High school hockey: Amherst clinches Red Division with late goal against Hudson

LAKEWOOD — That's how you make history. Amherst clinched its first Red Division championship in the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League with a dramatic victory as Noah Cheatham jammed the puck in the net just before the final horn for a 4-3 win over Hudson at the Winterhurst Ice Arena on Sunday afternoon. The Comets improved to 20-9 and finished the GCHSHL season at 6-2, one game clear of Rocky River and Mentor. After Amherst took a 3-1 lead in the second period, the Explorers scored twice in 43 seconds in the third and had Amherst on the ropes before Cheatham's heroics. "This is how we have been playing the second half of the year," Comets coach Steve Morris said. "We just keep coming and coming and finding ways to win games. Both teams had great goaltending. This was just a good game for both teams." After a scoreless first period, it only took Hudson 27 seconds to get on the board when John Paul Fliss redirected a shot past Anthony Schubert (37 saves). The Comets finally got on the board thanks to their great forechecking and scored the next three goals. Sebastian Smith was in the right place at the right time when Fisher Sims sent a shot in on Ben Pinkerton (24 saves) that was turned away right to Smith, who scored at 10:28 to tie it. Maddox Groom showed off his forechecking ability, forcing a turnover and turning it into an unassisted goal at 8:23 of the second. Smith capped the period by taking the puck end-to-end off a pass from Deakin Kelley to put the Comets in front 3-1 with 4:12 left in the second. The Explorers (15-13, 4-4) turned up the offensive pressure in the third, looking for a win that would have forced a four-way tie atop the division. The pressure paid off as Brody Carter scored at 7:32 in the middle of a scrum in front of the goal and Max Koerbel tied things up 43 seconds later off a pass from Jake Zuydhoek. Hudson kept up the pressure in the closing minutes, but the defense and Schubert held up before Amherst blocked a shot with the clock winding down. Sims moved the puck up the ice quickly, where it was poked away by an Explorer to Cheatham, who put it home. "We really hustled those last 10 seconds and I had to take a chance to get close to the goal," Cheatham said. "I couldn't really see how the puck got to me, but I was able to get off a good shot. I honestly was a little worried that the official might wave off the goal. "We worked hard every day, we're part of a family and it means a lot to do this for the first time for Amherst." Contact James Brady at (440) 329-7135 or jbrady_ct@yahoo.com. Amherst 4, Hudson 3 SECOND PERIOD: (H) John Paul Fliss (Ace Berghoff, Max Koerbel), 14:33, (A) Sebastian Smith (Fisher Sims), 10:28, (A) Maddox Groom (unassisted), 8:23, (A) Smith (Deakin Kelley), 4:12. PENALTIES: None. THIRD PERIOD: (H) Brody Carter (Nolan Carter, Jake Zuydhoek), 7:32, (H) Koerbel (Zuydhoek), 6:45, (A) Noah Cheatham (unassisted), 0:01. PENALTIES: (A) Noah Riley (2:00 tripping), 14:02. Hudson 0 1 2 — 3 Amherst 0 3 1 — 4 Shots on goal: Hudson 40 (8-15-17), Amherst 28 (10-9-9). Goalies: Hudson: Ben Pinkerton (28 shots, 24 saves), Amherst: Anthony Schubert (40 shots, 37 saves). Power-play opportunities: Hudson 0-1, Amherst 0-0.