The Verona forward picked up the puck in the Westfield defensive zone and immediately knew what to do with it. In a game where Verona, the sixth-seeded underdog, was trailing by a goal through two periods, the forward knew he had to impact the game. He ripped a shot, and the Westfield fans went silent. The few Verona fans in attendance became ecstatic, now believing they could win this McInnis Cup quarterfinal matchup. With 13:55 remaining in the third period, Verona had tied the game and had seemingly stolen the momentum. The word “seemingly” is used, however, because Kevin Halleran had other plans. Just 30 seconds later, Halleran darted down the ice, as if shot out of a cannon, with one mission. Win third-seeded Westfield the game. Halleran deked one defender before ripping a shot that squirted past the Verona goaltender, giving the Blue Devils a much-needed 3-2 lead.
“It was important for us to get right back in as quickly as we did because it’s playoff hockey now, and it’s do or die,” said Westfield head coach Joe Bertucci.
Three minutes later, Michael Marshall gave Westfield a 4-2 lead, a lead the Blue Devils would not look back from, with a highlight-reel play. “It was a three-on-one in our zone,” said Marshall. “I see what the guy coming in is about to do so I reach for the puck and poke it. Then I take it and I am coming down and I see a little bit of space in the middle. I think about going through, but they start to tighten up, so I take a risky shot without even seeing the net. The next thing I know, it went top left and then I went crazy.”
Bertucci knew the game was going to be competitive throughout the entire night and that it was going to be a dog fight. However, he attributed the team’s success to scoring first. “Scoring first has been a key to us playing well and being more confident throughout the game,” said Bertucci.
That critical first goal that Bertucci touched on was scored by none other than Westfield captain Joey Tortorella. After Wilson and Lisnock teamed up to get a great shot off, the Verona goaltender was able to make a big save, keeping the puck out of the net. He was unable to hold onto the puck, causing it to bounce around the front of the cage. Tortorella, like a raccoon, was there to pick up the trash, as he finished off the garbage goal, giving the Blue Devils the early 1-0 lead.
Jackson Chicola added his name to the scoresheet midway through the first period, as he rifled goal number two for the Blue Devils. Westfield led 2-0 after one period of play, and simply put, many fans believed the game was over. This was far from the truth, though.
Early in the second period, Andrew Raber was forced to make a few outstanding saves, as he showed off his acrobatics and athleticism to stop the puck from going into the net. That would be until Verona finally caught Raber slacking, as they slid one by him with 7:20 remaining in the second period. The remainder of the period would consist of equal opportunities for both teams, forcing both goaltenders to make incredible saves.
Raber would ultimately make the save of the night, as he would step up huge for the Blue Devils when they needed him the most. With about a minute left to play in period two, and Verona on a power play in search of the tying goal, Raber would stand on his head, making what seemed to be an impossible save.
After the dramatic first five minutes of period three, the remainder of the game went as follows. Westfield, with the puck, creating a good shot that would be saved. Verona would then attempt to force a counterattack against the Blue Devils, but the Westfield defense was stout and refused to let any real threat occur in period number three. Because of this, as the buzzer went off, the Blue Devils will be playing more playoff hockey, and Verona will be going home empty handed in the McInnis Cup.
Looking ahead, Marshall noted a few key strategic plans for the Blue Devils to succeed. “We definitely need to be more aggressive in the D zone,” he said. “I feel like we’ll get up a couple goals and start playing a little passive in the D zone but that’s not how it should work. We should be on sticks and on bodies at all times. We don’t want to get penalties but at the same time, we don’t want to allow free goals.” Marshall added, “When we get in the offensive zone, we gotta possess a little better because that is one thing teams seem to be doing pretty well against us is possess the puck in our zone, so I think we need to do that as well and it will create more and better opportunities.”
Looking forward, the Blue Devils will take on West Essex, the No. 2 seed in the McInnis Cup, and a team who Westfield has really struggled with all season. The two teams have squared off twice, and West Essex has come out victorious both times. The Blue Devils will hope for a more favorable result on Monday.
