AUBURN — Lewiston and St. Dominic Academy players joined forces Saturday night. The result meant a win for the North team in the Class A Maine Winter Classic boys’ hockey senior all-star game. The Twin Cities produced three goals in a 4-2 North victory over the South at Norway Savings Bank Arena.
The North All-Stars came out firing in the first period, but Biddeford goalie Tom Green kept his crease clean through much of the opening frame. Then rivals Lewiston and St. Dom’s put aside their differences to put the North on top. Lewiston’s Kyle Morin fed St. Dom’s Austin Roy at the right post for a goal nearly 12 minutes in. Another Blue Devil, Brendon Croteau, provided the secondary assist.
“I’ve been playing with these guys growing up my whole life. It was awesome getting back on the ice with them for my final game. Wouldn’t rather have a different group of guys,” Roy said. “You couldn’t ask for better few linemates. They know where I’m going to be.”
The South tied the game up just 58 seconds later, getting a goal from Scarborough’s Matt Caron, whose Red Storm beat St. Dom’s in last year’s state final but lost to Lewiston a week ago. Caron’s goal was assisted by Scarborough teammate Jack Callahan and Biddeford’s Kerry Crepeau.
“It was great to see him get that goal,” South head coach Norm Gagne of Scarborough said of Caron. “He was in the right spot and he buried it.”
Each team scored an unassisted goal in the second to keep things knotted up. Bangor’s Trevor DeLaite beat Lake Region/Fryeburg/Oxford Hills goalie Trent Spaulding less than two minutes in on a mini breakaway from the right side. Thornton Academy’s Tanner McFarren tied things up six minutes in with a shorthanded goal that eluded Windham/Westbrook netminder Alex Leblanc.
“It was probably a breakdown. They were pressing us,” North head coach Jamie Belleau of Lewiston said. “It seems like the South teams were being pretty aggressive in the playoffs on the PK, and we just got caught.”
Both teams had quality scoring chances late in the period. Biddeford’s Joe Anders rang a shot off the left post that could have put the South on top with three minutes left. Callahan then helped deter a Roy chance from the right side, forcing an off-target shot with 16 seconds left before the second intermission.
Lawrence/Skowhegan’s Sam Haver then made a fine defensive play for the North in the first minutes of the third, clearing a rebound of a Crepeau shot out of the crease after Edward Little’s Devin Dumont made the initial save.
That was one of the few chances for the South, who Gagne admitted had a tough time getting the puck out its own end.
“They seemed to beat us to every loose puck, and we just couldn’t get the puck out,” Gagne said.
The North didn’t have that problem. With a stranglehold on attacking-zone time, it was a matter of when, not if for the North to get one past Scarborough goalie Ross LeBlond.
Morin finally broke that ice eight minutes in, finishing off a pass from Windham/Westbrook’s Zack Callahan. Less than a minute later, Roy scored his second goal of the game, with Croteau and Morin again providing the passes.
“They got out there a few times together and they did some nice things,” Belleau said of the Twin Cities trio.
Dumont needed just the one save to come away with the win. A South timeout with 45 seconds left couldn’t provide a spark, and Gagne was unable to pull LeBlond for one final push.
Roy was named the North’s player of the game, while Caron took home that honor for the South.
“It was awesome,” Roy said of the victory, which came at his home rink. “I’m glad we won and I got to do it with my best buds.”
wkramlich@sunjournal.com
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