H.S. Hockey: Amherst ousted in Baron Cup semifinal after rough second period

BROOKLYN — Amherst and Hudson weren't separated by much this season, and that was the case once again in the Baron Cup semifinal Friday, as the Explorers came away with a 3-1 win. The two regular-season matchups were decided by one goal each, a pair of wins for Amherst. The second of which came just five days ago and featured a last-second winner to hand the Comets the Red Division title. "Our whole division is pretty even," said Amherst coach Steve Morris. "The top four teams, we mostly split against each other. It's a goal here or a goal there, so we just have to go play by play and do our own thing. But when you're playing back-to-back, you're a little bit more familiar with what they do and they're familiar with what you do." The first period Friday was just as close, with Hudson recording 12 shots to Amherst's 11 as the teams went into the second period scoreless. The second period, however, saw the Explorers take control. Just under four minutes into the period, Luke Fliss put them up 1-0, and 33 seconds later, Nolan Carter found the net to make it 2-0. "I think we came out a little flat," Morris said. "In the second period, they jumped on us and a couple went in. I thought both teams played really well in the first period, but then we got a little behind and we needed a little puck luck. I thought the guys played really hard, and sometimes it just doesn't work." The second period was one of the most lopsided the teams played this year, with the Explorers outshooting the Comets 16-4 and putting one foot firmly in the final. It then took the Explorers just 57 seconds in the third to all but seal their place in the final, with Fliss scoring his second of the night to make it 3-0. "That third goal made it a great deal more difficult," Morris said. "We had to press a little more and we had to take a few more chances. I thought we reacted well to it and had some really good chances there at the end." The Comets put plenty of pressure on Explorers goaltender Ben Pinkerton as the third period went on, but he was able to stifle them until there were fewer than 90 seconds left and Vinny Kelley finally made the breakthrough. Kelley's goal was too little, too late. Amherst will turn its attention to the state playoffs and will find out its first-round opponent next week. "I told them to be proud of the journey we've been on to get to this point," Morris said. "I told them to pick their heads up, we'll get back to work on Tuesday and see what we can do in states." Contact Will Cunningham at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Hudson 3, Amherst 1 FIRST PERIOD: None. PENALTIES: None. SECOND PERIOD: (H) Luke Fliss (Willy Jia), 11:20, (H) Nolan Carter (Max Koerbel, Marshall Murdough), 10:47. PENALTIES: None. THIRD PERIOD: (H) Luke Fliss (Koerbel, John Paul Fliss), 14:03, (A) Vinny Kelley (Mason Lamoreaux), 1:27. PENALTIES: None. Hudson&emsp;0&emsp;2&emsp;1&emsp;—&emsp;3 Amherst&emsp;0&emsp;0&emsp;1&emsp;—&emsp;1 Shots on goal: Hudson 38 (12-16-10), Amherst 27 (11-4-12) Goalies: Hudson: Ben Pinkerton (27 shots, 26 saves), Amherst: Anthony Schubert (38 shots, 35 saves) Power-play opportunities: Hudson 0-0, Amherst 0-0.