Edward Little goalie Gavin Toussaint slides into position to make a save as teammate Cam Audette, center, scrambles to get a stick on the puck before Saint Dominic Academy’s Jeremy Phelan, left, can get a shot off during Wednesday’s game at the Norway Savings Bank Arena. Academy’s (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)
AUBURN — The first time Edward Little and St. Dominic Academy met this season in boys’ hockey the Red Eddies couldn’t come up with any offense.
That wasn’t the case in the rematch Wednesday.
The Red Eddies came out flying, with two goals in the first period, but it took an overtime winner to thwart a complete Saints comeback in a 3-2 victory in a Class A North rivalry clash at Norway Savings Bank Arena.
Gunnar Winslow re-directed a point shot from Dylan Campbell 1:33 into overtime to win it for Edward Little (9-5).
“Great shot. I just happened to tip it, went in,” Winslow said. “I felt it, and I saw it go in. I heard the crowd, I was like, ‘wow.’ I couldn’t believe it went in. It was a great shot, good tip. It’s crazy.”
After getting shut out by the Saints earlier this season the Red Eddies got off to a better start Wednesday. They put five shots on net during an early power play, then Ben Lane-Robichaud scored with a little puck luck on EL’s ninth on-target shot of the first period just under seven minutes in. A weird bounce landed at the feet of Lane-Robichaud in front of the net, and the sophomore took control before slipping a shot around St. Dom’s goalie Gaston Fuksa.
Another Saints (5-6-1) penalty — a five-minute major — produced the Red Eddies’ second goal five minutes later. Campbell’s shot from the left point was stopped by Fuksa, but Winslow slid the rebound through Fuksa’s five hole to make it 2-0.
“I think the key for us — and it’s not just playing St. Dom’s, but anybody — is to get traffic in front,” EL coach Norm Gagne said. “Their goalie is very, very good, and if you let him see the puck he’s going to nine times out of 10 stop the puck. So, for us, we have to get traffic, and getting a guy like Gunnar in there is a good man because he’s a big, big boy. And he’s got good hands, so that if he does get a rebound or a tip he can get it and put it in.”
Edward Little took its turn in the penalty box in the second period, giving the Saints three chances on the power play to cut into the lead. EL goalie Gavin Toussaint denied that opportunity, making saves on the goal line during each of the first two man-advantages.
“We got into a few penalties there, but we survived,” Gagne said. “I thought our penalty kill was good.”
The Saints were a different team in the second, after coming out “flat” in the first, according to coach Bob Parker.
“We made some adjustments, but just asked them to play with a little urgency here because we’re going to get blown out if we don’t change our mindset,” Parker said. “Edward Little took it to us in the first period, they were skating hard. I think they embarrassed our team a little by how hard they were skating, so in the second period our kids took a little pride in the work that we’ve been doing in practice. We’ve been working really hard, so they cared and they skated harder, and it showed.”
More penalties in the third finally bit the Red Eddies. Zach Pelletier scored from Jaden Webster and Jemery Phelan on the power play less than five minutes in, then Jack Ouellette tied the game with a power-play shot from the point — assisted by Michael Cilley — that came off a Pelletier faceoff win after the Saints had called a timeout with just over eight minutes left in regulation.
“We had changed our power play, the people out there, and I went back to what we’d been doing, and I just talked to the two defense people and told them that we need a good shift,” Parker said. “Jack put it in, it was a nice shot, and it made our team closer.”
EL had one last chance to end the game in regulation with a late power play, but Fuksa denied Ben Cassidy with less than four seconds left to send the game to overtime.
Winslow admitted that the Red Eddies were nervous heading into overtime, but the man-advantage gave them reason for optimism. Gagne told his team to stay positive.
“We regrouped and we took advantage of that (power play), and moved the puck well,” Gagne said.
The Red Eddies took three more shots on the power play before the Saints killed it off, but the remnants of the man-advantage allowed them to set up for the game-winner.
Fuksa finished with 24 saves, while Toussaint made 18 for EL.
wkramlich@sunjournal.com
After making a leg save on a slap shot from the point, Saint Dominic Academy goalie Gaston Fuksa swats the puck out of the air and into the corner during Wednesday night’s game. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)
Edward Little’s Gunner Winslow, right, uses his size to shield the puck from Saint Dominic Academy’s Benjamin Gosselin as he looks for a teammate to make a pass during Wednesday night’s game.(Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)
Saint Dominic Academy’s Zach Pelletier, right, slows down Edward Little’s Ben Lane-Robichaud’s shot on goal during Wednesday’s game in Auburn. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)
Edward Little boys hockey coach Norm Gagne gives instructions on the bench during Wednesday’s game against Saint Dominic Academy. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)
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