Wahconah Hockey Team Bows in Semi-Finals

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Moments after suffering a season-ending loss in the Western Massachusetts Division 3A semi-finals, the Wahconah hockey team was expressing no regrets and even starting to look forward to the 2016-17 campaign.

“It was a good season,” goalie Nico Romano said after Saturday’s 4-1 loss to Chicopee Comp. “We shouldn’t hang our heads down. We made it this far. We lost to a good team with a good coaching staff.”

Romano made 27 saves in the loss, which saw third-seeded Wahconah (15-5-1) take the lead early in the second period on Logan Rumbolt’s goal.

The three-goal final margin belies a game in which Wahconah generated its share of scoring opportunities, killed off three Comp power plays and was within striking distance in the closing moments before the Colts got an empty-netter in the final minute.

Like Romano, Wahconah coach Don Disbrow had no complaints.

“I’m proud,” he said. “[Chicopee Comp] was absolutely a good team. We had some opportunities that we didn’t put away. But they go out and they give their effort. They’re all kids. They’re teenagers.

“It’s part of living and learning.”

Romano faced 12 shots in a scoreless first period. Wahconah was forced to kill off consecutive penalties late in the period — infractions that gave the second-seeded Colts (13-5-3) 18 seconds of two-man advantage time.

After weathering that storm, Wahconah felt good going into the locker room for the first intermission.

“We definitely had momentum,” Romano said. “We shut out some good plays by them, read the plays, knew what they were doing.”

Rumbolt knew what he was doing when he fired a shot from the blue line 35 seconds into the second period. Colts goalie Parker Nunes appeared to make the initial save, but the puck trickled through. Nico Moreno earned the assist, and Wahconah had a 1-0 lead.

It stayed that way for five minutes before Jeremy Lewis broke down the middle and fired a shot past Romano to tie it.

In the final minute of the third, Chicopee Comp took the lead when Lewis fired a pass from behind the goal to Cam Kagan, who scored from the slot to make it 2-1.

Lewis scored again midway through the third to make it a two-goal game, and Garrett Riopelli put the icing on the cake with an empty-netter.

Chicopee Comp moves on to the sectional final against Amherst, a 5-1 winner over Belchertown in the second half of Saturday’s double-header.

Disbrow had the sobering task of giving the talk that falls on the vast majority of coaches each season. 

“Thanks for your effort and hard work all season,” was the message he said he conveyed.

“Particularly with the younger guys, we had to make sure we encouraged them and told them how much they grew and improved and learned. With the older kids, the seniors on the way out, that’s a little tougher discussion. It’s probably going to be one-on-one.

“It gets a little more emotional.”