AUBURN — With both squads coming off back-to-back losses, the Leavitt and Kennebunk boys’ hockey teams were each looking to turn the tide Wednesday night.
Both teams had scored just two goals in their last two games and needed to find the finishing touch. It was the Rams who found the net more often despite an evenly played game. Kennebunk got some timely tallies, while Leavitt struggled to cash in on its chances in a 7-1 Rams victory at the Norway Savings Bank Arena.
“I was happy with the way we played for two periods,” said Leavitt coach Joe Hutchinson, whose team had scored just two goals in the previous two games. “We had some days off. We didn’t play well the last two games. Most of it was the effort thing, and the effort was there. I’m happy with the effort. I just wish we could have taken a couple of those goals back.”
Kennebunk was also on a two-game losing streak, losing by a total of 14-2 in the previous two outings. The Rams scored early in the first and netted a pair of quick goals in the second to build the lead and seize control of the game.
“We’ve been working hard in practice on finishing,” Kennebunk coach Sean Smith said. “In the past, we had a tough time finishing shots, but we’ve practiced a lot and told the boys to bear down and make sure they take advantage of all their opportunities.”
Senior defenseman Donovan Connor scored three goals and had an assist for the Rams (4-5-1). James Ross had a goal and two assists, while Patrick Gassman and Nate Jewett each had a goal an and assist. Leavitt’s only goal came from Connor Cyr.
“(Leavitt) played well but we were able to get a couple of quick ones there toward the end,” Smith said. “Once we were able to get them moving and stretch the ice, we had the advantage.”
The Rams, ranked sixth in Class B South, scored just 3:56 into the game. Ross won the puck in the right corner and slipped it out front where Jewett was all alone for a quick shot.
“That was a mistake in our defensive zone coverage,” Hutchinson said. “Our defense left the front of the night open, and we basically had two-on-none. I also had a winger over on the boards. So really, in the first period, we made one mistake. It really should have been 0-0 after one.”
Kennebunk outshot Leavitt in the first, 4-3. In the second, the Hornets (2-6) had a number of opportunities and outshot the Rams, 11-6. It was Kennebunk that did most of the scoring.
Ross scored just 25 seconds into the second for the quick 2-0 lead. Jewett fed him a pass from behind the net. Then at 5:14, Connor took a pass from Boden Beveridge and went in alone for a backhander. Connor made it 4-0 when he one-timed a Gassman pass with 3:42 left while the teams skated four-on-four. Leavitt got its goal moments later when Cyr scored, while also skating four-on-four. Joey Baumann and Taylor Scribner had assists on the Hornets goal.
“(Connor) played a great game tonight,” Smith said. “He was able to get the two in the second period and gave us a little breathing room.”
Leavitt, which is ranked ninth in Class B South, had some quality chances in the second. Blaine Arsenault had a couple of bids that were saved by Kennebunk goalie Spencer Desrochers. Baumann had a shot from the right side that was stopped. Desroches finished with 16 saves. Leavitt netminder Dakota Soucy had 14 saves. Caleb Morlano finished the third period for Leavitt and made four stops.
Kennebunk finished things off in the third. Gassman scored on the power play with 7:01 left. Then Connor and William O’Neil scored in the final two minutes.
“I was proud of the boys in the second and third periods,” Smith said. “They really were able to bear down and finish, especially in the third. We smelled blood in the water, in a way, and you want to bear down and finish your opponent. It’s hard to do sometimes. We’ve struggled with that. We’ve let teams hang around a little too much. Tonight we did a great job and a couple of (third period) goals helped a lot.”
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