Submitted by Beth Ellen Hornstein
The Westfield Junior Varsity (JV) Boy’s Ice Hockey team used the 14th Annual Anthony J. Grasso Boys JV Jamboree to demonstrate the Blue Devil program’s depth of talent and bright future. The Jamboree took place at Woodbridge Community Center on February 6, 2018 and included five local JV ice hockey teams: the Arthur L. Johnson (Clark) Crusaders, Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raiders, Summit Hilltoppers, and two Westfield squads, the Blue team, and the White team (comprised of freshman).
The format for the tournament was a grueling round-robin with each team playing the opposing four squads. Teams were awarded 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss in this opening portion of the Jamboree. The two teams with the most points after their four games advanced to the tournament championship game.
In the first game of the tournament the Westfield White team squeezed out a tightly contested 1-0 win over Westfield Blue. The close battle would prove to be a tasty appetizer to the main course coming later in the tournament.
As the tournament rolled along it was obvious that the Blue Devil firepower was too much for the other teams to handle. The Westfield Blue team completed the round robin portion in first place with Westfield White in second. A rematch was set for the tournament final. This time the championship, and hardware for the trophy case, were at stake.
The Championship tilt lived up to the pre-game hype and was a tough fought battle between the friendly rivals. Both Westfield goalies, Jack Ruckman (Blue) and Johnny Paladino (White) kept the game scoreless through regulation with their exceptional play. Because of the tie the game was decided by a five-player-per-team shootout. The drama and excitement were palpable as Westfield Blue emerged with the victory. Scorers in the shootout were Johnny Sickles (senior), Andrew Principato (sophomore) and Tommy Duffy (junior).
(above) 1st row, l-r: Eli Hamlin, Thomas Duffy, Andrew Principato, Michael O’Donnell, Paul Romeo, Evan Krishnamurthy, Michael Rossin, and Coach Spencer Truesdell. 2nd row, l-r: Johnny Sickles, Alex Fitzgerald, and Logan Calder. 3rd row l-r: Goalie Jack Ruckmanand Justin Hornstein. Missing from photo: Aidan Bolandand Ben Fishman.
Photo by Varsity Vantage.
