High school hockey: Amherst makes it a game but slow start too much to overcome in loss to Rocky River

ROCKY RIVER — It's hard to play catch-up in hockey. A fast start for Rocky River kept Amherst playing from behind, but the Comets gave themselves a chance in the final two minutes before the Pirates held off a furious rally to preserve a 3-2 win Thursday. "We didn't come out very strong in the first period," said Amherst's Nick Ciura, who scored the team's first goal and assisted on the other. "We definitely turned it on in the second. It was relieving to get on the board there. We just needed to get it up ice and convert." Rocky River (7-5-1) took advantage of Amherst's slow start with two goals in the opening period. Alex Parnell was at the center of both, feeding Jackson Herrmann in front of the net less than three minutes in for the opening goal, then finding Grayson Hess in transition to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead as the first period expired. Amherst (8-5-1, 0-3-1 Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League Red Division) had a chance to tie the game midway through the first on a power-play opportunity, but Rocky River held the Comets to one shot and cleared the puck four times. The Comets' first-period troubles almost spilled into the second when Thomas Hall was called for interference with 10 seconds left, allowing Rocky River to start the second a man up. Just as that penalty was about to expire, Avery Winkelman was called for a tripping foul, giving the Pirates a two-man advantage for 33 seconds. However, Amherst kept them off the board with three clears, limiting Rocky River to three shots. "We didn't come out very strong first period, including me," said Amherst goalkeeper River Ambroz, who finished with 32 saves. "I think we picked it up toward the end. We tried to have a more positive mindset going into the second and third." Amherst started to find its rhythm when Ciura finished a nice feed from Winkelman to make it 2-1 at the 7:31 mark, but Parnell answered for Rocky River less than a minute later. Ciura fed Joey Kramer a point-blank shot early in the third, cutting the deficit back to one with 11:55 to play. The Comets strung together seven third-period shots and pulled Ambroz with two minutes left to give themselves a man up, but couldn't find the back of the net to force the tie. "That goal helped," Amherst coach Steve Morris said. "I think we put enough pressure on them and that we had some opportunities, but we took some bad shots. River (Ambroz) did a nice job of stopping their opportunities, and that gave us the opportunity to come back. Anytime you can get a goal to make it 3-2 with 10 minutes left you know you have a chance. We're still trying to learn how to compete for three periods." Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com and follow him @CSweeney1686 on Twitter. Rocky River 3, Amherst 2 FIRST PERIOD: (RR) Jackson Herrmann (Alex Parnell), 12:42. (RR) Grayson Hess (Parnell), 0:37. PENALTIES — (RR) Herrmann (2:00, too many men), 9:04. (A) Thomas Hall (2:00, interference), 0:10.SECOND PERIOD: (A) Nick Ciura (Avery Winkelman), 7:31. (RR) Parnell, 6:50. PENALTIES — (A) Winkelman (2:00, tripping), 13:48.THIRD PERIOD — (A) Joey Kramer (Ciura), 11:55. Amherst &emsp;&emsp; 0&emsp;&emsp;1&emsp;&emsp;1&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;2Rocky River&emsp;&emsp;2&emsp;&emsp;1&emsp;&emsp;0&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;3 SHOTS ON GOAL: Amherst 24 (5-12-7), Rocky River 35 (15-10-10). GOALIES: (A) River Ambroz (35 shots, 32 saves); (RR) Niko Rose (24 shots, 22 saves). POWER-PLAY OPPORTUNITIES: Amherst 0-1, Rocky River 0-2.