By Randy Whitehouse,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – As Greely’s goalie turned back shot after shot from top-seeded Cape Elizabeth, it seemed momentum was slowly trickling over to the Rangers’ side during the latter stages of the Western Class B championship.

Then, just as the No. 3 seed appeared to have wrested control before a rowdy crowd of about 1,000 at the Colisee, sophomore Andrew Gibson decided it was time to deny Greely yet another miracle.

Just 39 seconds after Greely tied the game at 2-2, Gibson deflected a shot in for the game-winner at 12 minutes of the third period and sent the Capers to their second Western B title in three years with a 4-2 victory.

“I was in front and Pat Kertes took a great shot and I just tipped it past the goalie,” said Gibson, a sophomore.

Dan Rautenberg had two goals, including the clinching empty-netter, and an assist for the Capers, who will face Eastern Maine champion Winslow for the state title at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Colisee.

Last Saturday, Greely tied its Western Maine semifinal with York with one second left, then won in overtime.

This time, the Rangers (11-8-1) got a breakaway goal from Pat Fogg 11:21 into the third to knot the game at 2-2.

“It was pretty nerve-wracking,” Gibson said. “We watched them play York and they came back without much time left, so we knew we had to play good defensive hockey.”

The Capers (19-2) did just that, holding the Rangers without a shot the rest of the way. They outshot Greely, 47-16.

“We were pretty up on the bench when Pat tied it on a great goal, but unfortunately on that very next shift, we got backed up in our end and we couldn’t get the puck out,” said Greely coach Barry Mothes. “We know they’re a very explosive offensive team, and the fact it was 2-2 with four minutes left, I think, is a great credit to our team.”

Much of the credit belongs to sophomore goalie Billy Bolduc, who turned aside 43 shots for Greely.

The onslaught began in the first period, as Bolduc denied multiple rebounds and shots from point-blank range before a puck he never saw, a back-hander from the top of the slot by Kertes, sailed over his right shoulder to make it 1-0 Cape at 10:08 of the first.

Rautenberg made it 2-0 with a screen shot to Bolduc’s right on Cape’s first power play 12:48 into the second. Ben Daigle finally got Greely on the board on its third power play, beating Cape goalie Ryan Hatch (14 saves) top shelf at 14:41 of the second to cut the deficit in half.

“I felt in the second and third period we played extremely well,” Mothes said. “They came out very strong in the first period, and Billy made some terrific saves. But I thought our guys settled in very well, and we stopped hanging onto the puck too long in our own zone and moved it quicker and stronger.”