LEWISTON — The Saints got off to a much better start in Friday’s girls hockey rivalry game than they did their previous game, scoring 2:19 into the contest after being shut out Wednesday.
Friday night’s foe, Lewiston, answered right back, though, and scored again late in the first period and then held on for a 2-1 victory at Androscoggin Bank Colisee.
St. Dom’s/Winthrop/Gray-New Gloucester (11-6) couldn’t find the back of the net against another rival, Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland on Wednesday, but captain Giselle Ouellette put that worry to bed quickly. Her shot from the right point squirted under Lewiston (15-0) goalie Camree St. Hilaire on the Saints’ first shot of the game.
Coming out flat again on Friday “wasn’t going to be the case with Lewiston, obviously,” Saints coach Paul Gosselin said. “They came out fast, strong, and the emphasis was on shooting; got a shot, and, hey, went in.”
The exuberance and collective exhale from the Saints didn’t last long, though. Just 62 seconds later, Leah Landry fed Bailee St. Hilaire at the right post for a tying goal past Saints goalie Mady Boulet.
“I really like the fact that, you know, we haven’t been behind a whole heck of a lot, and they answered it, they stayed calm,” Lewiston coach Ron Dumont said. “We talked about that, I said, ‘Keep doing what you do, don’t try and do too much by yourself, work as a team.’
“And that pass play was just beautiful. They did everything that I could ask. Leah looked up, saw (the defender) come in, Bailee opened up, slam dunk. I mean, the goalie didn’t have a chance with that. That’s the way to do it.”
The Blue Devils survived two penalty kills, then took a 2-1 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the opening period. Paige Pomerleau scored unassisted with a snipe of a shot from the right circle into the top-left corner of the goal.
Penalties plagued the scoreless second period. The Saints went on a third power play only 39 seconds in, and the first eight-plus minutes were almost entirely spent with at least one player in the box.
“Geez, we spent the whole night in there,” Dumont said. “I mean, it is what it is. You got to move your feet in these games or you’re going to get caught. We got penalties, did a great job killing them.”
Back to 5-on-5, both goalies made tough saves to keep it a 2-1 game.
First, Boulet stopped a Leah Dube shot and denied her a chance at the rebound. Then, at the other end, St. Hilaire stonewalled Madi Pelletier on a mini breakaway.
The Saints had a 5-on-3 chance to tie the game late in the third period, but couldn’t net the equalizer. St. Hilaire stopped a Ouellette shot, then a Pelletier rebound chance early in the extended power play.
“I’m not sure if it was just a little nerves, tight sticks, because there was some opportunities there and little missed shots,” Gosselin said. “But the opportunities were there.”
St. Hilaire finished with 10 saves after giving up only her fifth goal of the season. Boulet stopped 15 of 17 shots.
“I thought our team played really well,” Gosselin said. “I don’t always home in on goals. I really want and emphasize hard play, and I think we got it tonight, and played really well.”
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