AUBURN – Brunswick is the last team to which the Lewiston High School Blue Devils wanted to give some power play time. Clicking at an 11-for-22 pace going into Thursday night’s meeting between two of the best teams in Eastern Class A, the Dragons have been lethal with an extra skater.
Despite skating at a disadvantage only four times – a low number for the Blue Devils this season – it turned out to be four times too many.
Josh Clark scored two goals and Jason Lachance and Henry Aschauer added one each as the Dragons edged Lewiston 4-3 in the opening round of the Gipper’s Holiday Tournament at Ingersoll Arena.
“We got a little off track with the lead in the second period,” said Lewiston coach Norm Gagne. “We took some lazy, tired penalties, and that killed us in key situations.”
Three of the Dragons’ four goals came with an extra skater.
“It was a great up-and-down game between two good hockey teams tonight,” said Brunswick coach Mike Routhier, who played in net for Lewiston in the late 1980s. “We’ve taken advantage every time a team has gone into the box against us in our first five games.”
The Dragons are off to their best start (5-0) in the five years since Routhier took over as head coach.
Lewiston shooters, meanwhile, did have opportunities in a penalty-free third period to tie it up, and indeed did pull within one after started the period down by two at 4-2. Ian Doucette potted a goal at 8:30 of the final frame, but veteran netminder Dennis Estes held tough from there.
“Travis Lebrun had a chance to tie it up late, too,” said Gagne. “Tonight, they beat us in part on the big saves. I knew they would be an excellent team, and it was a good test for us, and for them, tonight.”
Toby Poirier put the Blue Devils ahead early with an odd-angle goal from the left side at 7:21 of the first period. Brunswick came back with a goal at 10:02 from Clark as he pounced on a rebound in front of Lewiston goaltender Brian Nason to knot the score.
In the second, after Jon Roy scored to put Lewiston ahead 2-1, Brunswick scored three goals in the final five minutes of the period, including Clark’s second of the game with 21 seconds to play in the middle frame, to take a 4-2 lead.
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