The Game: The Summit Hilltoppers defeated a very tough Westfield hockey team in an exciting 4-3 battle to capture their second Union County Championship in a row.
Fans and players alike knew the game was going to be a tough one as both teams were evenly matched and who played to two previous ties during the regular season, went after each other from the opening minute with hard checks against the boards.
The physical match saw four Hilltoppers sent to the penalty box to Westfield’s one. However, Summit’s tenacious defense, penalty killing and timely saves kept Westfield from ever taking the lead, especially in the crucial waning minutes of the final period.
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The team celebrated the win by piling up on each other on the ice and hugging their coaches and teammates. With huge smiles on their faces, the victorious Hilltoppers posed for photographers while taking turns holding the Union County Championship trophy in their hands.
The Players: The Hilltoppers came out with a lot of intensity in the opening minutes of the first period and scored first on a goal by Travis Harden. Minutes after Summit’s goal, Westfield’s Nick Anttanasio tied the score at 1-1.
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The Hilltoppers took the lead again when the “freshman flash,” Liam McLaughlin, scored on an assist from Tim Yager at the 10:58 mark of period one to make it a 2-1 game. Senior Mike Tsiang added another important goal in the period with an assist from Will Brenn and Eric Stabler to give Summit a 3-1 cushion.
In between the first and second period, officials named four Hilltoppers, Jackson Stuckey, Tim Yager, Jeff Wycoff and Mike Nyitray, to the All Union County team.
At the start of the second period, Westfield caught Summit’s defense napping as Sam Meyer scored a quick goal to pull closer 3-2. At the 8:41 mark in the period, Liam McLaughlin passed to Jeff Wycoff who scored what proved to be the winning goal to give Summit a 4-2 lead.
For almost the entire third period the game was a defensive struggle until Westfield managed to get its last goal by Henry O’Brien with 1:26 remaining. The Summit defense prevailed in crunch time and pulled out the victory. Jackson Stuckey finished with 19 saves.
Post Game Reaction: “Our last few battles with Westfield ended in ties and we did not want to go into overtime tonight,” said Summit head Coach Keith Nixon. “We had a lot of energy in the first period and it forced Westfield into making some mistakes. Jackson also made some great stops for us in the third period. Our defensive effort in the last minute of the game was huge,” Nixon said.
“It feels great to repeat,” said Summit senior goalie, Jackson Stuckey. I was impressed with some of Westfield players, especially Steve Wronski, who played well against us. But, our defense played well and we proved that we are the best team in Union County.
Up Next: The No. 7 seed Hilltoppers, with an 18-2-3 record, will play in the NJSIAA State Boys Public-B Hockey Tournament this coming Tuesday against No. 26 seed Madison High School. Stay tuned to the Patch for game time and location.
