Wolfpack Wins OT Thriller, Skates to Semi-Final

It took an extra period, but the Wolfpack would not be denied Wednesday night.

West Morris Central’s ice hockey team faced off against Mountain Lakes in the first round of the Halverson Cup playoffs at Mennen Arena, sitting at the No. 4 seed in the division, with their opponents just below them at No. 5.

It was the third meeting of the season between the teams, with Central skating to wins in the first two. Mountain Lakes, however, wasn’t going down without a fight.

Tied at two heading into overtime, junior forward Adam Richards–who already scored in the second period–put a stop to the Lakers’ season, netting the game-winning unassisted goal at 7:52 in the sudden death period.

Mountain Lakes kicked off the scoring, ending the first period up 1-0, despite being outshot nearly three-to-one. The score was tied at two in the third when Wolfpack senior defenders Chris Harquil, Zach Fischer and Mike Cotter, along with sophomore Dan McGilicuddy supported freshman goalie Tim Polglase to keep the Lakers out of the net, forcing overtime.

With the win, the Wolfpack will now face off against sister-school Mendham on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 6:15 p.m. at Mennen Arena. The two schools battled each other in the same round last year, with Central winning and making the trip to the Halvorsen Cup championship game.

The teams have played each other twice this season, with Mendham coming out on top in each contest.

Information provided by Pam Fischer.