Telegraph photo by TOM KING Bedford's Kerr Quinlan moves in on Nashua South-Pelham goalie Nate Serrentino for what was a breakaway goal duirng the Bulldogs' 9-0 win Saturday at Sullivan Arena.

GOFFSTOWN – When you’re the Nashua High School South-Pelham hockey team going up against a juggernaut like Bedford, you hope for the best.

But the way the Kings have improved in the last year, you never expect the worst. Yet Saturday’s 9-0 loss at the hands of the Bulldogs at Saint Anselm’s Sullivan Arena was pretty close to that.

“We’re making some changes and trying to see what we can do,” a subdued Kings coach Shawn Connors said. “There’s a lot of changes. I don’t know really what to say today. It was a tough game.”

It was 5-0 after the first period, as things started badly with a Bulldog shorthanded breakaway goal by Parker Roberto at 3:08 of the first period, and a minute later the Bulldogs got two goals a minute apart, one by Jake Sanclemente and another at 6:04 by Owen Hutchins for a 3-0 lead.

“We went over adjustments, breaking the puck out, and this and that, and it’s just not clicking,” Connors said. “I think their nerves are getting the best of them. They’re getting out there and making bad choices.”

It’s been a tough week for the 3-5 Kings, who struggled at times in a win over Central-West and face tough Concord on Monday afternoon before the schedule eases a bit. They got forward John Pinksten back, but Nolan Foss, who had a hat trick the other day, was said by Connors to be out for an injury-related reason and the team’s other goalie, Nolan LaCroix, is not with the team now for reasons he would not comment on.

LaCroix played the last few games while Nate Serrentino was nursing an injury. Serrentino had 27 stops Saturday, but got off to a slow start.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are sailing at 8-0-1. Bedford had eight different players score as Roberto had two goals and an assist. Also tallying were Jack Sylvain, Quinlan Kerr, Tim Spencer, Kambal Vaidya, and William Scott. Sylvain also had two assists. Bulldog goalie Ben Bernard had seven stops.

“I think we’re on course,” Bedford coach Marty Myers said of his team at the halftway point. “The true test will be the second nine (games.)

“Today was good to see. We played to the situation. … We scored 5-on-5, we scored on the penalty kill, and we scored on the power play.”

And the Kings need to regroup.

“We just have to keep pumping them up and make them realize they can play against these teams,” Connors said. “They’re psyching themselves out.”

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