As senior Aidan Wilson tears down the ice, completely isolated from the Summit defense, the noise of the crowd slowly increases and the suspense builds. Looking up at the clock, fans and teammates knew he had to bury this 1v1 against the goalie to win the game for Westfield, and that he did. Wilson puts the Blue Devils up 2-1 with three minutes left in the game as the crowd erupts and his teammates pile onto him.
Wilson solidified the end of the game yet he started the game with momentum as well. Only thirty seconds into the game, teammates found Wilson in a scramble in front of the net as he put away the first goal of the night.
This early statement gave the Blue Devils some confidence and security, however, the Hilltoppers did not let this early goal dictate the entire momentum of the game. Summit quickly countered and tirelessly pressured the Westfields defense for the rest of the first period. Although the play was pretty back and forth at the end of the first period, the Hilltoppers had more dangerous chances, yet junior goalkeeper Troy Conover came up with countless saves.
Conover’s contribution carried into the second period as well, deflecting more nail-biting shots and opportunities from Summit. The Hilltoppers were able to slot in a goal in the middle of the second period, and the game continued with intensity and aggression. Conover knew his composure would carry his team through the game. He said, “Staying calm is an important factor to keep the team in it because as the goalie the team needs to build off your energy.”
With the tension building throughout the end of the second period and most of the third, Westfield took the momentum of the game back and found their stride. They attacked the Hilltopper goalie relentlessly, fighting for opportunities and quality shots on net. Wilson said, “Our attack was fighting hard and came together in the third period, but before that we were trying to do too many individual plays instead of playing together as a team.”
After Wilson’s second goal his confidence was soaring, as was the energy from the rest of his teammates and coaches. The Blue Devils defended for the remaining three minutes and celebrated their win after the buzzer.
Head coach Joe Bertucci explained that this game was a learning experience for the team, “It’s early in the season, we’ve had a couple of easy games. We haven’t been tested yet, so today was really about finding ourselves and finding a way to get the win.”
Westfield has a quick turnaround, playing home at Warinanco again on Wednesday the Dec. 18 at 6:35 pm, against another tough opponent on Dec. 20 at 5:45 pm. Bertucci said their team is “looking forward to tomorrow and Friday” and focusing on getting “healthy until then.”
