Bertucci highlighted the team’s preparation despite the lack of practice time during the week. “It was kind of a weird week having a couple of days off from school. I’m glad they were mentally prepared because visually we didn’t have a chance to practice, [but] they understand what we are trying to accomplish and we took care of business right from the start,” Bertucci said. Looking ahead, he added, “We just have to focus, practice and onto the next game.”
For Wotanowski, the milestone moment added a personal highlight to an already dominant and successful night. “It felt pretty good. It was a long time in the making,” he said.
The No. 2 seed Blue Devils will take on No. 7 seed Rumson Fair-Haven at 6 p.m. on Friday. “Everything is another building block towards a bigger goal,” Wotanowski explained. “The team’s got the same mentality and the same goals in mind, so we’re just all going to work together.”
