EASTHAMPTON – Heading into the third period, it was still anyone’s hockey game.
Easthampton and South Hadley were embroiled in a tight contest Wednesday night, tied up at three goals apiece. Neither team had been able to get more than a goal ahead before the other would chip away and tie the game back up again.
But the Tigers found a little extra fire in the final period, posting three more goals in the last 15 minutes to catapult to a 6-3 independent win at Lossone Rink. Caleb Lundgren scored a hat trick for South Hadley, Joe Cigal picked up pair of goals in the win, and Austin Deren also earned a goal for the Tigers. Devin Carleton earned the win in net.
It was a strong performance for the Tigers (5-4-2), who have had a bit of a roller coaster of a year. After a three-game win streak earlier in January, South Hadley came into Wednesday’s contest with a tie and two losses in their last three games. They’ve also been dealing with postponements, taking essentially a two-week break earlier in the season without seeing any game action. But with the postseason starting to come into view, head coach Kevin Stefanik is finally starting to see the pieces come together for his squad.
“The beginning of our year started off flat. After the break, after the time off, we started getting into more of a flow of things,” Stefanik said. “Guys are responding better to the system. It’s not like day one. The day one stuff is now stuck into their heads.”
Meanwhile, it was the Eagles’ fifth consecutive loss as the team struggles to find the puck luck they need to snap their current skid and get back in the win column. They had a number of opportunities to get back within striking distance, but were unable to capitalize on those chances late.
“They were there mentally. We had the energy, they were ready to go. We just couldn’t capitalize on opportunities again,” Easthampton head coach Tim Pfau said. “I feel like all season long we just haven’t had that puck luck. So to have that tonight would have been nice, but we just didn’t have it.”
The game started with a bang. Lundgren got the Tigers on the board right away, shoveling home a goal just 26 seconds into the opening frame. They held onto that one-goal lead until the final five minutes; Easthampton’s Ethan Marowitz scored his first of two goals 11:48 into the first to tie the game going into the first intermission.
“He brings speed, he knows how to use it at the right time, and that he knows how to use his shot at the right time,” Pfau said on Marowitz. “He’s a smart player and he’s a fast player.”
The second period mirrored the start of the first. Less than a minute into the frame, a team struck to take the lead, but this time it was the Eagles who came out firing. Marowitz pocketed his second of the game to give Easthampton a 2-1 lead.
Undeterred, South Hadley struck twice in 41 seconds to retake the lead about eight minutes later. Cigal picked up his first goal of the night, and shortly after scored his second of the night; both of Cigal’s tallies were assisted by Joe Meon.
Just 45 seconds after Cigal’s second goal, Easthampton knotted the score up yet again, this time a power play goal from Gabe Growhowski, who lit the lamp after the team’s initial shot hit the post.
The crucial misstep for the Eagles came in the third period, when they took a late roughing call that ultimately led to the Tigers’ fourth goal, Lundgren’s second of the evening.
“I think if you can say the one thing, it might have been penalty at the wrong time. Can’t take a penalty in the third period of a tie game,” Pfau said.
From there, it was all South Hadley. Deren got a goal a minute and a half after Lundgren, and Lundgren completed his hat trick with just under three minutes remaining in the game.
The Tigers are hoping that they can take this win and use it to build some more momentum.
“We started off very disorganized, I’d say. But the past two weeks, I’d say in practice we’ve really focused on putting the right people together,” Cigal said. “After that win streak, we had a few losses, but now we’re back. I definitely think it’s working well.”
As for Easthampton, Pfau knows there’s plenty of hockey left to be played, and his Eagles are focused on their next contest.
“We’re not out of it. That’s what I keep telling them – we’ve still got a lot of hockey left in this month with cancellations and things,” Pfau said. “So we’re right back at it again Friday night at Amherst. Hopefully we can get that puck luck going.”