AUBURN – This season hasn’t exactly been a test of nerves for the Edward Little Hockey faithful.

Led again by Kyle Smith and Colby Gilbert, the Red Eddies torched Gardiner 9-1 in the first round of the Gipper’s Holiday Classic at Ingersoll Arena Friday night.

“All season, our message is not to lose our intensity,” said EL coach Jamie Gilbert. “From the top of the lineup to the extra skaters, we want them all to be playing hard all of the time.”

With the opportunity to take the Class B Tigers lightly, EL did exactly the opposite. Smith scored just 47 seconds into the game on a nifty shot from the left circle to set the tone. Ten minutes later, on Smith’s second of the night and his team’s fourth, Smith lifted a shot from within five feet just under the cross bar from an angle seemingly smaller than the width of the puck.

“We always expect that Kyle, Colby and Joel (Pepin) are going to get their points,” said Belleau. “What’s nice is that we’re also seeing a balance in the scoring.”

Kevin Pontbriand had two goals for Edward Little, while Matt Nadeau, Matt Couturier, Pepin and Gilbert each added one. Ben Mooney added two assists in the win, while Nadeau, Gilbert and Pepin accounted for two each.

Kris Bennett played in goal for Edward Little, giving way to B.J. Levasseur in the third period. Bennett, who has allowed just three goals in five league games this season, allowed just one again, a Ben Pramer tally at 14:06 of the first period that at the time cut the EL lead to 5-1.

Edward Little will meet Cape Elizabeth in the final game at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Cape Elizabeth 6, Lewiston 3

For the better part of 43 minutes Friday, Lewiston and Cape Elizabeth looked ready to settle their game in overtime.

Deadlocked at three with just two minutes to play, the Blue Devils took two ill-advised penalties. Eleven seconds later, Paul Kierstead scored on a pass from Dan Rautenberg to give Cape a 4-3 lead.

Another 34 seconds later, still with a 5-on-4 advantage, Rautenberg added an insurance goal to give the Capers a 5-3 lead. For good measure, Mike Kertes notched his only goal of the game 38 seconds later to cap the scoring. What at first looked destined for overtime was now a lopsided Cape Elizabeth win.

“I don’t know if we’re not living up to our expectations, or if we’re just not as good as we thought,” said Lewiston coach Tim Smith.

The game, while not countable under Maine Principals’ Association rules, will do plenty to help Cape Elizabeth along in their quest for a second consecutive Class B state title. The Capers are undefeated at 5-0.

“It’s always good to play teams at the top of Class A, too,” said Cape Elizabeth coach Steve Ouellette. “It helps us get a good gauge of where we are, and it is great for the psyche of the kids when we win those games.”

Cape is 2-for-2 in games against Class A opponents this season, having beaten Cheverus 3-2 to open the season at the Bishop’s Cup Tournament. They get a chance at 3-for-3 with a game against Edward Little for the Gipper’s title Saturday night. Lewiston will square off against Gardiner in the consolation game at 6 p.m.

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