GREENFIELD — After dominating play and taking a lead in the third period, the Greenfield High School hockey team had a packed Collins-Moylan Arena brimming with raucous enthusiasm against Drury on Saturday night.
After one of the only defensive lapses of the game however, the Blue Devils tied the score with two minutes remaining in the final period.
The home crowd did not stay quiet for long, as the Green Wave resumed their attack with an even greater intensity. Bryan Baumann answered with the game-winner, lifting Greenfield to a 2-1 win in Wright Division play.
“That’s something I am really proud of,” Greenfield coach Adam Bouchard said. “Giving up that late goal … the whole team could have deflated. We have a great group of senior leadership on the team that stepped up.”
Baumann’s game-winner, assisted by Aidan Roche, came with just 39 seconds left in regulation.
“That’s a good feeling,” Baumann said. “We were dogging it the whole game. It went down to the wire. We came off a big loss last week (to Agawam) and none of us wanted that feeling again. It was time to really show what we were made of.”
Greenfield (1-1 overall, 1-0 Wright) peppered Drury goaltender Nate Haley with 48 shots throughout the game, but had to wait until the final period to get on the board.
Sean O’Sullivan fired a shot that rebounded out in front of the net onto the stick of Baumann, who beat Haley with the help of a screen by Roche to make it 1-0.
“We had to get the puck deep,” Baumann said. “We wanted to crash the net. Sully got a good shot and I just saw it bounce out and there was an opening.”
O’Sullivan picked up the assist on the goal.
“It put all the momentum on our bench,” Baumann said.
Drury’s Brandon Lincoln tied the game on a wrister with 1 minute, 58 seconds left in the third period however, setting up Baumann’s game-winner.
“It shows that we have the power to fight until the last second of the game,” Baumann said.
Drury’s David Delisle picked up the assist on Lincoln’s goal.
The Greenfield defense held the blue line for most of the night, limiting the Blue Devils’ opportunities.
“We are really striving this year for ‘Offense wins games and defense wins championships,’” Bouchard said. “You look at this evening and our last game, we have given up fewer than 20 shots in both games. We take a lot of pride in our defensive zone.”
When Drury was able to create some offense, Riley Drew made the necessary stops for the Wave. Drew finished with 18 saves on Drury’s 19 total shots.
“I am really proud of each one of those student-athletes who took their responsibilities, understood them and delivered them,” Bouchard said.
Almost the entire first period was in Drury’s defensive zone, as the Greenfield defense did a nice job holding the blue line.
Drury had to fight off a five-minute major in the opening frame.
Greenfield’s best chance during the major came on a wrap-around attempt by Kyle Barnes that Haley smothered.
During one push up the ice for the Blue Devils, Derek Lenois pounded a Drury player into the boards, eliminating the threat.
In the second period, Baumann used a between the legs move to get clear for a shot but once again Haley was there for one of his 46 saves on the night.
The Green Wave went 0-for-4 on the power play while the Blue Devils went 0-for-3.
Greenfield next plays Ludlow High School on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield. The next game back at Collins-Moylan is on Dec. 28 when Greenfield hosts Southwick in Wright Division play.
