WW-P rallies but comes up short in first round
WEST WINDSOR >> It took a while for West WindsorPlainsboro to get started, and then it almost made an amazing comeback.
After trailing by three goals early in the final period, WW-P definitely made things interesting.
West Windsor-Plainsboro put on a furious rally late in the third, but it wasn’t enough as Nutley escaped with a 3-2 win on Monday night in a Public A state tournament game played on ice at the Mercer County Ice Skating Rink.
WW-P (14-7-4) was the 14th seed and Nutley, which co-ops with Columbia, was the 19th seed.
Nutley (13-5-3) will now face No. 3 Montclair in the second round.
Unfortunately, the tough loss ends the NorthSouth Co-op season, but it was a season that saw them come together as a team and make some giant strides.
The final eight minutes of the game belonged to West Windsor-Plainsboro as it unleashed 18 shots on goal in the period. It just couldn’t get that equalizer.
“We worked really hard and they battled back,’’ said WW-P coach James Nobilio. “It all shows what we need to do moving forward.’’
After a scoreless first period Nutley, which scored two goals on power plays and another on a penalty shot, got a 1-0 lead with 7:55 left in the second period on a Rocco Albanese goal.
Then WW-P experienced the worst 34.5 seconds of the season.
First, there was a trip that set up Joe Melillo’s penalty shot, which he converted and then to add insult to injury there was a penalty and Nutley needed just eight seconds of the final period to make it 3-0 on another Albanese goal.
“We didn’t play as well as we should have and I didn’t play as well as I should have,’’ said Ronan Keenan, the county’s leading scorer. “We had a couple lapses and it showed on the scoreboard. We let them dictate the game.’’
WW-P’s wake-up call came at 10:17 when Keenan put home goal No. 29 on the season, and it was 3-1. Anuj Dutta and Thomas Gardner assisted.
Just 18 seconds later, WW-P got a break as a Nutley goal was disallowed and then at the 7:53 mark Senan Shannon, who has eight goals in the last four games, converted on the power play to make it 3-2. Aidan Crichton and Ryan Chi assisted.
“At the end we knew we had to try everything we could to win the game,’’ Nobilio said of the final few minutes.
WW-P did and after pulling Alex Doody, who had 18 saves, it kept the pressure on even when it was shorthanded in the last 1:19.
Nutley’s goalie Johnny Matrona was amazing between the pipes with 33 saves.
It was a year WW-P took a giant step in the right direction, and with a young team this was a game to remember and to make sure it can change the outcome in the future. Nutley (13-5-3) 0 2 1 – 3
WW-P (14-7-4) 0 0 2 – 2
Goals: N: Albanese 2, Melillo. WWP: Keenan, Shannon.
Assists: N: Melillo, Nicolette, Conca. WWP: Chi, Crichton, Dutta, Gardner. Shots: N: 21, WWP: 35. Saves: N: Matrona 33, WWP: Doody 18.