Montclair Hockey: Mounties skate past Westfield to McInnis finals
ANDREW GARDA/STAFF
by Andrew Garda
garda@montclairlocal.news
The Montclair Mounties chicken feed hockey team left no doubtfulness it belonged in the McInnis Transfuse final with a 3-0 convert Westfield on Wed, Feb. 19, 2020.
The No more. 2-seeded Mounties now face top-seeded Summit for the third time during the season, this time with the McInnis entitle on the line of products. The final will be played at Summit along Sat, Feb. 22 at 6pm.
MHS dropped the kickoff two games, but they know it's tough to beat the same squad threefold in unrivaled season, even if they vindicatory achieved that against Westfield.
"It's tough to measure a team three multiplication, and that's the situation we were in tonight," said head bus Mark Janifer afterwards the game. "We knew they would be thug and had a good deal of incentive to win the game. I'm really pleased the guys."
That took nobelium small-scale effort as the Gloomy Devils fought hard for all three periods, and Montclair had to kill various penalties which threatened to pull the halt finisher during the arcsecond and third periods.
"We took a a few too many penalties," Janifer said. "Our penalty-humorous has gotten good but information technology's non something you want to depend on."
While penalty-killing was huge for the RCMP, it was their power-play which gave Montclair the lead they never given.
It came on a slapshot from the point A Kellum Foster-Palmer beat goalie Jack up Ruckman with 20 seconds left in the power play and 10:48 left in the first period.
Foster-Palmer was aided by Cody Brennan and Eamon Thall.
Montclair didn't waste any clock time pressing the advantage, as George Osterberg added to the conduct with a end at 8:37 left field in the period off a pass from Brett Janifer.
Andrew GARDA/STAFF
The Mounties got a trifle sloppy after that, logging trey penalties in the second period, though Westfield hurt themselves as well with 2.
Betwixt their second and ordinal penalisation, however, the Mounties added an insurance destination A Janifer beat Ruckman stupefy-side off a Mark Rechan pass with 6:08 to go in the second period.
While Montclair would find itself a man down when Benji Peiffer for a crosschecking penalty with 2:43 port to come in the intermediate period, they still managed to press the lash out, logging quartet shots while shorthanded, including two separatist chances which were denied aside fantastic saves from the Westfield goalie.
The Blue Devils pulled the goalie with retributive all over two minutes left in the third, but even then couldn't begin many clear shots, and what they did get senior Lucas Podvey turned aside with relative ease.
"We got a couple of ample breaks where they could have scored, merely Lucas ready-made few really good saves," helium said. "And few pucks went off the conclusion of sticks, perhaps an inch here or there and it could have been different.
Some help from "Robin Goodfellow luck" or not, Podvey has been colorful-hot for the Mounties for most of this month, allowing honourable three goals in the last four games since the Mounties lost to Summit 7-3 on Feb. 3. Even during that game, Podvey showed great poise and ability, as he had to deal with multiple miscues which allowed Summit to birth odd-man rushes into his end.
"I think for whatever team, loss into the playoffs in hockey, it's about imperative that you sustain a good goalie. We're very fortunate to have a really good goalie," the coach aforesaid. "Tonight, the shots were 35-31. [Westfield] played a good game, they had a number of quality shots and prime chances. And he just made the saves. A lesser goalie, they'ray in the net and it's a different game. We don't take that for acknowledged. We know what we undergo."
ANDREW GARDA/STAFF
If Montclair is going to beat Summit for the McInnis Cup, they volition non only need Podvey to continue his stellar bring up, but eliminate those mistakes as well.
"The problem with performin Summit is you almost possess to play mistake free field hockey, because any slip up you make it usually ends up in the back of your net. They have whatever really high level players that backside finish. That bottom skate, that behind handgrip the puck, that can shoot and who have much of skill."
Janifer same that means the Mounties want to be rattling disciplined, avoid allowing the odd-adult male rushes which hurt them in the net game and cut out on the penalties.
Everyone WHO shows ahead Saturday along both sides is well aware of what the otherwise team brings.
"We've got to focus on acting our game, and playing the best that we can," Janifer said. "We know Superlative, they know United States. They're non going to surprise USA, we're not going to surprise them."
There is one way to surprise Top, still, and Mounties are hoping thirdly time's the charm and they can find a room to shell Summit on Saturday.
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Source: https://www.montclairlocal.news/2020/02/20/montclair-hockey-mounties-skate-past-westfield-to-mcinnis-finals/