LEWISTON — Hat tricks and shorthanded goals ruled the day for the Lewiston/Oak Hill Blue Devils.
Kylie Dulac and Avaya Desjardins notched three goals apiece and the Blue Devils scored four shorthanded goals in their 10-2 girls hockey win over the York/Traip/Marshwood/Noble Wildcats at The Colisee on Saturday.
“I feel really confident with all the girls I am out there with on that time,” Desjardins, who scored one of the shorthanded goals, said of Lewiston’s penalty kill. “I know if I mess up, they are there.”
Building a large lead allowed the entire roster get playing time for the Blue Devils (2-2).
“We really wanted everyone to play in the game,” Desjardins said. “We got them (the goals) early so everyone could get a chance.”
Desjardins scored the game’s first goal, turning on the jets after taking the puck from behind Lewiston’s net and going end-to-end to get the Blue Devils on the board nearly four minutes into the first period.
Crew Langley slipped a one-handed backhand shot past York goalie Kiera Durgin (11 saves) less than a minute later.
Dulac stretched the lead to 3-0 later in the first.
Dulac, a freshman, is a member of the Blue Devils green line along with fellow freshman Emma Berube and senior Taylor Melvin.
“The two freshmen on the green line, they work well together,” Lewiston coach Scott Laberge said. “Good puck movement is what I liked.”
Dulac started the Blue Devils’ second-period scoring with her second goal for a 4-0 lead.
York (1-7) responded quickly responded with a goal by Kiera Alessi.
Lewiston’s barrage of shorthanded goals began when Avaya Desjardins’ slap shot went into the far corner of the goal while Courtney Lachance served a minor for high sticking.
Desjardins said she shot it and hoped for the best.
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure where it was going,” Desjardins said. “But I have been working on my slap shot. Yeah, I took a chance and got a good lane.”
Lewiston scored two more times while down a player when Berube was in the box for cross-checking. Madison Doucette and Langley potted goals 45 seconds apart for a 7-1 lead.
York/Traip/Marshwood/Noble coach Sadie Wright-Ward said the Wildcats allowed too many good looks while the Blue Devils were shorthanded.
“We were giving up too many odd-man rushes and too much time with the puck for the other team,” Wright-Ward said. “The more we can tighten up in the defensive zone, the stronger we may be.”
The Wildcats were missing their top scorer, Marina Friedman, who was sick Saturday, and not having her affected their power play.
After Desjardins scored an even-strength marker with two minutes remaining in the second for her hat trick, Dulac scored another shorthanded goal with 24 seconds remaining to finish her three-goal day. Lewiston took a 9-1 advantage into the third period.
Alessi notched a power-play goal, beating Lewiston goalie Tatum Hunt (12 saves) early in the third period, for York to cut the deficit to 9-2.
“I was happy she was able to put the puck in the net today because she had a lot of chances,” Wright-Ward said. “She’s a hard worker and one of the most positive kids that you will ever meet. She goes out every shift and gives 110 percent.”
Melvin finished the scoring by redirecting a Emma Berube pass into the goal for Lewiston’s 10th goal of the contest.
“That’s what we tell the girls: Be in the ready position and have your stick on the ice,” Laberge said. “You never know.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
