YARMOUTH — Despite outshooting their opponent by a whopping 39 shots, the Brunswick boys hockey team needed all the time it could get to edge Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse on Friday afternoon at Travis Roy Arena. 

“We passed the puck well and had plenty of opportunities to score,” said Brunswick forward AJ Wolverton, who led the Dragons to a 3-1 victory with two goals, including the eventual game winner in the second half. “I have to tip my cap to their goalie; he was sharp today and didn’t allow many rebounds.”

Wolverton’s goal with just over 10 minutes remaining was the difference, when he tipped home a shot off the stick of teammate Zach Stern-Hayes on a Brunswick power play to give the Dragons a 2-1 lead. 

Due to time constraints with ice availability, the teams played two 23-minute halves, opposed to the traditional three 15-minute periods. Furthermore, players get geared up outside before entering the rink because of coronavirus safety concerns.

It all adds up to you a much different routine. 

“It’s a big difference and big change for us, but I think it’s something we’ve gotten used to as our season has progressed,” said Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse goalie Sean Moore, who made 45 saves. “Everyone else is in the same boat and we just have to take what we can get.”

Moore kept the Eagles in the game from start to finish, thwarting several strong scoring opportunities. 

“Sean had a great game,” said Eagles head coach A.J. Kavanaugh. “His confidence is definitely going to be at a good level after that performance.”

It was a chippy game that resulted in the ejection of Eagles senior defenseman Hunter Hardy. Hardy and Brunswick defenseman Grey Perham got into a scuffle after the whistle, resulting in Hardy throwing punches. 

Hardy was escorted off the ice immediately by both officials, ending his day a mere 10 minutes into the contest. 

This was the first of two five-minute major penalties for the Eagles.

The other major penalty was called in the second half, when Eagles forward Alex Witwicki was sent to the box for charging. 

Brunswick head coach Mike Misner said he was proud of his team for staying composed. 

“The fact that we had the mental toughness to stay in it and not get involved in anything that can get them thrown out,” said Misner. “We just kept our head in the game and kept pressing, and good things happened at the end of the day.”

Despite the penalties, the Eagles kept their composure after the first period incident, and played much better on the penalty kill on Friday.

“We gave up a really quick power play goal to Gardiner (Thursday), so I thought we played much better on that part,” said Kavanaugh. “We need to work on staying out of the box so we don’t put ourselves in these situations.”

The Eagles jumped out to a 1-0 lead midway through the first half on a goal by sophomore forward Johnny Hole, who converted passes from Bryce Poulin and Brandon Durant.

The Eagles looked like they were going to hold the lead going into half, but Wolverton had other ideas. After a poke check to take the puck away in the Eagles zone, Wolverton beat Moore glove side with 32 seconds remaining in the half to tie things up at one. 

“It feels good to score anytime, but especially on a goalie who is as talented as him (Moore),” added Wolverton. 

The Dragons added an empty net goal late off the stick of senior Henry Burnham. 

“We’re continuing to get better at those little things everyday and have improved immensely since the start of the season,” Misner said. 

The Dragons outshot the Eagles 48-9, and kept the puck in the Eagles end of a majority of the game. Brunswick goalie Spencer Marquis made eight saves. 

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