Leah Landry, left, of Lewiston High School and Gisele Ouellette of St. Dom’s collide on the ice during Saturday’s game in Auburn. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
AUBURN — Playing shorthanded worked right into Lewiston’s hands Saturday against rival St. Dominic/Winthrop/Gray-New Gloucester. The Blue Devils scored both of their goals while down a player in a 2-0 victory in a North region girls hockey game at Norway Savings Bank Arena.
Brie Dube backhanded a shot past Saints (3-2) goalie Madyson Boulet with just under three minutes remaining in the first period. Boulet had made seven saves up to that point, many of them of the dificult variety.
“Give them credit, they worked real hard on their penalty kill, and they deserved the goals they got,” Saints coach Paul Gosselin said. “I think Mady played an excellent game, and I also think (freshman defender) Lily Beauchesne played a good game.”
The Blue Devils (8-0) were whistled for another tripping penalty early in the second period, but again they took advantage of the Saints’ man-advantage. Paige Pomerleau flipped to Leah Landry, who beat Boulet right to left less than five minutes into the frame.
“We kind of kidded about that, I said ‘Jeez girls, I think we’re going to start just taking minor tripping penalties just to get you on the short end,'” Blue Devils coach Ron Dumont said. “But we actually talked to them between periods, I said ‘Why are we doing so good when we’re shorthanded?’ It’s because they’re looking for lanes and opening up the ice because they’re killing a penalty, they’re trying to move the puck up.'”
Both teams were hit with five-minute majors later in the period, and an extended 4-on-4 session quieted the scoring. So, too, did Boulet and Lewiston goalie Camree St. Hilaire, who made a combined 20 saves in the second (11 for Boulet, nine for St. Hilaire).
Lewiston put another six shots on Boulet in the third, but the junior netminder turned them all away to finish with 26 saves on 28 shots against.
“In the third, I told them ‘We don’t need any more goals, all we got to do is keep possession of the puck and keep them at bay,'” Dumont said.
St. Hilaire stopped all 15 shots she faced for the shutout.
Gosselin, whose program added Winthrop and Gray-New Gloucester this season and is still “a work in progress,” looked for some positives after the game.
“I think minus the special-team play, I think 5-on-5 play was pretty good. If you looked at the scoreboard at the end of the day it’s 0-0 to the first-place team, so that was pretty good,” he said. “We’ve got a young team, and still getting used to each other and learning how to compete and play hard against a good team.”
Brie Dube of Lewiston gets a shot past St. Dom’s goalie Madyson Boulet for a 1-0 Blue Devils lead in the first period in Auburn on Saturday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
Paige Pomerleau, center, of Lewiston High School barrels past Maddie Weymouth of St. Dom’s on her way to the puck during the first period in Auburn on Saturday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
St. Dom’s goalie Madyson Boulet makes a save against Leah Dube of Lewiston during the first period in Auburn on Saturday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
Madison Conley of Lewiston High School controls the puck with Lily Beauchesne of St. Dom’s on defense during the first period in Auburn on Saturday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
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