Summit Boys Ice Hockey Ends 2 Game Skid

The Summit boys hockey team snapped a two game losing streak with a dominant 7-0 victory over Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School on Sunday night at the Union Sports Arena.

Senior captain Bobby Lawrence, sophomore Will Weber and freshman Mike Badgley each netted two goals for the Hilltoppers (7-4-2). Weber and Badgley are both call ups from the JV team, and head coach Keith Nixon was excited to see them get on the score sheet.

"One thing we like to try and do is, when we can, put players in the lineup when other guys are sick or injured," he said. "They're both going to help us in the long run, and it was an opportunity for them to see what's expected on the varsity level. It was fun to watch them each get two goals."

The Raiders (2-10-1) had several players out, and their offense struggled mightily as a result. They rarely got into Summit's defensive zone, and were outshot 41-6. Nixon gave senior Paul Coviello the start in net, who is still recovering from a foot injury he suffered in the state championship football game.

"He's really just starting to get close to 100 percent," Nixon said. "He's an inspirational leader on this team, and I saw this game as an opportunity to let him start. He deserves it."

Senior Jon Santina scored the first goal of the night on a rebound right in front of Raider freshman goalie Jason Breit with 12:23 left in the opening period. Eleven seconds later, Lawrence made it 2-0 Hilltoppers. Sophomore Jeff Wycoff got the assist.

After Breit stopped the puck dead with 4:20 remaining in the period, Santina and Raider sophomore Kevin Lewis got into a shoving match that resulted in three penalties. They both got called for roughing, but Santina also had to serve two minutes for slashing.

During the 4-on-4 play, Lawrence scored an unassisted goal after his first two shots were deflected by Breit. Lawrence's effort to stay with the puck on that play is indicative of Summit's continued improvement in getting rebounds and second chance opportunities.

"We're getting better at not being crammed in on the crease, and we're looking for rebounds a little bit further out," Nixon said.

The Hilltoppers ended the first period ahead 3-0 with a shots on goal advantage of 20-3. They continued to bombard the Raiders with shots in the second, putting up four more goals courtesy of Badgley and Weber.

Nearly halfway through the second period, Badgley scored his first goal from point blank range right in front of the net off of a rebound. Then with 5:33 left Weber made it 5-0 with a one timer goal on the right side of the net. He knocked the puck in following a great pass by Santina from the front of the net.

For the game, Santina got one goal and three assists.

Badgley's second goal came from an excellent individual effort. He got the puck to the left of Breit, and then deked around his defender and fired a shot that hit the back of the net.

Summit backed off in the third period, but still controlled the tempo and did not allow a single shot on goal.

"It's hard to gauge a lot from a game like this," Nixon said. "We kind of just skated around them a lot. We were just trying to get the win."

The Hilltoppers' next game is on Jan. 26 against Clifton at Warinanco Park at 6 p.m.

"Clifton has been up and down this year," Nixon said. "Just based on past history, we're going to have to come out and work. Hopefully we'll be a little bit healthier and be ready to come out and play the way were capable of playing."