For the first time since 1994, the Amherst Regional hockey team is playing in the state tournament.
The Hurricanes (18-1-3) face Central Massachusetts champion Nashoba Regional, Thursday in the Division 3A state championship at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.
The puck drops at 7:45 p.m.
The Chieftains (20-2) enter on a four-game winning streak since suffering a loss to Division 3 Watertown. They don’t have one main scorer, but instead have three balanced lines with equal scoring capabilities.
Nashoba beat Oakmont, 8-0, in the Central Mass. title game and are the defending state champions.
“They don’t have one standout kid,” Amherst coach Mike Rousseau said. “All three lines are similar. They like to get it deep and get it to the net. Like us.”
Defense will be a focal point against a talented and deep Nashoba roster. Matt Gazaille and Nick Freniere, Amherst’s top defensmen, will log heavy minutes Thursday.
Nashoba’s Bryce Chaput led central Mass. in scoring with 49 points (30 goals, 19 assists). Dan Kerble was fifth with 36 (21 goals, 15 assists).
“We just have to play our game for four periods,” Gazaille said. “We can hang with them and have a chance at the end.”
Nashoba senior Charlie Lamplough is a wall in net for the Chieftains. He has a 1.17 goals against average and a .960 save percentage.
Amherst’s leading scorers Jake Balderston, Nathan Masteralexis and Jack Rees will need to maximize every opportunity against the Chieftains’ stingy defense.
“They are the defending champs and are coming in confident,” Balderston said. “We have to keep it simple and not try to be fancy. Get pucks deep and go after them. Make the best of our chances.”
Brad Colvin and Brett Young are two standout defenseman for Nashoba. With a strong defense, just getting to Lamplough has been tough for opposing offenses. The Chieftains have five shutouts and four one-goal games over its last nine.
In its preparation, Amherst has stressed taking its game to a new level.
“We can’t be happy just getting here,” Rousseau said. “But we’ve been pretty loose. But this state final isn’t the icing on the cake. Winning it is.”
