Cougars Lose 3-2 to Summit on Ice

Despite a two-goal rally late in the third, the Cranford High School boys hockey team lost to Summit 3-2 on Monday evening at Warinanco Park.

"We would have liked to gotten a goal a little bit sooner, but we had lots of chances," Cranford head coach Rich Hurley said. "Their goalie made some good saves and kept them in the game."

The Cougars (9-8-1) had no answer defensively for Hilltopper sophomore transfer Mike Nyitray, who got a hat trick in his first game for Summit. Nyitray transferred from St. Peter's Prep after his freshman season, and also plays for the New Jersey Devils Youth team of the Atlantic Youth Hockey League. In order gain eligibility to play for the Hilltoppers (8-6-2), Nyitray had to sit out until February.

"It was great for him to go in and get goals, but I told the rest of the team that we can't rely on this," Summit head coach Keith Nixon said. "I don't think we played particularly well, but we still won, and we haven't done that all season."

Neither team scored in the first, but the intensity quickly picked up in the second. With 11:22 remaining, Nyitray received a pass from sophomore Eric Stabler and ripped a slap shot beyond Cranford junior goalie Trevor Hertz's glove.

About a minute later, senior Trevor Silverstein got a 10 minute misconduct penalty while awaiting a faceoff for not wearing a mouthpiece. It is a rare penalty, but is one designed for the player's safety.

"He lost his mouthpiece, and then the next time he went on the ice he didn't have one in," Nixon said. "He should have come back to our bench and gotten one. It's a rule, you got to have it in, and you've got to be smart."

After that penalty, both teams played much more aggressively. Senior captain Jack Mulcahy and Lawrence got hit with consecutive tripping and roughing penalties, respectively, giving Cranford a 5-on-3 opportunity. The Cougars failed to convert on the power play, though.

"You don't want to be in that position, but when you kill it, it's also a little bit of a boost for the team," Nixon said.

Lawrence and Cougar freshman Tommy Fitzgerald both went to the penalty box in the final minute and a half, making it 4-on-4 to open the third.

Nyitray netted his second goal and doubled Summit's lead with 12:46 to play in regulation. Lawrence and sophomore Jeff Wycoff were credited with the assists on a hard fought effort right in front of Cranford's net.

At 5:28 Nyitray completed the hat trick on a quick wrist shot to Hertz's right. This goal gave the Hilltoppers a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead considering the time left, but from there the Cougars went to work.

Less than a minute later, Cougar senior Gary Merwede scored and ignited his team's offense. That's because it took Cranford just nine seconds to win the faceoff at center ice, get into Summit's defensive zone and score again. This time it was freshman Sean Feeny.

"When we got that first goal we just picked it up," Hurley said. "After that we were just flying. It just wasn't quite enough for us."

With 24.5 seconds remaining Hurley called a timeout to pull Hertz and bring in the extra attacker. The 6-on-5 advantage did not result in another goal, though, as Summit held on to win.

"Overall I'm very pleased with the way we played," Hurley said. "We were right there with Summit and could of snuck out with a tie or a win with a couple of breaks."

Cranford's next game is on February 3 against Middletown North at Warinanco.