On Thursday Montclair High School Varsity Boys Hockey suffered a 5-2 loss at the hands of 4-15 Scotch Plains-Fanwood (SPF) in the Quarterfinals of the Kelly Cup. The first game of the Kelly Cup Quarterfinals started off physical, with senior captain Sam Rotella throwing a big hit on a Scotch Plains-Fanwood player. Things remained quiet until senior captain Gavin Parma took a two-minute minor about 5 minutes 5:42 into the first period. Directly following the faceoff, junior Anders Jenkins went on a shorthanded breakaway, but the Raiders goalie came up with the save to keep the game at 0-0. Continuing in the period, Raiders number 8 pinned junior Colin Felber, allowing the Mounties to race into the offensive zone. Physicality stayed prominent in this game, and SPF puts Sam Rotella against the boards, immediately accompanied by a hit from Gavin Parma. The first period continued to be relatively quiet, with no major shots for either team. Twelve minutes into the period, the puck was sent straight into the Montclair bench, and play was blown dead. After the subsequent faceoff, Sam Rotella was able to charge down the ice, but a quick poke check from a Raider left Rotella without a shot. SPFcotch Plains-Fanwood answered right back, going end to end on a breakout. Sophomore goaltender Jack Kavanagh was able to smother the puck, and approaching the end of the first period, the game remained scoreless. However, SPF quickly changed this, and with 1:38 left in the first period, a Raiders shot hit the back of Montclair’s net. The away team continued with strong offensive zone play, and the first period ended with SPF in front 1-0.
The second period of the first Kelly Cup quarterfinal game kicked off with the puck consistently being in Montclair’s defensive zone. However, the Mounties stayed in the game and got a chance in the slot, though SPF’s goalie was able to keep out both the shot and the rebound. An attempt to rush back into Montclair’s zone was made by a Raiders player, but a hit from junior Ben Rohrs kept it at bay. This also created a breakaway for junior Anders Jenkins, yet no goal came of it. After this, SPF took a two-minute minor 4 minutes into the period. Montclair began a dominant power play, but a pass was picked off and SPF took off on a 2-on-1 towards the Mounties net. Montclair rushed to backcheck, and sophomore Sean Dunne was able to block the Raiders shot, sending it into the corner, and shortly after play was whistled dead. The teams took a faceoff in Montclair’s end, and a Mounties faceoff win sent senior captain Sam Rotella on an end-to-end rush. He sent the puck into the back of the Raiders' net, tying the game up at 1 apiece. Montclair’s first goal of the game was assisted by sophomore Jack Dunne and junior Anders Jenkins, with 8:39 left to play in the period. With the score tied again, the energy picked back up and there was lots of back-and-forth play. Another faceoff win by Montclair in the Raiders zone set up a possible shot from the slot, but a bouncing puck was taken by the Raiders down towards sophomore goalie Jack Kavanagh, who stopped both shots sent his way. Following his saves, the Mounties had a breakout opportunity, but a turnover in the neutral zone led to a goal for SPF, making the score 2-1 with 6:41 left in the second. The game remained very back-and-forth, with a strong shot for Montclair being deflected out of play off the crossbar, and shortly after, a cover-up from Kavanagh stopped play after a Raiders’ attempted wraparound. The next few minutes saw the Mounties with a slight upper hand in play, and senior captain Sam Rotella once again tied the game with his second goal of the game as he went behind the net to a backhand shot, unassisted. A few minutes later, Montclair turned the puck over in the defensive zone, and Kavanagh made another save. With less than two minutes to play in the second period, Sam Rotella brought SPF’s winger down to keep the score 2-2. To close out the first thirty minutes of the game, SPF receives a two-minute minor for high-sticking with seven seconds to play.
The Mounties begin the final period with 1:53 seconds left on a power play and roughly 45 seconds in, sophomore Hannah Rosenheck had a chance in the slot which was stopped by SPF’s goaltender. The power play expired with no more notable chances on either side. With 12:46 left in the period, number 8 on SPF got an opportunity on an odd-man rush, leading to a goal and giving the Raiders a 3-2 lead. Following this goal, Rosenheck had another chance on a breakaway, where she drew a delayed penalty. Number 3 on SPF was given a two-minute minor for interference, and Montclair headed to the power play again. Montclair struggled to gain momentum, and the Raiders were continuously clearing the puck down the ice. A strong Mounties attempt hit the post, and the Raiders sent the puck down the rink. Montclair took this chance to regroup, and with quick puck movements they were able to give sophomore Jaxon Parma in the slot, but SPF’s goalie kept their lead with a glove save. Nearing two-thirds of the way through the final period, SPF scored their fourth goal of the game making the score 4-2. Montclair’s play shifted and they became more defensive in their zone and the neutral zone. Jack Dunne and Gavin Parma both threw big hits after the faceoff, and sophomore Sean Dunne blocked a cross-ice pass from the Raiders to prevent a 2-on-1 shot. Then Jack Kavanagh headed to the bench, and shortly after SPF tallied an empty net goal to increase their lead to three. Montclair continued to record shots on goal, but time elapsed to make the final score 5-2 in favor of SPF. This loss knocked Montclair High School out of contention for the Kelly Cup, an unfortunate end to a breakout season.