The cold weather ripped through the Warinanco Sports Center in Roselle, NJ, as hockey fans huddled together for warmth. However, Westfield was determined to warm up this crowd by lighting a fire throughout the arena as it faced Ridge in the second game of the season. After losing to Ridge last season, 5–4, the Blue Devils were out for blood and were motivated to take their revenge.
The boys knew it would not be an easy game, so fighting for every chance they got would be a necessity. “We had to be gritty because they love to play cute, and we were happy to hit people and run it up on them,” said senior co-captain John McDonald.
Finishing chances, and putting the puck in the back of the net, is the objective of all hockey players, and it was exactly what Westfield was able to accomplish in the first period on the way to a 4–1 win.
With an aux ready to fire up each and every Westfield player, the boys came out of the tunnel, ready to wreak havoc against the eighth-ranked team in the state. Just over three minutes into the first period, McDonald rifled a shot from the right flank off of a beautiful pass from Kevin Halleran and scored. The Blue Devils took the early lead and never looked back.
“It was important for us to keep our foot on the pedal and continue working and not just being content. That was the buzzword, we just wanted to keep working hard and finish the game off,” said coach Joe Bertucci.
The Blue Devils scored another goal in the first period, starting from a McDonald rip, which was deflected into senior and co-captain Zach Park. Park took advantage of the puck landing at his feet, having a rip of his own, which was saved. The puck bounced around, and senior Daniel Duffy pounced on it and put it in the back of the net.
“Park got it in front,” said Duffy. “Tight gap, but I was able to get it to my back hand and lift it.”
The Blue Devils did face some concern, however, in the first period. Andrew Raber, junior goaltender, pitched a shutout in the first period, saving numerous point-blank shots. He was forced to track the puck exquisitely, and he showed all young fans watching how a true tendy should play.
The pregame tension was gone as the Blue Devils seemed relaxed coming out of the locker room before the start of the second period. With a 2–0 lead, Westfield had control over the game.
Despite such confidence, Ridge fought to preserve its successful reputation and was relentless on offense almost immediately. Raber was pelted with shots left and right as the game’s physicality spiked. This was a pattern throughout the second period; tussles, shots, tussles, shots.
Luckily for the Blue Devils, Raber was always there to shut down any chances that Ridge managed to sneak by Westfield’s defense including an impressive glove save early in the second period.
The Blue Devil defense was becoming too laid back and required a jolt. Michael Marshall provided it with one of the most brutal open-ice hits hockey has ever seen. If you thought last week’s hit was bad for the opponent, think again. ‘Oohs’ and ‘aahs’ echoed throughout the arena as the Ridge player struggled to his feet to continue playing.
If you thought Westfield’s second-period madness stopped there, you would be brutally wrong.
For some families, family bonding consists of spending time together; for the Wilson brothers, family bonding means scoring goals. Sophomore Aidan Wilson scored a beautiful goal assisted by a perfectly threaded pass through Ridge’s defense by junior brother Michael Wilson midway through the second period, putting Westfield up 3–0.
It was evident Westfield was in the clear. Ridge was exhausted and simply couldn’t keep up with the Blue Devils’ fast-paced play. Westfield weaved in and out of Ridge’s worn-out defense, and freshman Andrew Lisnock maintained the pressure the Blue Devils were putting on the Red Devils all game.
After some more battling, Ridge snuck in a goal late in the second period, but this didn’t discourage the Blue Devils one bit. Soon after, junior Alex Ebel put in a magnificent top corner goal with only nine seconds to go, pushing Westfield to a comfortable 4–1 lead.
Period three was a slower moving period that revolved around Westfield keeping possession of the puck and putting the Red Devil offense to rest. Ultimately, Westfield secured the 4–1 victory with Raber having yet another riveting period. The team was consistent and disciplined, which is all coach Bertucci was looking for.
“I think we played a really well-rounded game today. However, I think we need to do better, keeping it low and not turning it over on our blue line,” said Duffy.
The Blue Devils hope to continue this aggressive, hard-working mindset as they face Middletown North away on Thursday.
“We are going to slaughter them,” said Mcdonald. “We don’t really have remorse this year and this is our year to prove ourselves.”
