Oxford Hills’ Seamus Winning, left, and Lewiston’s Hunter King battle for a loose ball during Wednesday’s playoff game at Lewiston. Sun Journal photo by Russ Dillingham
LEWISTON — Lewiston used a well-balanced attack to defeat Oxford Hills 12-1 in a Class A North quarterfinal game Wednesday on Don Roux Field.
The third-seeded Blue Devils advance take on No. 2 Portland in the regional semifinals Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium at 1 p.m.
Junior attacker Logan Michaud had four goals and two assists and Willie Blanchette scored three times for the Blue Devils in Wednesday’s game. Sam Payne and Tanner Cortes each contributed two goals.
Oxford Hills’ Patrick Paine, right, defends against Lewiston’s Sam Payne as he heads toward the net during Wednesday’s game in Lewiston. Sun Journal photo by Russ Dillingham
“We really focused today on taking care of the ball. We had some moments in the first quarter I thought we could have done a lot better at that,” Lewiston coach Ben Fournier said. “A lot of the seniors stepped up today, they knew this (was) their last home game, win or lose. All positions all over the field, they all stepped up and led the charge. The younger guys followed suit and things fell into place really well.”
The Blue Devils (10-3) struck quickly as Michaud scored 16 seconds into the contest. Tanner Cortes set up the goal.
Blanchette scored his first goal early in the first quarter off an assist by Matt Cooper.
“We knew we had to come out of the gate firing,” Fournier said. “We knew Oxford Hills was going to be battling, (Oxford Hills coach) Hunter (Rowell) has done a great job with that program, getting them turned around in recent years.”
The Vikings had some early chances, with five shots in the first quarter, but Lewiston goalie Hunter Steele only needed to make two of his nine saves in the opening 12 minutes.
Steele credited the players in front of him for making his job easier.
Oxford Hills’ Patrick Paine, left and Seamus Winning, right, and others try to stop Lewiston’s Sam Payne as he muscles his way toward the net during Wednesday’s playoff game in Lewiston. Sun Journal photo by Russ Dillingham
“I don’t know if anything clicked for me personally, but our defense was just clicking,” Steele said. “We really had great slides today and kept them at a distance. I think that helped, I was able to see the ball that way.”
Rowell was hoping shots could have came closer to Steele, but the Vikings couldn’t make it happen.
“We were supposed to come in a little more against these guys because we played these guys before,” Rowell said. “We just tried to do those outside shots that worked very well for us this season. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the best of choices today.”
Michaud picked up his second goal of the game later in the first when he rolled the ball through Vikings goalie Nathan Plourde’s legs.
The Blue Devils wanted to throw different looks at Plourde.
“It’s really important to make sure that the goaltender can’t know what you are going to do every time,” Michaud said. “You change it up a bit so the ball keeps going in.
Lewiston’s Logan Michaud, left, and Jack Madden, right, close in on Oxford Hills’ Thomas Bancroft as he moves up the field during the first half of Wednesday’s playoff game in Lewiston. Sun Journal photo by Russ Dillingham
Plourde had six saves and Parker Lessard made two for the Vikings (8-5)
Michaud took a pass from an off-balance Sam Payne and complete his hat trick early in the second quarter.
Lewiston stretched the lead to 6-0 late in the second quarter. Michaud found Cortes going to the net for a 5-0 lead and Willie Blanchette added his second goal of the half.
The Blue Devils then scored quickly to start the third quarter. Cortes scored on a man-up situation, and shortly thereafter Sam Payne tallied his first goal of the game.
Gavin Cronkhite scored in the middle of the third quarter to put Lewiston up 9-0.
Mo Karim was the only Oxford Hills player to solve Steele when he scored off an assist by Nick Bancroft to get the Vikings on the board.
Lewiston’s coaching staff on the sidelines. Sun Journal photo by Russ Dillingham
“There was a lot of great things that happened today, even if it didn’t happen on the scoreboard,” Rowell said. “There’s a lot of great things that happened this season and a lot of good things that happened today that we can definitely use as momentum to next season.
Rowell cited the ball movement and making the defense move on things they can build towards in 2020.
Michaud scored his fourth goal early in the fourth quarter, with Tyler Marcoux notching the assist. Payne added his second goal to stretch the lead to 11-1. Blanchette’s score in the middle of the fourth quarter for the 12th and final goal.
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