2:22 into overtime, a scramble occurs in front of the net. Ten bodies haphazardly flail their sticks at the puck, half trying to force it past Governor Livingston’s goalie and half trying to clear it away. The puck bounces out behind the net to senior Jackson Chicola, who passes it back in front of the net to senior Aidan Wilson. Wilson, centered in front of the net, rips a shot as the crowd holds their breath and the hands of their neighbor. The highlander’s goalie gets a piece of it, deflecting the shot down, but it wouldn’t be enough. The power behind Wilson’s shot allowed the puck to trickle over the goal line just enough to earn Westfield the Union County Championship.
Overflowing with emotion, the nearly 300-person student section smashes their bodies against the glass to meet the now back-to-back county champions. Gloves and sticks flying everywhere, helmets ripping off, teammates piling on top of each other and the crowd continuing to scream in disbelief minutes after the goal, this game will stand as one of the most thrilling games Westfield hockey has clutched.
The game started with a very eventful first period. Governor Livingston came out strong in the beginning of the game, ripping two back-to-back top corner shots past Westfield’s goalie, junior Troy Conover. However, Wilson responded for the Blue Devils less than a minute after the Highlanders’ second goal. This first goal of Wilson’s hat trick lit up the Westfield crowd as it gave hope of a comeback. It was deflating and uncommon to be in a two-goal deficit so quickly for the Blue Devils, so this was the spark that the team needed.
The Highlanders did not let Westfield get too comfortable though, killing the Blue Devil’s energy and momentum with a goal in the final minute of the first period. Ending the first period down 1-3, Westfield trudged off the ice with hanging heads. Head coach Joe Bertucci said, “Going down two goals early obviously isn’t the way you want to start a game but I was confident they would be able to come back in the next two periods.”
In the second period, the Blue Devils knew they had to make a run for it. They came out of the locker room confident that they could get this game back, and most of the second period reflected this energy. Westfield had many close chances as the highlander’s goalie made unbelievable saves, leaving both fan sections shocked and impressed.
Westfield was finally able to bury one of their chances, with a second goal coming from Wilson, and with only four minutes left in the second period. However, like clockwork, the highlanders came back scoring at the very end of the period, crushing the Blue Devil’s hope once again. The second period ended 2-4 Governor Livingston.
The Westfield fans erupted as Westfield walked out for the third period. The players had smug looks on their faces which assured the crowd that this game was not over yet. Chicola said, “It was an unbelievable atmosphere, so many people showed up for us which made it incredible to play in. We knew if we stayed composed it was going to go our way.”
One minute into the third period, Wilson shoots and junior Andrew Lisnock is in the right place at the right time to tap in the deflection, leaving the Blue Devils trailing by just one point. Instead of allowing the highlanders to counter quickly again, Chicola ripped a quick shot to tie the game a few minutes later. After Chicola tied it up at 4-4, only 21 seconds later Lisnock buried his second goal of the night to bring Westfield into the lead with only five minutes remaining.
The game was not over yet. On a power play, Governor Livingston was able to pocket an almost unsavable shot into the top left corner of Westfield’s goal, evening the score once again. With only two minutes left, at this point, both sides accepted overtime.
Westfield had only gone into overtime one other time this season, in which they lost. However, with the help of Westfield’s persistent pressure and shots, and Wilson’s rocket, the Blue Devils owned this overtime. Wilson said, “It felt amazing to win that game, we had a couple of chances in overtime and it finally fell our way.” Wilson also won MVP of the match, to which he said, “Winning MVP doesn’t show enough about how much the team did because they all worked to help me get there.” The atmosphere inside the rink was electric as parents, players, fans, family members and coaches all celebrated together roaring with excitement and relief.
Bertucci said the biggest takeaway from this game was “overcoming adversity. The last few years we had a problem where if things didn’t go our way we would crumble, but this team stepped up and there are going to be a lot of big games for this team we’re looking forward to after coming back in a game like tonight.”
The team is back in action on Tuesday, January 28 at Northern Highlands at 5:30 p.m. There are only two regular-season games left on their schedule before they begin competing in the McInnis Cup and state tournament, and fortunately this game has left the Blue Devils on a high, soaring with confidence and momentum at the perfect point in their season.
