Photo courtesy of Varsity Vantage

The game kicked off with loud chants from the crowd as each of the 12 Westfield seniors skated onto the ice one by one for their Senior Day celebration. This heightened energy gave the Blue Devils the motivation they needed for a blowout 8–3 win against Cranford.

Westfield, which was expected to dominate, let up a goal within the first five minutes of the game. Despite going down early, Westfield kept its intensity high and looked to capitalize on the opportunities it was given. With just a few minutes left in the first period, senior Joelle Tannenbaum put Westfield on the score sheet and tied up the game.

“The game was a little stressful in the beginning but we definitely pulled it together,” Tannenbaum said. “We worked together as a team to get a really good victory overall.”

The second period began with the score tied, 1–1, but things quickly changed as Westfield found the back of the net less than one minute into the period with a goal from freshman Lauren Delaney. However, after Delaney scored the go-ahead goal, Cranford responded one minute later with a goal of its own, tying the score once again. Both teams knew they would have to fight to pull ahead this game. 

Senior Jane Guglielmo said, “There is definitely a little rivalry between Westfield and Cranford, so that made us want to fight harder for the win.”

With just under two minutes left in the second period, Tannenbaum scored her second goal of the game, putting Westfield ahead 3–2. After the Blue Devils got the lead, they wouldn’t lose it again. Just 14 seconds later, senior Marlena Gapp scored another goal for Westfield, increasing its lead to 4–2 as the second period came to a close. 

Westfield had finally found its momentum; the Blue Devils went on to score 4 more goals in the third period. The goals in the third period came from Tannenbaum, Delaney, freshman Sarina Sherman and sophomore Ava Benson. Cranford scored a third goal late in the game on a penalty kill, but it was not enough to catch up to the unstoppable Blue Devils.

The roster for this game was a bit different than normal, as seniors on both JV and varsity were given the opportunity to play in this game for Senior Day. The girls were met with, and successfully conquered, the challenge of learning to play with new teammates on the ice.

Guglielmo said, “I think it took some getting used to during the first period, but by the end we definitely showed that we could mesh together really well and play as a team.”

Senior captain Lillie Martel was optimistic about the merged teams: “It was super fun to see the JV and varsity girls play together for a full game. It was a good game.”

The Blue Devils look to carry this momentum into their game on Wednesday as they take on Morristown Beard, which currently has a 9-3-3 record.

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