EASTHAMPTON — The Amherst Regional hockey team played, to use its own word, “awful” in the first period against Easthampton on Wednesday.
The Eagles scored two goals in the period and controlled the puck for most of the opening frame, but as the game wore on, the Hurricanes found their footing.
Amherst created scoring opportunities through proactive defense, power plays and by getting as many shots on net as possible.
It took some time, but after the Eagles’ first two goals, Amherst scored three straight to rally and defeat the reigning Western Massachusetts Division 3A champions, 3-2, at Lossone Ice Arena.
Kouji Ishida scored two goals for Amherst (7-2). Carter Beckwith scored once.
Ryan O’Connor scored two goals for the Eagles (0-4).
“There is no question that we played awful the first two periods,” Ishida said. “We had to get our feet moving.”
O’Connor scored in the slot with 11 minutes, 40 seconds to go in the opening period off a pass from Jake Delisle to put Easthampton on the board. He scored again six minutes later on a power play close in front of Amherst’s net off a pass from Garren Fugiel.
“If you aren’t going to move your feet you are no better than anyone else,” Amherst coach Mike Rousseau said. “(Easthampton) are still the defending (sectional) champions. No matter how many guys they have or what they do, if you aren’t going to skate, you’re no better than anybody else, and that (first period) proved it. We stood around.”
Easthampton had plenty of opportunities at the start of the second period to add another goal, but Amherst goalie John Hanscom made multiple saves to keep the Eagles at bay.
Easthampton’s Matt Sullivan was called for a five minute major for boarding with three minutes to go in the second period. Ishida scored 15 seconds later on a power play through a tight window. Beckwith had the assist.
“No idea how (Ishida) got the first one to go in, but that’s a goal scorer’s goal,” Rousseau said. “You’ve got six inches and the puck is four. He found the spot.”
The Hurricanes had an opportunity to score early in the third period. The puck was loose in front of the Eagles’ net and Chris Foster got an open shot on the left side, but misplaced the shot and bounced the puck off the back of teammate Joe Freniere.
Beckwith tied the game for the Hurricanes with 6:15 to go in regulation off a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle.
Less than a minute later, Ishida poked in a loose puck for his second goal of the night to give Amherst the lead.
“He’s a clutch player,” Rousseau said about Ishida. “You give him the puck and more times than not something good will happen.”
Easthampton, which has 14 players on its roster, graduated 11 seniors from last year’s championship team. The team’s lack of depth showed toward the end of the third period.
“We are a little thinner this year than we have been,” Easthampton coach Bill Grise said. “We lost some legs in the third period. We worked hard, but physically we slowed down and Amherst capitalized.”
The Hurricanes and Eagles have a history dating back to last year’s postseason when the fifth-seeded Eagles defeated the top-seeded Hurricanes, 6-2, in the semifinals.
“We really wanted to give it back to them,” Ishida said.
The Hurricanes are also young and lack collective varsity experience, but through their first nine games, the group has used its youth to its advantage.
“We are young so we don’t have a lot of experience, but we have energy and are determined to win,” Ishida said. “A lot of these guys want to go get a Western Mass. championship.”