Wahconah Icers Punch Ticket for Post-Season
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The Wahconah hockey team on Tuesday was looking for one more point to qualify for the Western Massachusetts tournament. It earned it in a 9-5 victory over Chicopee at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Rink.
Chicopee got a quick 2-0 lead in the first period. The first came 57 seconds into the game off a deflected shot from Christian Salamon; Jeff Zebrowski was there to finish it. Four minutes later on the power play Salamon finished one in the back of the net to give them the 2-0 lead.
Wahconah’s first goal of the game came off a power play from Hoby MacWhinnie with 8:54 to go in the period; Mike Bloom earned the assist. Chicopee responded seconds later with another to put its lead at 3-1.
With forty-two seconds to go in the first, Wahconah’s Jeff Hancock received the puck from Nate Lapine in their defensive end and hammered it at the goal; he put his team down by only one (3-2) going into the second period.
In the second period Wahconah had their chances; especially on their power play in the eighth and 13thminutes, but they couldn’t hit the back of the net. With 7:14 to go Chicopee’s fifth skater came out of the box and the Pacers were able to score going up 4-2. Wahconah was able to put in another before the end of the second from Devon Baittini; Bloom and Henry Churchill earned the assists.
“We were getting our chances,” Wahconah coach Don Disbrow said. “We just weren’t getting very many breaks or finishing the puck in the net or finishing our plays.”
In the third period Wahconah came out and took it away from Chicopee; and it started in the first 20 seconds of the period.
Andrew Beaudoin tied it at four to start the period; Baittini and MacWhinnie had the assists.
Chicopee was able to put in one more to Wahconah’s six that came in the third period.
“We talked about staying the course,” Disbrow said about coming out in the third. “We were getting our offensive opportunities, but we also wanted to make sure we were getting there for the rebounds, because they were there.”
Wahconah, who came into the game knowing that Chicopee is an explosive offensive team, was able to limit the Pacers to those breakaway opportunities to earn the win.
“We knew they’re the kind of run and gun team and they want to fly the zone,” Disbrow said. “We kept an eye on that; we made sure they didn’t get too many crazy breakaways on us.”
Wahconah will play its last game of the regular season on Wednesday without the pressure of qualifying for Western Mass. after earning the final point they needed with Tuesday’s win.
“Tomorrow we’ve got a little bit of breathing room and we can go out and have a little bit of fun,” Disbrow said. “The worst that could have happened is us losing today and spending all our energy trying to win and having to go back to back tomorrow night and having to win, so it’s nice we got it today.”
Beaudoin put in three other goals in the third period and one assist and Lapine had two goals as well. Dan Flynn had two assits, Baittini had three, MacWhinnie had one, Churchill had one and Kyle Gazillo had one for Wahconah.