Sporting WCA

Cats Beat Summit on Rivalry Night

For centuries, sports have always had bitter rivalries. Duke vs. North Carolina, Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, the Yankees vs. the Red Sox; there is nothing like a good rivalry to get the blood flowing and provide a great sporting event.

The Westminster Varsity Ice Hockey team and the Rockwood Summit Falcons have a rivalry like this. For years, the bitter conference rivals have hated each other. Hated each other. In yet another great installment of the long standing feud, the Cats came out on top by a score of 5-3.

Senior Willie Canfield opened the scoring for the Cats in the first period, stuffing home a pass from freshman Jack Canfield. The Falcons tied the game up soon after, and the Cats downshifted their intensity. The Cats controlled the game for a majority of the first, but their lack of passion prevented them from scoring on numerous occasions. The Wildcats didn’t get back on the board until late in the period. Junior Zach Nall scored unassisted at the 5:31 mark, but again the Cats couldn’t keep their lead. Minutes later, Summit tied the game.

It was vintage Westminster-Summit hockey in the second. As expected, the Falcons began to play a physical game. Over the years, they have become masters of the late hit, and used this to their advantage in the second. Despite this, the Cats had a 4-2 advantage by the halfway mark of the period. Senior Gannon Mcward shot home a rebound to make it 3-2, and junior Charlie Zone scored unassisted minutes later to make it 4-2. Following the goals, a late hit by a summit forward resulted in numerous penalties and an ejection. With the game beginning to get out of hand, neither team took control of the game, and the remainder of the second produced little in terms of scoring chances.

The Cats continued to play tentatively in the third. They made many good plays, but could not find the back of the net. The Falcons made it a contest  with under 5 minutes to play by making it 4-3, but the Wildcat defense quickly shut them down. An empty net goal by Canfield (Jack) in the final minute gave the Cats a 5-3 victory.

 

By The Numbers:

  • The Wildcats had 37 shots on goal
  • Freshman goaltender Sam Haupfear had 19 saves
  • Total penalty minutes for the game added up to 53 minutes plus one game misconduct