Westfield’s boys hockey season kicks off this Thursday, at home, against Hillsborough and with it comes high expectations for this upcoming year.
Westfield finished second in the NJIIHL conference last season with a 19-5 overall record. The team went 10-2 in the conference, 12-2 at home and 7-3 away. They went on to win both the Union County Tournament and the McInnis Cup, but fell short against Livingston 2-1 in the NJSIAA Public A Semifinal Round.
Last year saw the graduation of eight seniors including goals leader Matt Beke (18), assists leader and assistant captain Thomas Conrod (14) and goalie Jake Watson who captured 408 saves. Westfield will also suffer from the loss of senior Matteo Mancheno. Mancheno led last year’s juniors in both goals and assists.
This year marks the return of six seniors, four juniors and two sophomores. Also, eight new seniors were added to this year’s roster.
The team is led by coach Joe Bertucci and captain Joey Tortorella and assistant captains John McDonald and Zach Park. “We lost some key players from last year but I see no reason as to why we can’t repeat our success and even win our first state championship,” said Tortorella.
Westfield faces difficult competition this year with opponents such as Governor Livingston, Summit and Livingston. Livingston finished last season at the top of the conference with a record of 22-4-3 and delivered Westfield three of its five losses. Westfield’s only victory over Livingston came in the final round of the McInnis Cup. Governor Livingston and Summit finished just behind Westfield in the standings and neither were capable of defeating the Blue Devils last season.
“We gained a lot of experience playing in big games. I am confident in the leaders on this team. We have a lot of high character players who have been playing together for a long time” said Bertucci. “We’re excited for the challenge”.
With many returning players and a chip on their shoulder, Westfield is once again out for blood. In what was a top heavy offense last season, the Blue Devils now believe they have a more balanced team. They will also look to rely on their goalies as the means of pulling out of closely contested games.
“We are excited about another opportunity to make a run at a county, league, and state championship. We have 14 seniors that are hard working kids mixed in with a talented group of underclassmen. I expect our players to work hard and compete every day.. If we do that, we will be successful,” said Bertucci.
“I expect another season full of wins and trophies. We’re going to be a gritty team,” said Tortorella.
In what seems to be a promising year, many are optimistic of what lies ahead for Westfield. In the face of heavy competition and high expectations, the Blue Devils look to deliver on what will most likely be an exciting season.
