Wahconah Rolls Past Drury

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- Five different players lit the lamp for the Wahconah hockey team on Wednesday night.

 

All its skaters played a role in keeping Drury off the scoreboard until midway through the third period of a 5-1 win at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink.

 

Jake Risley stopped 16 shots to help Wahconah improve to 12-3-1 this winter.

 

“Our strength is from the back up, it always has been,” Wahconah coach Matt Risley said. “Jake and Antonio [Scalise] have been fantastic. They keep us in games so we can absorb those 1-0 first periods that otherwise can be 1-1, 2-1, the other way.

 

“Our ‘D’ is solid. They play together. Corey Bazonski and Trey Massaro play great together. And Ernie [Lampron] and Owen [Kroboth] complement each other very well.”

 

Wahconah had one of those 1-0 first periods on Wednesday night but came out on the right side.

 

Off an offensive zone faceoff, Luke Peplowski sent a puck into the crease, where Liam Anderson tipped it over to Devin Lampron, who converted for the game’s first goal.

 

That was all the scoring that Drury keeper Nate Haley allowed. He had 11 of his 29 saves in the first period.

 

Despite outshooting the Blue Devils, 12-6, with just one goal to show for it at the first intermission, Risley was confident that the goals would come.

 

“Nate [Haley] was playing great,” Risley said. “We just didn’t bury a few chances. You’re not going to beat him straight on. You’ve got to get him to move. You’ve got to use your teammates. And that was my message: Play together as a team, and you’ll come out on top. Let’s play our game. Let’s not get frustrated. Let’s keep doing what we’re doing.

 

“They came out in the second period and executed much better. Basically, it was a matter of execution.”

 

Ryan LaPierre doubled Wahconah’s lead in the second minute of the second period, converting a feed from Kroboth.

 

It stayed 2-0 until Wahconah tacked on two goals two minutes apart. First, Mason Alfonso cashed in an assist from LaPierre. Then Peplowski scored to make it 4-0 after two periods.

 

Drury got a goal back midway through the third period when Cam Taylor followed his own rebound after making a rush up the left wing.

 

But just more than a minute later, Kroboth scored unassisted to regain the four-goal margin.

 

Before the game, Drury honored its three seniors -- Jason Delisle, Brian Czarnecki and Evelyn Fuls -- and recognized the seven Wahconah seniors who look to be poised for a postseason run when the Western Mass tournament gets under way in a couple of weeks.

 

Risley said his team has come a long way this season in earning its spot in the playoffs.

 

“We’re much better,” he said. “Our second line, we’ve got Devin Lampron, Liam Anderson and Luke Peplowski on there. They struggled at the beginning of the year, but they’re clicking very well right now. They’re a dangerous line now.

 

“The first line, it was always a question of whether they were going to play together or play individually. And they’re playing together. They’re a tough line to go up against.”

 

Wahconah hosts South Hadley next Thursday at the Boys and Girls Club in its regular season finale.

 

Drury travels to meet Amherst on Saturday.