Taconic Icers Eyeing Another Regional Title
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The Taconic hockey team will have a chance to defend its Western Mass championship.
The Thunder Monday exploded for three goals in a five-minute stretch to open the second period, breaking open a scoreless game and sending it on to a 7-0 win over McCann Tech.
The victory gave Taconic a spot in the Western Massachusetts Class B semi-finals, where it will face top-seeded Amherst on Thursday for a spot in Saturday’s final.
Christian Barry, Alex Jerebtsov and Cody Soper each scored a pair of goals for Taconic, which scored six goals in that second period to put the game away.
“We moved the puck very well and played together as a team, and that’s what we’re capable of when we’re playing together and all pulling in the same direction,” Taconic coach Matt Risley said. “So they played very well out there tonight.”
Although McCann Tech escaped the first period without allowing a goal, a lot of that was due to keeper Ben Harrington, who made 10 first-period saves and ended up with 19 stops in two periods.
“We played well in the first period,” Risley said. “We didn’t do a good job of getting the puck to the net, per se, but we did control the play.
“I thought we were pretty even with them in the first period, if not maybe having a little bit of an advantage. But we came out in the second, and the focus was to get pucks to the net. And that’s what we did, and it paid off for us.”
Barry broke the seal on the game with a goal assisted by Eric Harrington just 25 seconds into the second period.
Two minutes later, the Thunder earned its second power play of the game, and Jerebtsov converted on a rebound to make it 2-0 with 4 minutes, 2 seconds off the clock.
A half a minute later, Barry scored with assists from Owen Odermatt and Zack Schneider.
Things went from bad to worse for the Hornets with 6:30 left in the period when Taconic got another power play. This time, Sam Gyrurjan lit the lamp with the second of Harrington’s three assists.
Cody Soper scored a pair of goals in the last four minutes of the period. And after Jerebtsov tipped home a shot from Gyurjan 30 seconds into the third period, the clock never stopped again.
It was a far different result from the first meeting between the squads, which Taconic won in overtime at the Boys and Girls Club just two weeks ago.
Hornets coach Matt Parise said motivation was a big factor on Monday night. His Hornets, who were playing out the string, could not match the intensity of a Taconic squad looking for a tournament bid.
“Taconic was playing for something, and it showed the whole game,” Parise said. “They brought the energy, that tenacity, all of it. They brought it all, and we did not match any of it. Our goalie saved us in the first period and kept us in the game, but you can only expect so much from him.”
Prior to the game, McCann Tech recognized its seniors, Liam Noyes and John Stack, and Stack was recognized by the county’s hockey officials with their annual sportsmanship award.
While the two senior captains will be missed, the Hornets, who go to Chicopee on Tuesday, can look forward to bringing back a lot of experienced players in November.
“It gives you a little bit of optimism, with only losing two seniors,” Parise said. “Johnny and Liam – their leadership and what they brought to the team this year is what this team has really missed, I think, since I’ve been here. It’s hard to teach leadership, in my opinion. You either have it or you don’t. And I think those two young men definitely have it.”
Taconic (7-6-2), meanwhile, dressed seven seniors on Monday night and will be looking to make another splash in the post-season and avenge a pair of losses to Amherst by scores of 3-2 and 3-1 this winter.
“If we go into the Amherst game and play the way we did tonight, we have a shot,” Risley said. “It’s going to be a close game. It’s going to be back-and-forth. If we move the puck and skate like we did tonight, we will definitely have a shot – as good a shot as anyone against Amherst.”