Summit Erases 2-0 Deficit Against Cranford to Win Cron Tournament

Jeff Wycoff’s finish off of Eric Stabler's assist from behind the net with 4:18 to play put ahead 4-3 and served as the game-winning goal in the Hilltoppers’ 5-3 Cron Tournament finals victory over Cranford at Warinanco Park.

The senior Stabler possessed the puck behind the net and fired a pass in front  that found the stick of his senior line mate who sent the puck just past Cranford goalie Theo Ballas.

The talented line of Wycoff, Stabler and Jarrett Ross were clearly the difference in this one for Summit. The group was responsible for three of the four Hilltopper goals with the other coming on a power play opportunity.

Despite outshooting the Cougars 25-12 it was Summit who found themselves trailing for a good portion of the contest. Cranford’s best period was the first as they were able to jump out to a 2-0 lead over their opponent. The first tally came just 2:39 in the first period on a Russ Harvey finish of a free puck in front of the net. Cranford’s second goal was scored with 4:16 to go in the period by Tom Fitzgerald.

The Cougars were unable to sustain any type of momentum and seemed overmatched against the Hilltoppers who were able to take advantage of their opponent’s penalties, turnovers and inability to clear the puck from the zone. 

“The last three games we’ve come out with energy but haven’t really gotten a lot out of the effort that we have been putting in,” said Summit head coach Keith Nixon. “They were breaking out way too easily so we made an adjustment and it worked for us and that helped us sustain pressure.”

Trailing 2-0, Summit got on the board quickly in the second with a Jarrett Ross finish on a Stabler pass from behind the net just 2:36 into the period.

Just eight seconds later Cranford took their first of three penalties in a span of under a minute setting up a critical moment in the championship game. An interference call at the 12:16 mark started the run, followed by a holding penalty at the 11:45 mark. The third penalty came about halfway through the 5-on-3 when the official called a slash on Ballas.

Summit spent the remaineder of their advantage peppering Ballas with shots from all angles and for a stretch it seemed that the goalie would find a way to keep Summit of the board and perhaps swing the momentum back into the Cougars’ favor.  

“We started the season with some initiatives and one of the things, even though we had a lot of success with it last year, was the power play,” said coach Nixon. “One- we had the talent to make it better. And two- in order to compete with the better teams on our schedule then we have to be able to capitalize against those teams on the power play. It’s something that we have been working on every day and it’s showing.”

Versatile Summit defender Mike Nyitray would not let the Hilltoppers go 0-for-3 on the stretch as he fired a beautiful wrist shot just past Ballas to tie the game at two with 9:45 to go in the period. Nyitray proved to be a difference maker on this night time and time again as his presence provided a spark to the Hilltoppers attack.

With a combination of great pace, stick skills and shooting ability, Nyitray commanded respect from the Cranford defense any time he was on the ice. 

“We’ve asked Mike to play a little bit different then he has in the past. Pick and choose his spots a little bit more, which he has done so far effectively,” said Coach Nixon. “Now were getting the puck to him at the point so he can get to the middle where he is dangerous.”

Much like the first two periods the third opened with an early goal, this time to give Cranford a 3-2 lead with 11:35 to play in the game. Facing their only power play opportunity of the game the Cougars were able to convert with just 12 seconds remaining in the man advantage on a Harvey finish that seemed to get caught in traffic and slip out of the sight of Summit goalie Garrett McGowan.

Trailing 3-2, Summit continued to apply pressure on Ballas and the Cranford defense by firing shot after shot on net. The Hilltoppers were finally able to tie the game on a shift that began with Nyitray carrying the puck into the zone and ended with a rebound finish from Stabler with 6:03 to play.

In between Summit was able to keep the puck in the zone by a combination of their own hustle and Cranford’s inability to clear the puck.

Thanks to a penalty with under a minute remaining, the best Cranford could do late in the game was pull their goalie to bring play back to 5-on-5.

With Ballas on the bench, Wycoff added an empty net goal to bring the final score to 5-3 with just one second remaining.

McGowan was named the tournament’s MVP thanks to three wins, two shutouts and a 1.00 GAA over three games.

With the win Summit moves to 4-0-1 and has proven that they have the ability to find a way to win games, something that should bode well for them as they navigate through the challenges of their schedule.

“Were ducking no one with our schedule,” said coach Nixon, whose team will face some of New Jersey’s best this season. “We found a way to tie Bridgewater the other day, against Mendham we found a way to win, same thing tonight. I’ve got nine seniors in the room and they’ve been through all of the success and disappointment, so going down two goals isn’t going to get them down.”

Shots on Goal: Summit 25, Cranford 12

Penalties:

1st-   C- 8:13- Slashing 

2nd-  C- 12:16- Interference 

         C- 11:59- Holding

         C- 11:00- Slashing

3rd-   S- 13:23- Holding

         C- 50.3- Slash