Wahconah Hockey Clinches Post-season Bid
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A persistent attack from Wahconah Regional High School's ice hockey team was the difference — however slim — in a home win that clinched a postseason birth.
In an uncharacteristically low-scoring game, Wahconah broke through stout Turners Falls netminding to capture its seventh-consecutive victory, 2-0, on Wednesday at the Boys & Girls Club.
It took nearly two full periods to work a shot past Turners' Brandon Bryant; though it only took one goal for Wahconah to secure the its 10th win of the regular season, which equates to an automatic bid to the Western Mass tournament.
According to coach Don Disbrow, Wahconah (10-6-1) is now tied for the second-best win percentage in Division 3A with Chicopee, with three games left in the regular season.
“We don't see many [games] that low-scoring,” Disbrow said, referring to his team's typical offensive output. “We're not a high-scoring team, but we usually score more than two.”
After nearly 30 minutes of play, Wahconah made good on one of its many attempts on net, with the help of a clever move by one of its forwards. Hjalmar Gustafsson was in search of open ice in the attacking zone when he received the puck in the slot and gained shooting space with a shifty stick move.
As Turners Falls captain Cody Booska bore down on him, Gustafsson drew the puck from his left-hand side, across his body to his shooting side, evading the pesky defender in the meantime. From there, he sent a wrist shot on goal that found net through the four hole, 52.7 seconds before the second intermission.
Booska and the Turners Falls attack pressured the home team for an equalizer. With 11 minutes, 33 seconds to play in the contest, Booska made a sleek move to fool a Wahconah defender and create space for a low, lining shot that Nico Moreno turned away — a play strikingly similar to the Gustafsson goal.
Minutes later, Moreno grabbed another deep shot from just inside the blue line; and as Booska's attempts to maintain possession deep in his team's attacking zone were neutralized, Wahconah broke up ice quickly to convert its second goal of the game.
Wahconah's Vince Orlandi capitalized on a rebound in the crease to seal the win with just less than six minutes remaining. Pat Jamross and Andrew Beaudoin were credited with assists on the goal. Dan Flynn also earned a point, assisting on the team's initial goal.
Turners Falls played without Tim Atkins — regarded by Disbrow as one of the team's best players — leading his team to key on Booska. Atkins scored eight goals in his last four games and two in a contest on Saturday.
Disbrow said he will look for consistency from his skaters in their remaining three games, saying his team has been prone to mental lapses in the past.
“Tonight was a pretty good effort from start to finish. We've had some lapses in a few games. We've come out and played great for two periods and stopped skating third periods, or not skating as hard or mental lapses in the defensive zone, not in the right coverages. So right now it's about going the full 45 minutes from start to finish,” Disbrow said.
Wahconah travels to North Adams Rink for its next game against Taconic at 7 p.m. on Saturday.