The Records: On Wednesday, Feb. 23, the fifth-seeded Arthur L. Johnson ice hockey team faced off against top seeded Westfield High School in the second round of the Union County High School Ice Hockey Tournament. Coming off an impressive first round victory over Scotch Plains-Fanwood, the Crusaders would need a similar performance in order to skate past Westfield. The playoff game was held at Warinanco Rink in Roselle at 6 p.m.
The Final Score: 6-0, Westfield. After an impressive offensive display in Monday’s first round victory over Scotch Plains-Fanwood, the Crusaders’ offense came out flat against a polished Westfield squad. In fact, the majority of the game was played in Johnson’s zone, leaving the Crusaders with limited scoring opportunities. The Blue Devils, on the other hand, were moving the puck around exceptionally well, and they consistently found the back of the net as the game progressed. Liam Devin and Ryan Morse started things off for the Blue Devils, scoring a goal each in the first period to give their team an early two-goal lead. From that point forward, the Blue Devils’ offense continued to keep the pressure on Johnson goalie Nick Galatioto, adding four more goals for a 6-0 victory. Sophomore Sam Meyer finished the game with 2 goals, while Nick Attanasio and Dane Huber netted a goal each to help Westfield advance. Westfield’s goalie, junior Steve Wronski, played a strong game in net, finishing with 11 saves and a shutout on the night.
Key Players: Westfield’s junior goalie Steve Wronski kept the Crusaders’ offense at bay, finishing the game with 11 saves and earning himself a shut out. Meanwhile sophomore Sam Meyer took care of business on the offensive end for the Blue Devils, scoring two goals.
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The Quote: “Obviously the outcome of today’s game was an unfortunate disappointment,” said Johnson Head Coach Michael Nudo. “We came out flat, gave up a bad power play goal in the beginning, and bottom line is Westfield was the better team tonight. Overall though, I think we grew up a lot this season. We have a lot of young players and each year our goal to get better never changes.”
