After a scoreless opening first period ended with an unexpected setback, Westfield needed to figure out a way to respond. The Blue Devils did just that, using a late-game surge to pull away from Governor Livingston and secure a 4-1 win at Warinanco Ice Rink.
From the first puck drop, it was clear that GL came to fight. While the Blue Devils maintained possession for most of the first period, a turnover in the neutral zone led to a breakaway goal for the Highlanders, ending the first period 0-1.
After the first GL goal, senior assistant captain and goalie Troy Conover said, “I just try to have the same routine every time, just take a deep breath, focus on the next play and put [the goal] in the past. I know my team is there to lift me up, so we were able to bounce back as a whole, not just me, but the team as a whole.”
Westfield wasted no time after the break as junior Chris Smok scored on a power play just over four minutes into the second period to tie up the game. From then on, the Blue Devils began creating scoring opportunities during every offensive possession. With just 29 seconds left in the second period, senior Luke Fitzgerald threaded the needle, putting the Blue Devils up 2-1.
“We just had to calm down and come out and score the next one, so we didn’t go down too,” Fitzgerald said. “We did that and then scored a couple more.” With a variety of goal scorers in this game, senior co-captain Andrew Lisnock and sophomore Colin McGeehan added to the scoreboard during the third period to bring the score to 4-1.
GL conceded multiple penalties throughout the game, but Westfield struggled to capitalize on each power play. Head coach Joe Bertucci said, “We had six minutes of power play time [in the first period], and we didn’t gain any momentum. If you’re not going to score [on the power play], you have to gain some momentum, and we needed that.”
Bertucci added that the team’s goal for this game was to set the tone for the county tournament. As GL is the No. 2 seed, it is possible for Westfield to face the Highlanders again, so the mindset going into this game was to “play good hockey leading up to next week.” Bertucci said, “I feel like we came out a little sluggish, but we can figure out a way to get it done.”
Going into the second period, Bertucci told the team to calm down. He said, “We have a deep team, and if we continue to get the puck deep on them and work their defense, we’re gonna wear them down throughout the game.”
This win brings the team’s record to 9-1 this season, with only one loss to Bridgewater-Raritan. As the Blue Devils are the reigning state champions, they are aiming to go far in both the sectional and state tournaments.
Westfield is back in action on Jan. 16 against Summit at 3:45 p.m. at Union Sports Arena.
