With less than three minutes on the clock, the Blue Devils and Rumson-Fair Haven were neck and neck in a 2-2 tie. After a dirty play by Rumson Fair-Haven, Westfield was on the clock for a power play. The crowd grew quiet in sheer anticipation of a potential overtime. Breaking the silence, senior captain Alex Ebel glided toward the puck. In a swift movement, Ebel capitalized on their power play and eased the puck past the Rumson goalie to give the Blue Devils their first lead of the game, 3-2. As the student section began to cheer, it was clear that Westfield would be advancing to the NJSIAA South Public championship.
Although the Blue Devils finished off with the win, they trailed behind Rumson for the majority of the game. Westfield came off a slow start, as Rumson caught the Blue Devils off guard in the first eight seconds of the game, scoring to take an early 1-0 lead.
It was not until 12 minutes later that Westfield scored. Junior Jack Conrod slipped a goal right past the Rumson goalie with 2:27 left in the first period to give the Blue Devils back the momentum they failed to have in the game’s beginning minutes. Meanwhile, senior goalie Andrew Raber held strong on the defensive end, fending off Rumson’s relentless offense.
Midway into the second period, Rumson took back the lead, and the Blue Devils once again fell behind, this time 1-2. This did not last for too long, as the Blue Devils leading scorer junior Aidan Wilson scored to tie the game 2-2 in the final minutes of the second period.
Westfield seemed to be playing a game of catch up all game. However, between the second and third period, the Blue Devils had a complete change of heart. “Everybody in the locker room was amped,” said senior captain Michael Wilson. “We knew the game plan. We knew what we needed to do. We had them on their heels at the end of the second so from the get go, we knew we were gonna put one into the back of the net and win that game.”
The Blue Devils, after an exceedingly slow start, were able to pull themselves back together. “I thought we started slow, obviously letting up a goal on the first shift,” said Conrod. With the new found momentum within the third period, and Ebel’s goal, “things started to heat up and eventually we got the win.”
While the Blue Devils already have a historic season, winning the Union County Championship and the McInnis Cup, Westfield has never made it this far before in the state tournament, continuing the historic run. “This program has never been to this step and the boys are ready,” said head coach Joseph Bertucci. “We are ready.”
The Blue Devils will face the winner of No. 2 seed Monroe and No. 3 seed Manalapan at Mennen Sports Arena at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Looking to lengthen the historic run, Westfield strives to seize the state championship.
