Late comeback not enough for Tigers to pull out victory against St. Francis

Junior Steve Rubach scored his third goal in four games as the Tigers just missed pulling it out in the late stages, losing to St. Francis 4-2 in Section VI Western New York Varsity Hockey Federation play on Saturday.

The Tigers trailed 1-0 after one period of play, but rallied against St. Francis to tie it up 1-1 on the power play in the second. Junior Al McQuiggan ringed it around the boards back to senior defensemen David Moore. Moore took the puck and deked through two forwards before unleashing a laser of a slap shot that beat the St. Francis goalie top corner.

"That was a beautiful goal," said Amherst coach Rich Crozier. "I told David I've been waiting for him to do that on the power play for three years. It's great to see how much this young man has developed into an excellent all-around hockey player."

Moore's goal sparked the Tigers who then dominated the second period outshooting St. Francis, 9-6. Penalty trouble plagued the Tigers, who had to kill off three 5 on 3 advantages which allowed St. Francis to take a 4-1 lead.

The Tigers showed tremendous determination when they battled back again, this time with 1:44 left in the game. A strong 45-second shift resulted in St. Francis being unable to clear the puck. All that work paid off when Junior Zach Willett found Rubach stationed in front. Rubach made no mistake and fired the puck by the sprawled-out goaltender. For Rubach, it was his team-leading third goal in four games and Willett's second assist in four games.

"There is no secret to Steven's or his lines' success," says Crozier. "All they do is outwork their opponent and capitalize on their chances. It exciting to see this line contribute each game, and continue to spark the entire team."

Freshman Sean Smith played well for the Tigers, stopping 22 shots.

The Tigers next game is Saturday when they take on Bishop Timon-St. Jude at the Pepsi Center's Feature Rink.

"I told the boys after the game there was not much to be disappointed about," said Crozier. "We outworked them for much of the game and had an opportunity to win. Unfortunately, penalty trouble, especially the 5 on 3's hurt our chances. We'll need that same effort next Saturday without the penalties to beat Timon."

Early Bird Tournament proves to be good test

Amherst opened up its season the weekend of Nov. 24-25 with their annual Early Bird Tournament sponsored by Jim Murphy Pontiac, Buick and GMC Truck.

This year's teams included rival Sweet Home as well as Section V's Geneva and Webster.

"This year's tournament was one of the most competitive to date," said Crozier. "Going into the second games on Saturday, every team had an opportunity to win the championship. It made for some exciting hockey."

The Tigers opened up the tournament Friday night against Geneva. Geneva struck twice late in the first period with their second goal on the power play coming with eight seconds remaining in the first period.

"Those type of goals can be backbreakers," said Crozier. "But the way we responded was very impressive."

Senior Chris Scumarra won the faceoff and quickly passed it to linemate Zach Willett. Willett entered the zone with less than five seconds left in the period, shot the puck and junior Steve Rubach banged home the rebound with only one second remaining in the period.

"That changed the momentum of the hockey game," said Crozier. "To come back and score seven seconds later really gave our team a much needed lift. That was a big goal for us."

The Tigers carried that momentum right into the second period's opening faceoff. Junior Al McQuiggan won the faceoff back to sophomore defenseman Kevin Denny who threw the puck up the middle and hit Mike Gruttaduria with a breakaway pass. Gruttaduria made no mistakes, beating the Geneva goalie five-hole with a quick shot, tying the game at 2-2.

"We scored two goals in eight seconds battling back from being down," said Crozier. "They'll be times this season when we'll need to come from behind like that so it was great to see us do it in our first game."

Despite numerous chances by both teams, including a series of breakaways by the Tigers, the score ended in a 2-2 tie.

Freshman goalie Sean Smith played very well in his debut, stopping 27 Geneva shots.

The next day, the Tigers faced Section V's Webster and again fell behind by two in the first period.

"We came out a little flat to start the game," said Crozier. "We need to improve on that as the season continues, but again I was impressed with our response."

In what looked to be a replay from the night before, the line of Scamurra, Rubach and Willett struck again, this time with seven seconds left in the period.

Scamurra entered Webster's zone and found Rubach streaking down the left side. Rubach received the nice pass and quickly shot the puck, beating the goalie high over his right shoulder. For Rubach, it was his second goal in as many games.

A third goal for Webster late in the second was the only other tally in the game. Webster held off the Tigers despite 22 shots, winning 3-1.

"Back to back games are tough this early in the season, and we looked winded in the late stages of the hockey game," said Crozier. "All is not lost, there were many positives that we'll build upon. This was a good test for our hockey team."

Smith played very well again, saving 28 Webster shots. For his effort Smith earned all-tournament team honors.