The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Comets on top of SWC again
Amherst claims conference title in only second year back after program was discontinued in 2013
It has been four seasons since Amherst hoisted the Southwestern Conference trophy.
In terms of team years, the trophy has not been Amherst’s for only one year.
In only its second year back since vacating the trophy following 2013 due to dormancy, the
Comets can once again call themselves champions, defeating Olmsted Falls, 9-2, in the SWC tournament championship on Jan. 17 at North Olmsted Recreation Center.
“I think last year we came back and had to learn everything and we did great,” Amherst junior Tyler Waldecki said. “This year, it’s kind of all meshed together. Our team chemistry is great.
“It’s just a great feeling to be holding (SWC trophy) right now.”
It was a game where Amherst (21-2-0) could do no wrong, starting with the three goals scored in the opening five minutes down to
junior forward Jacob Fekete clearing a puck off the goal line inches before it rolled in for an Olmsted Falls (109-0) goal with two minutes remaining in the game.
“We’re lucky there,” Amherst coach Steve Morris said. “The guys played hard and I think that (Fekete clearing the puck) is just an example of a guy coming back and working maybe a little extra hard.”
“And maybe in the wrong spot,” Morris added with a chuckle. “Maybe he shouldn’t have been back there.”
The Comets’ fast start came via the sticks of sophomore Jacob Kramer, who scored the game-opening goal just over a minute and a half into the contest, and junior Michael Giannuzzi, who noted a pair of goals two minutes apart with the last coming just over five minutes into the opening period.
A fast start is something the Comets strive for, as the Amherst defense, anchored by sophomore goalie Zac Boesel’s 15 saves, can shut down the best of offenses, allowing 1.5 goals per game so far this season.
“Our defense is huge,” Kramer, who had three goals and two assists, said. “Our coach is great in directing how to play the body. As a result, they didn’t really get any breakaways because our defense was solid and our goaltending was great.”
Those three goals were all Amherst needed to win, but the vicious puck cycling of the Comets resulted in six more goals and Fekete joined Kramer with a hat trick and Waldecki punched in a third period goal on an end-to-end skate.
“I’ll take 9-2 all day,” Fekete said. “Once we got going, we just kept it rolling. We knew we were hot and we just kept going and kept pressuring. Obviously, what we were doing was working, so we just kept rolling.”
The Comets appeared poised to take a 4-0 lead into the second period, but Olmsted Falls sophomore Colin Wilson notched a rebound goal with 48 seconds remaining to make it a 4-1 game after one.
Amherst scored a pair of 5-on-3 power play goals from Fekete in the second period, while Olmsted Falls received a 5-on-4 shorthanded goal from Zach Henley to make it 6-2 after two periods.
The Comets converted on 2 of 4 power play opportunities, while Olmsted Falls, which had converted on 6 of 14 man advantage opportunities throughout the SWC tournament, went 0 of 2.
The tournament win is the fourth for the Comets’ this season. Amherst had previously claimed the DiPaolo Memorial, Parma Christmas and Avon Lake Invitational titles.
Now, the Comets turn their sights on one more tournament: the Baron Cup II.