WESTFIELD – It was an empowering victory for one boys’ ice hockey team on the local ice Wednesday night.
Longmeadow High School converted two power plays, and a late breakaway goal to power past Westfield 3-0 in a key Berry Division showdown Wednesday evening at Amelia Park Ice Arena.
Both goals came within a 70-second span early in the second period.
Westfield’s Max Maggipinto attempts to split the Longmeadow defense during Wednesday night’s boys’ ice hockey Berry Division contest at Amelia Park Ice Arena. (Photo by Marc St. Onge)
Matt Pierson notched the first Longmeadow goal 1:41 into the middle frame. It was the Lancers’ first power play chance of the game.
Longmeadow converted its second power play opportunity when Matt Walthouse hammered in another goal with 11:30 remaining in the period.
Westfield was down, but not out.
Longmeadow committed its first penalty of the game 24 seconds after its second score. Westfield was silenced.
The two teams exchanged multiple penalties over the next several minutes as the action hit a fevered pitch.
Westfield nearly scored a shorthanded goal in the final two minutes of the second period. Bombers’ Liam Whitman picked the pocket of a Longmeadow player, stealing the puck near mid-ice. Whitman broke away inside the blue line and blasted a shot at Lancers’ goalie Max Loyuk. Loyuk deflected the shot away.
Westfield collected the rebound, and fired. The Bombers peppered Loyuk with shot after shot after shot as the puck continued to rebound into the home team’s sticks. The Longmeadow goalie, which went on to finish 26 saves, stopped every attempt.
Westfield goalie Cam Parent (26 saves) kept the Bombers within striking distance by breaking up several Longmeadow drives, including a sensational stop on a Lancers’ breakaway with about seven minutes left.
Westfield tried to make a strong push to cut the lead in half late in the game. The Bombers tried to shovel a goal in during a scrum out in front of the Longmeadow net with just over five minutes remaining.
Less than 60 seconds later, Westfield’s Max Maggipinto appeared to be headed for a breakaway, but was dragged down from behind. No call was made.
Longmeadow’s Michael Tabb picked up a loose puck near the blue line, skated deep into Westfield’s zone, and flipped it in untouched for a 3-0 advantage with 4:36 remaining.
A Longmeadow penalty was called with just under two minutes left, but the Lancers penalty-killing prowess continued.
It could have been an entirely different outcome had it not been for Loyuk’s stout defense.
The Longmeadow goalie turned away a shot from Westfield’s Josh Adams, who tried to muscle in a goal 6:49 into the opening period, dislodging the net and the attempt.
Longmeadow squandered its best chance of the first period with a penalty shot at the 5:31 mark. Parent broke up Tabb’s drive to the net before Tabb could skate around the goalie to the opposite side.
The Lancers also missed high and wide on a breakaway attempt with about 4:30 remaining in the period.
With the win, Longmeadow improved its record to 11-4 overall, 7-1 Berry Division. Westfield fell to 5-9-1, 3-7.
