SPRINGFIELD — It was as close to a complete effort as the Greenfield hockey team had put together all season.
Just five days removed from watching their seven-game winning streak snapped by Wahconah, the Green Wave got off the mat with an impressive performance on Monday. On the road against an expected postseason contender, Greenfield stormed out of the gates and didn’t let up. Senior goaltender Riley Drew recorded 28 saves to pick up his second shutout of the season, and the Wave cruised past Chicopee, 5-0, in an independent contest at Smead Arena.
Greenfield improved to 8-2 on the season, getting back into the win column after Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to Wahconah.
“We put that loss behind us, and looked forward to Chicopee all week at practice,” offered Drew.
Wave head coach Adam Bouchard wasn’t surprised to see a bounce-back effort from his team against Chicopee (4-3).
“It didn’t sit well with the boys,” Bouchard said of the Wahconah loss. “That was a game where we outshot them 40-23. And then we knew coming into (the Chicopee game) that it was going to be a battle. It was a complete game. We did have a couple breakdowns in the second period, but if you look at it from our goaltender on out to our forwards, we take great pride in our team defense and to shut out a high-powered Chicopee team… that’s always great to see.”
Needing an early spark, Greenfield’s Sean O’Sullivan provided just that. He deked a Chicopee defenseman with a nifty move to the inside, and lifted a backhand over the shoulder of goalie Dylan Rooney just 3:25 into the opening period to stake the Wave to a quick 1-0 advantage.
“We knew that if we didn’t come out flying, they were going to get some odd-man breaks because that’s their style, they like to dump and chase,” Drew said of Chicopee. “So we knew we needed to get the first goal and keep pounding from there.”
The early strike was just the beginning of a dominant opening period for Greenfield. Kyle Barnes made it 2-0 with a power play goal midway through the stanza, finishing off a spectacular individual effort from Jacob Bryant. The hulking defenseman pinched in on the power play and dropped a no-look pass behind him to Barnes on the doorstep, who buried the shot to double the advantage.
Bryan Baumann made it 3-0 just 57 seconds later, wristing a shot on a breakaway from just inside the blue line with 6:53 remaining.
A 3-0 advantage seemed like a perfect start on the road after one period. But Greenfield wasn’t satisfied, and thanks to some hustle from O’Sullivan and Jacob Croteau, the visitors tacked on one more just before intermission. O’Sullivan put a puck on net with the seconds ticking away, and while Rooney made the save and deflected it away from the Chicopee net, a hard-charging Croteau wouldn’t be denied. The sophomore pounced on the juicy rebound and deposited it into the back of the net just before the buzzer sounded, stunning the Pacers and sending the Wave into the locker room with a commanding 4-0 advantage.
“We push hard and we play 45 minutes of hockey every day,” began Bouchard. “Jake Croteau came down, didn’t stop on the blue line. He could’ve stopped there, knowing only a few seconds left in the period, but he didn’t stop, kept playing hard. That’s his first career varsity goal. To score it in that fashion, it’s hard work paying off. That really raises eyebrows for the rest of the team.”
Drew controlled things from there, frustrating Chicopee forwards by shutting down attempts without allowing rebounds. While his 28 saves were enough to pitch h is second shutout of the season, Monday marked the sixth time this season he’s allowed one goal or fewer.
“Riley’s a great leader,” Bouchard lauded. “He takes it serious from start to finish. We’ve been able to watch him mature over the years. Now in his senior year, he’s playing strong but the best part about Riley’s play is I think he still has another level he can take his game to and we’re excited about that potential.”
For his part, Drew wasn’t satisfied with just a regular-season shutout — the ninth of his career. After the win, he was already focused on Greenfield’s next opponent.
“It’s just another game. That’s how I look at it,” Drew said. “I’ll put it behind me, get ready to play Easthampton on Wednesday and hopefully get another (shutout).”
Sam Knight capped the scoring in the second period, finishing off a breakaway attempt by Baumann with a goal just 56 seconds into the frame. That was more than enough for Greenfield, and the balancing scoring was another welcomed sight for Bouchard & Co.
“Five different goal scorers… to see that happen is pretty awesome,” the coach explained. “But our team defensive concept is something we’ve really been striving for over the years. To see these student-athletes believe in it and work it, listen to the things we’re trying to teach and execute is something to see. We’re definitely happy with the shutout.”
Greenfield returns to Wright Division action Wednesday with an away game at Easthampton (7 p.m.).