WEST SPRINGFIELD – Goaltender Tommy Bixby went through the gauntlet for the Easthampton hockey team against McCann Tech in the Western Mass. Class B championship game on Thursday at Olympia Ice Arena.
Bixby manned the pipes with the lead in the first period. As the game progressed, he navigated the net facing a deficit and when the game was tied. In the late stages of the game, he just had to hold on while protecting a one-goal lead.
Good thing for the Eagles, he saved his finest save for last. A sprawling save with four seconds left secured the 4-3 win and sectional championship for the Eagles.
“I saw him in the corner of my eye,” Bixby said. “My peripheral vision. I just knew I had to stretch. I had to get over there. It was a great play by the other team. Being able to make that play and set it up. Get that opportunity. But I don’t give up on myself. I know I had to make that save. I’ll make that save 100 more times in my career.”
The Hornets had a two-man advantage with a power play and an empty net in the final 37 seconds of regulation. After his miraculous save, the Eagles cleared the zone and the celebration began. Gloves, helmets and sticks all littered the ice in the celebration.
“It’s great,” Bixby said with the sectional trophy in his hand. “It’s pure excitement.”
Bixby saw his team take an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Max Scribner.
“It gives you so much confidence,” Bixby said. “When I see that puck go in the net, I know. It helps me do my job.”
With 18 seconds left in the first period, a McCann Tech goal deflected past Bixby. The Hornets then took a 2-1 lead early in the second period on a breakaway.
“It sucks,” Bixby said. “But I trust my team that they will get it back for me. They won’t let up the entire game.”
Easthampton’s Jamie Parrish tied the game on a power play goal with four minutes, five seconds left in the second period. Wyatt Hunter and Jimmy Bresnahan both scored in the third period to give Easthampton a 4-2 lead.
After both goals, Bixby calmly turned around and grabbed his Gatorade bottle and took a sip. There was no reaction outside of the hydration.
“I knew the game wasn’t over yet,” Bixby said. “There was a ton of time left on the clock. Anything can happen. Look what happened in the last two minutes. The puck went in. You got to be humble.
McCann Tech scored with two minutes, 17 seconds left in the game to get to within a goal, but the Eagles defense and Bixby held on to secure the victory.
“[Bixby], from freshman year to now in junior year, he’s probably been the most improved, best player I’ve ever coached, as far as, improvement-wise,” Easthampton head coach Tim Pfau said. “He’s harnessed being a goalie. He works on it all off-season, all fall. I have all the faith in the world in [Bixby].”
With the sectional championship coming back to Easthampton, the Eagles shift their focus to the statewide tournament. The Eagles are ranked 37th in Division 3 in the latest power rankings.
“We can still get better,” Bixby said. “I know we can. Play the same way that we played today. Maybe more. Definitely more. I’ll keep playing the same way. I have been playing the same way throughout the season.”
