Shaky start costly for Saugus hockey against Amesbury

SAUGUS – The Saugus boys hockey team didn?t show up ready to play in the first period of Saturday night?s game against Amesbury, and it proved the difference in the outcome. The host Sachems surrendered five goals in the opening 15 minutes, before improving their effort in a 6-2 loss.?Our work ethic, especially in the first period, was just not where it needed to be for a high school hockey game,” said Saugus coach Jeff Natalucci. “We played a good team who was ready from the get-go. We just weren?t hungry enough.”Amesbury (4-0-2) dominated the Sachems, scoring four times in under four and a half minutes, before answering Saugus? lone tally of the first period with its fifth goal of the frame with less than a second remaining.Tabor Smith (3 assists in the first) opened the scoring 4:13 in, jamming home a second effort on the backhand after his initial wrist shot forced a rebound. J.T. Chamberlain picked up the first of three first-period helpers on the play.Only 44 seconds separated the Indians? ensuing two tallies, the first from Connor Stevens, who redirected Austin Toohey?s shot from the point past Saugus goalie Anthony Allan. Patrick Rodden picked up the secondary assist.Amesbury upped the lead to three at the 8:06 mark on what looked like an own goal off a Sachems defenseman at the side of the net. Connor Foley was credited with his first high school goal on assists from Chamberlain and Smith, who also set up Stevens for his second tally on the power play at 8:32.Saugus (1-4-0) finally got on the scoreboard with 1:12 to play when co-captain Steve Kay popped a shot to the top left corner on the power play. Chris Sanderson set up the play after controlling the puck at the bottom of the left circle before finding Kay, who created some space in the slot.The visitors wasted little time in getting the goal back as Foley took advantage of a last-second lapse in effort by the Sachems to score with 14:59 showing. Smith picked up his fourth point of the period.The story of the second was the revival of Allan, who, after allowing five goals on 14 shots in the opening period, stopped all 10 shots he faced in the second. The Sachems would score the only goal in the frame, again coming from Kay, who scored unassisted on a wrist shot from the bottom of the left circle.A mainly uneventful third period saw Amesbury score the game?s final goal with 27 seconds remaining. Travis Motsis (from Andy Reidy) scored on a semi-breakaway after fighting through a slash that had drawn a delayed penalty. Allan made eight saves in the final 15 minutes.?We didn?t support Anthony in the first but he bounced back for the final two periods,” explained Natalucci of his netminder, who finished with 26 saves. “Our biggest problem has been playing as individuals, and it really hurt us again tonight.”