Madison Ice Hockey Knocks Off Unbeaten West Morris

MORRISTOWN – In a game where defenses ruled, the Madison High School ice hockey team needed a brief moment or two of offensive magic. Monday night, senior center Brett Perry was more than happy to oblige.

Perry scored two goals within 2:30 of the second period to lead Madison to an important 3-1 victory over Haas Division rival West Morris Monday at Mennen Arena.

The two teams played a physical, bruising game which featured 12 penalties, and it showed on the scoreboard. The Dodgers were held in check for the early part of the game, managing just seven shots on goal in the first period as West Morris dominated possession.

"This is a team that, last year, we always butted head with them," said assistant coach Joe Swanson. "So we were eager to begin with."

That eagerness may have put Madison behind the eight-ball 30 seconds into the game. Erik Andersson, one of the Dodgers' leading scorers, took a two-minute penalty and a 10-minute misconduct for a hit from behind in the game's first minute.

Compounding the Dodgers' problems, Charlie Olendorp was called for tripping 45 seconds later. But Madison's penalty kill did the job, as it did all night: West Morris could only attempt one shot on goal during the power play.

"In the first two minutes, being in a 5-on-3 situation was difficult," said head coach Dave Hansen. "But we killed that, and coming out of those penalties really set the tone."

The complexion of the game truly changed when Madison went on the power play at the very end of the first period. The Dodgers struggled to create shots with the man advantage, and with 15 seconds left on the power play, Perry–playing defense at the time–settled the puck down behind his own net. He advanced up the ice, playing a give-and-go with Lou Cecala.

Once he reached the West Morris zone, he found a seam between two Wolfpack defenders and blasted a slapshot past goalie Jamie DelTurrando.

Perry doubled the lead two minutes later, this time while West Morris enjoyed a 5-on-4 advantage. Playing as a defensemen once again, he intercepted a pass in the Madison zone. As the Dodgers skated up the ice with a 3-on-2 breakaway, Perry waited for a Wolfpack defender to come to him. They never did. Seconds later, Madison led 2-0 after his shot beat DelTurrando above the right shoulder.

"When he gets two to three steps on guys, he can get to the net," said assistant coach Joe Swanson. "He's a great skater."

The Dodgers would exit the second period with the two-goal lead, in large part due to a series of penalties committed by West Morris. The Wolfpack spent 7:35 of the final 10:14 with four men on the ice - most damagingly, Tyler Kavanaugh spent 4:00 in the box for an elbow and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

During this extended power play, Madison fired off nine of its 29 total shots, but DelTurrando remained stout in goal.

DelTurrando's heroics allowed West Morris to come within a goal after Chris Williams' shorthanded goal four minutes into the final frame. In Madison's only real defensive lapse of the night, Williams found himself alone in front of goalie Grant Perry after a feed from Matt Shultis.

But two goals would prove to be enough on this night, even before Spencer Waresk's goal midway through the third period ended West Morris' hopes of a comeback.

"We hope this result will motivate them to play this style of defense for the rest of the season," Swanson said. "I think it sunk in today that our trap is as effective as it is. We keep telling them, but they needed to see it for themselves."

Hansen, whose team hasn't played a game in nearly three weeks, was worried that the rust and lack of conditioning might affect his team.

"We were well-rested, definitely," Hansen said. "But we only have two or three lines who we can go with for the 45-minute game. We got to where I wanted them to be just before the break. But after the long break, it's almost back to square one."

The coaches did credit Madison's players for taking the initiative to work out and condition during the long break, running laps around the Madison High School track on a cold, rainy afternoon.

Madison's next game is Thursday afternoon against Parsippany, with a crucial showdown with Haas Division leader and unbeaten Roxbury looming on Monday.

SCORING SUMMARY

West Morris (6-2, 5-1)   0  0  1 -  1

Madison (3-2-1, 3-1-1)   0  2  1  -  3

FIRST PERIOD

None

SECOND PERIOD

M- Brett Perry, 1:46 (powerplay, from Lou Cecala)

M- Brett Perry, 4:09 (shorthanded, unassistsed)

THIRD PERIOD W- Chris Williams, 3:43 (shorthanded, from Matt Shultis)

M- Spencer Waresk, 8:50 (from Erik Andersson)

SHOTS ON GOAL

West Morris   9    6   8  -   23

Madison          7   14  8  -  29