ROCKY HILL - A pair of Zack Forrest goals highlighted a relentless Wethersfield-Middletown-Rocky offense, but it wasn’t enough to edge Norwalk-McMahon in what would be a 3-2 loss at home for the 1-7 co-op team.

       Forrest tallied his first goal of the night late in the second period--the first time all game that the energy displayed in the Co-op’s attack. They dominated offensive zone possession and peppered Bears goaltender Grant Riordon with shots throughout the contest, which paid off on the scoreboard.

       With the Bears up 2-0, the Co-Op went on the power play with Forrest and line mate Paul Wheately, the duo responsible for most of their early scoring chances, to go to work in the Norwalk-McMahon zone.

       Forrest was controlling the puck along the left boards when he spun away from a Bears check and found Wheately camped out in the corner. He fed him and crashed the net, receiving the return pass in prime real estate--right in the Bears’ slot. His one-timer found the back of the net with 5:30 left to play in the period.

       But with just over 2 minutes left before the second intermission, the Bears would strike again. When a centering pass in the Co-op defensive zone was blocked but not cleared, Norwalk-McMahon would capitalize to regain the two-goal lead.

       Forrest added his second tally late in the third.

       The Co-op finished the first period on the defensive, working to kill a five-minute major penalty issued on a boarding call. The penalty killing unit held strong, mostly preventing the Bears from setting up, while Co-op goaltender Stephen Vaughn turned away a few point-blank scoring chances.

       But with 12 seconds left before the teams went back to even strength, the Bears capitalized. With the puck at the point and traffic in front of the net, a Norwalk-McMahon defenseman put the puck on goal. Somewhere in the crowd it hit a stick and changed direction, beating Vaughn for the 1-0 Bears lead.

       With around 12:50 left to play in regulation, Wheately almost set up Forrest again, this time feathering a pass from center to spring him on the breakaway. He shot high, but Riordon got a piece of it, turning it wide and to the glass to maintain the one-goal lead.

       The Co-op dropped a 6-1 decision to Newington Co-op, currently on a three-game unbeaten streak, at Newington Arena on Saturday.