A third-period goal from senior center Stephen Marabondo—his first of the season—with 11:17 remaining, propelled the Montville High School ice hockey team its first win of the season on Wednesday, as it stopped Madison High 3-2 at Mennen Arena in Morristown.
The win comes during an especially emotional time for the Mustangs.
After the last week, Montville is struggling emotionally, but doing their best to take care of business on the ice.
Find out what's happening in Montvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"Under the circumstances, I think we performed pretty well," Montville head coach Chuck Fischer said. "It's been an emotional roller coaster for the past week. This is a big win for these guys, especially considering what they've been through."
Montville (1-1) jumped out in front first on Wednesday, despite being held to only two shots in the first period, as junior defenseman Brian McCormack ripped a slap shot from just inside the blue line, past Madison goalie Grant Perry for a 1-0 lead.
Find out what's happening in Montvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
After seeing Madison (1-2) sophomore Erik Andersson even the score at 1-1, Montville took the lead again as junior forward Ryan O'Lear scored on a power play, giving the Mustangs a 2-1 advantage.
"We told them that we just need to get the puck over the red line and use our speed and wear them out," Fischer surmised. "I think in the second and third period we did a better job of that and it helped us in the long run."
Montville goaltender Kurt Bambach kept the Mustangs in this one all game as he stopped 21 shots on Wednesday.
Fischer understands what this team has been up against the past week, but seems pleased with their ability and effort thus far into the season.
"We've got some kids that can move the puck and we have some kids with skill," he said. "We just have to keep getting better at it each and every time we step on the ice."
