AUBURN — Falmouth’s first multi-goal lead didn’t stick, so the Yachtsmen doubled their advantage to the point of no return for St. Dominic Academy, which couldn’t claw back in a 6-2 Class A boys hockey win for Falmouth at Norway Savings Bank Arena on Wednesday.
Carter Hawkes scored on the power play midway through the first and Aaron Higgins made it 2-0 less than three minutes later. But Zack Pelletier cut the deficit in half for the Saints (1-1) soon after that, and Matt Fletcher scored on a power play with 6.8 seconds left in the opening period to tie it 2-2.
“We made some bad mistakes there the second half of the first period, let them back in,” Falmouth coach Deron Barton said.
The Yachtsmen (1-0-1) took no time taking back their lead in the second period. Sean MacDonald scored off an assist from Tyler Baker just 1:44 into the middle frame.
After that, special teams doomed the Saints.
Owen Drummey scored a short-handed goal at the midway point of the period, then Baker and Higgins both scored power-play goals to give the Yachtsmen a commanding 6-2 lead heading into the second intermission. The Saints were outshot 15-5 in the frame.
“It’s unfortunately something we’ve been talking to them for the last two weeks (about, staying out of the box), and talked to them between each period and it’s just not sinking in yet,” Saints coach Dan D’Auteuil said.
“In the second period, I tried to explain to them when you get the penalties it wears you out, it tires you out,” D’Auteuil added. “And we don’t have a big, long bench. So when we’re running around trying to kill penalties, they lose their legs.”
The Saints could have lost their motivation when Drummey’s short-handed goal swung the momentum firmly in the Yachtsmen’s favor, but D’Auteuil said the motivation “didn’t seem to go down,” and “at that point they were still in it.”
“It was just kind of the start of the wearing down,” he added.
It was a much bigger play, and emotional boost for Falmouth.
“You know, a special player does special things when you need him to do it,” Barton said. “And that adds to the leadership, and that’s why he’s wearing a ‘C.’ Not a very vocal guy, but he speaks for the team when he does things like that.”
Baker and Higgins were special on the power play, each assisting the other on their man-advantage goals in the second. Barton said the addition of Higgins has been a big help to a power-play unit that has “always been a strength of ours.”
“It was nice to see it work and come together,” Barton said. “It’s something we still need to improve on, but for the most part I’m happy with it so far.”
Alex Roy finished with 25 saves on 31 shots for St. Dom’s, while Sam Kidder turned away 13 of 15 for Falmouth.
The two teams meet again Friday in Falmouth.
“Hopefully, we’ll stay out of the box,” D’Auteuil said.
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