AUBURN — Edward Little needed to jump start its offense to end a two-game losing streak that came on the heels of a season-opening, two-game winning streak.
Unbeaten Cape Elizabeth and senior goalie Grant Rusk made life difficult, yet the Red Eddies found a way to rise to the occasion for a 3-2 boys’ hockey victory in the first round of the Gippers Holiday Tournament at Norway Savings Bank Arena on Friday night.
The Red Eddies (3-2) came out firing,sending nine shots on net in the first period. None of the first eight hit, but a shot from the right point by Cam Audet with 5.9 seconds left in the opening period found its way into the goal. That tally came against Cape Elizabeth’s other goalie, sophomore Peter Haber, who played the final five minutes of the first while Rusk dealt with an equipment issue.
The Capers (2-1-1) seized back momentum early in the second period, as Tim Corsello took advantage of an open net to make it 1-1 less than two minutes in. EL goalie Devin Dumont made a diving attempt at a loose puck at the top of his crease, and in the process collided with a Capers player, giving the senior captain Corsello an open invitation.
The Red Eddies continued to outshoot the Capers in the middle period — by a 12-5 margin — but Cape Elizabeth head coach Matthew Buotte said he thought his team was the better team in the frame.
“We had them on their heels the whole second period,” Buotte said. “It was kind of a fluke goal, and you could see them coming unraveled.”
A power play turned the tide back in favor of the hosts, however, as Alex Glidden went to the box 1:33 into the third, and Tyler Couture scored five seconds later for EL, sniping from the left point off a faceoff win by Matt Verrill.
The Red Eddies scored again just 85 seconds later, as Couture fed Max Giard, who streaked down the right side and beat Rusk (22 saves) through the five-hole.
“That was huge. That got us going,” EL head coach Craig Latuscha said. “(Couture) plays with his heart on his sleeve and he plays with a lot of emotion, sometimes a little too much emotion. He’s kind of like our vocal guy out there, and really gets them going.”
The Capers cut the deficit to one with a quick power-play goal of their own four minutes in. Glidden kept going after his own rebound and finally got an attempt past Dumont 11 seconds into the man-advantage.
Latuscha said his team “kind of sat back a little bit” after going up 3-1, but the Capers couldn’t take advantage enough to net the equalizer.
“When you look at the game plan tonight, it was pretty much get the puck on net,” said Buotte, who was perturbed by his team’s total of 16 shots in the game. “I think when we did get the puck to the net we created all kinds of havoc.”
Havoc ensued at the end, with Latuscha calling the win “nerve-wracking,” but it was a big win for the Red Eddies, who beat one of Class B’s best teams.
EL will face another Class B team in the championship game of the tournament, facing familiar foe Leavitt at 8 p.m. The game has no bearing on the MPA Heal Point standings, but Latuscha said playing a rival needs no extra motivation. The matchup being part of a tournament the Red Eddies have hosted now for 22 years helps as well.
“It’s for a trophy. It’s for the tournament trophy that’s near and dear to our hearts,” Latuscha said. “Our seniors haven’t lost it in three years, and hopefully tomorrow we continue to keep it.”
Cape Elizabeth faces Poland/Gray-New Gloucester/Oak Hill in the consolation game at 6 p.m.
wkramlich@sunjournal.com
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