EASTHAMPTON — The Belchertown boys hockey team is young across the board, holding just three seniors to go along with a combined seven eighth graders (three) and freshmen (four) on its roster.
That youth and inexperience played a big part in the Orioles’ 7-1 defeat to Easthampton at Lossone Rink on Thursday night.
Not only is Belchertown young, it also doesn’t have a lot of depth from top to bottom. When the Eagles ramped up their transition game and started to control the neutral zone, the Orioles began chasing the puck around and had trouble staying in good defensive position.
“Our transition game was awesome, I’ll give us that,” Easthampton head coach Tim Pfau said. “And that starts with having smart kids. We talked about that this week at practice, the neutral zone and transition parts of the game. You get the puck, our head has to be up. The seam has to be there. We have to be far blue line to stretch that ice, then boom, we’re in the attacking zone again.”
This took a toll on Belchertown’s stamina, especially in the third period when Easthampton netted four goals to pull away.
“We’ve got a bunch of eighth graders and freshman on our team this year. We can’t chase the puck around the whole time, because it gets exhausting,” Orioles head coach Jordan McCarthy said. “As soon as we start chasing, we tire ourselves out – and we don’t have a lot of numbers to begin with.”
Late in the second period, four penalties were given out – including three 10-minute misconducts – after an altercation took place behind the Belchertown goal. Easthampton senior captain Zack Roy made contact with Orioles goalie Donald Rogers after the whistle, which the Orioles took offense to as most teams would.
However, that was the momentum swing of the contest.
“Yeah I think [the chippy play] had some to do with it, because we’re a young team, so that sort of thing can get to us a little bit,” McCarthy said. “It’s on me and on our upperclassmen and captains to help us control that better than we did tonight.”
Easthampton was on a mission in the third period, firing off shots left and right looking to extend its lead. Parker Christy added his second of the night three minutes and 11 seconds into the frame, then Gabe Growhoski (second), Robert Herman (second) and Mikey Thompson (first) each scored within two minutes and 15 seconds of one another to break the game open.
“It definitely motivated us,” Thompson said of the second-period rumpus. “We can’t play not physical hockey. We have such a big squad, so the physicality is definitely a big part of my game as a big offensive forward. It was a turning point for sure.”
Ten different Eagles players recorded a point in the win, with Drew Thompson nabbing three assists while four players found the back of the net. Pfau challenged his group at the beginning of the year, saying this team should have at least five guys with 20-plus points. That offensive talent was on display on Thursday.
“We have a lot of solid guys that can score on offense, even our defense can score,” Thompson said. “I think we’ll be good against any team when it comes to scoring goals.”
The two teams met on Dec. 9, less than two weeks ago. While Easthampton won 5-2, the Orioles felt that game was much closer than the score depicted. As for what went wrong for Belchertown in the third-period collapse on Thursday? Simple.
“Honestly, it was us. We kept it close last game, we forechecked hard. Tonight, we just beat ourselves,” McCarthy said.
The Orioles also struggled to get the puck past Easthampton goalie Paige Galpin. The senior captain saved 12 of the 13 shots she faced, with Charlie Fijal – Belchertown’s leading scorer – sneaking one by her in the first period to at that point tie the game at one.
Galpin buckled down after Fijal’s equalizer. Pfau knows that with an experienced, polished Galpin between the pipes, Easthampton can make a deep postseason run this season.
“You put her in the net, I don’t care what anybody says, we have a chance to win any game against any team,” Pfau said of Galpin. “I’ll put us up against anybody with her in net.”
Rogers was busy in goal for Belchertown, saving 48 of the 55 shots that came his direction. Brodie St. Laurent added an assist on the Fijal goal. The Orioles (1-4) head to Greenfield on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. for a matchup with the western Mass. heavyweight Green Wave.
The Eagles (4-0) return to the ice the day after Christmas, Dec. 26, against Southwick at 1 p.m. back at Lossone Rink.
