AUBURN — A late addition to the roster got the North team off to an early start in Saturday’s Class B Maine Winter Classic boys’ hockey senior all-star game. Houlton/Hodgdon’s Billy Phillips, who wasn’t on the printed roster for fans, scored four goals for the North, which won 5-1 at Norway Savings Bank Arena.
“I didn’t find out ’til Wednesday that I was playing,” Phillips said.
Phillips was in the right place at the right time twice in the first six minutes and change. He collected a rebound from a Chris Hoxie (Old Town/Orono) shot and slipped a shot under Cape Elizabeth goalie Grant Rusk for his first goal less than three minutes in. Just over three minutes later Waterville’s Michael Oliveria fed Phillips from the left corner for a one-timer right in front.
North head coach Dennis Martin of Waterville called Phillips a “very pleasant surprise.”
“Always the right place at the right time, and took advantage of all his chances,” Martin said of Phillips.
At the other end of the ice, Winslow goalie Andrew Beals kept the North net clean, stopping all nine shots he faced in the first period — including a hard shot from Yarmouth’s Walter Conrad that led to scrum in front of the net.
Presque Isle’s Jillian Flynn took over for Beals in the second and gave up a goal on the first shot she faced. It was a tough first save to try to make, with Gorham’s Carl Bear skating fast up the left boards before cutting to the net and firing a shot under Flynn on a power play just over four minutes in.
“He’s a goal scorer. He’s been all year in the league,” South head coach David St. Pierre of Yarmouth said of Bear. “He’s got a nice, quick release. It was a nice goal, and Walt did a nice job setting him up.”
Flynn proceeded to stop the final five shots she faced in the middle period.
Rusk’s second period was the reverse of Flynn’s. The Capers netminder had a quieter second period than the first, stopping the first five shots that came his way. Then he was hung out to dry on a North power play in the final minute. Oliveira found Winslow’s Jimmy Fowler at the right post, then Fowler quickly fed the puck to a wide-open Jonah Cameron (Camden Hills) in front of the net. Cameron didn’t miss, putting the North up 3-1 with 15 seconds before the second intermission.
Phillips completed a hat trick just over two minutes into the third, beating Rusk on a second try off an assist from Waterville’s Nick Denis. There was no assist needed for Phillips on his fourth goal with less than four minutes to play.
“It was unreal. I’ve never felt like that before,” said Phillips, who had never scored four goals in a game before. “It feels pretty good. Not many kids from Aroostook County came here. So it feels good to come down here and score.”
Rusk got a measure of revenge against Phillips, stopping the North’s player of the game twice in the final minute.
“Unfortunately he’s the only senior goalie we had in our league,” St. Pierre said of Rusk, who made 23 saves. “He gave us (his) all tonight, and proud of his effort. Having to play all three periods is tough against quality opponents.”
Bear was named the player of the game for the South after scoring the lone goal for the South All-Stars.
wkramlich@sunjournal.com
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