WALES — Maranacook/Winthrop peppered Oak Hill to the tune of 20 goals the first time the two teams met back on April 25 with the Raiders playing without regular starting goaltender Matty Martin.
Martin was back in net for the second go round Friday, but not even the four-year Oak Hill starter could slow down the Hawks’ high-octane offense. Maranacook/Winthrop scored five goals in each of the first three quarters en route to a 17-4 victory over the Raiders.
“We were just running a very basic motion package and they were just playing lacrosse and doing a great job playing lacrosse,” Maranacook/Winthrop coach Zach Stewart said. “I’m really proud of my boys playing offensively today. They did a fantastic job.”
Denver Cram outscored the entire Oak Hill team with five goals for the Hawks. Josh Murphy and Kyle Morand each recorded hat tricks, while Ty Smith and Bailey Clark finished with two goals apiece.
“They were just giving us space,” Clark said. “They were running a zone and we were spinning the ball, finding the open man and taking our shots.”
Since being held to three goals in a season-opening loss to North Yarmouth Academy, Maranacook/Winthrop is averaging 15.8 goals per game during its current nine-game winning streak. The Hawks (9-1) have scored at least 10 goals in each game during their current run.
Maranacook/Winthrop wasted no time getting on the board, as Murphy beat Martin on the first shot of the game 49 seconds into the first quarter on a feed from Will Grimes.
“We just wanted to come out on fire,” Clark said. “We knew it was going to be a different team than what we played in the beginning. Once we got the first run it all rolled from there.”
The Raiders (3-6) answered on their first shot of the game as well. Off a Hawks turnover, Matt Gilbert bounced a shot past Maranacook/Winthrop goaltender Isaiah Weston to square the game with 10:14 left in the first quarter.
The Hawks broke the game open after that, scoring 10 of the next 11 goals to grab an 11-2 lead early in the third quarter. They netted three unanswered goals in the span of 1:05 before Oak Hill’s Steven Gilbert scored his team’s final goal of the first half with eight minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
Suffocating defense by the Hawks, turnovers and penalties kept the Raiders off the scoreboard for the next 22:36.
“We were so hard on riding,” Stewart said. “Everyone on our team knows if you’re not riding you’re not playing. I’m very serious about that. The games are won in between the restraining lines.”
Oak Hill struggled to execute clears as passes were off the mark and others were dropped. The Raiders spent a good chunk of the second and third quarters down a man, being whistled for seven of their eight penalties during that time period.
“They’re the better team right now,” Oak Hill coach Dan Brannigan said. “You don’t need a 15-goal win to show you that. But passing and catching, groundballs, simply fundamentals. When we do them we’ll take the next step up as a team. Until then, we’re going to continue to take lumps like this.”
With the Raiders offense held in check, the Hawks responded with seven unanswered goals during that stretch. Murphy, Cram and Clark scored twice during the run. Canwell had the other marker. Nearly all of Maranacook/Winthrop’s first-half goals came within 10-feet of the cage.
“It was just quick ball movement, our fundamentals and high-percentage shots,” Stewart said. “That’s really what we wanted to do today, especially against a really good keeper.”
A goal by Kaleb Sturtevant stopped the bleeding for Oak Hill with 9:24 to play in the third quarter. But the Hawks would respond with the final four goals of the frame — two more by Cram — for a 15-3 lead. His final goal of the contest came on a fast break with 11 seconds left in the third. Cram converted on a long outlet pass by Smith, burying his final shot past Martin.
“We just do our thing,” Cram said. “Spin the ball, work as a team.”
Martin played the role of facilitator, dishing out a game-high six assists. Thirteen of the Hawks’ 17 goals were assisted.
A running clock and a few point-blank saves from Martin kept the Hawks from reaching the 20-goal plateau for the second time against Oak Hill. Their final goal was the niftiest as Ben McLaughlin golfed a loose ball off the ground into the net, becoming the seventh goal scorer for Maranacook/Winthrop on the day.
The Hawks won 15 of 24 faceoffs and held a 34-7 edge in shots. The Raiders managed just one shot on goal in each of the final three quarters, scoring on two of them.
Martin finished with 17 saves. Weston made three stops, all coming in the first half.
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