AUBURN – The Edward Little hockey team was just minutes away from taking claim of the second period and setting itself up for a third period rally, but one Lewiston wrist shot changed all that.
Jon Roy’s third goal of the game with just 3:32 left provided the Blue Devils a two-goal lead again, and Lewiston never looked back in an 8-2 victory.
“It was big,” said Roy of his goal that nixed EL’s second period comeback. “We had given too many penalties to them, and they finally gave us a chance to put a goal in and it was a big goal.”
Roy’s shot from the left side made it 4-2. Lewiston (8-4-1) went on to score four more in the final period, all on the power play.
“If it would have been 3-2 (going into the third), it would have been a different story because we had momentum going,” said EL coach Craig Latuscha. “The third period, we came out with the power play and didn’t capitalize again. Then all of a sudden the momentum changes.”
Lewiston had built a 3-0 lead with a strong opening period, but EL (4-9) had trimmed the deficit with two goals in eight seconds.
“We’ve been struggling with our second periods, and we did it again,” said Lewiston coach Norm Gagne. “I think if we’re going to play at a championship level, we’ve got to have that straightened out. We have to be more focused and not let up when we get a lead. We let them back in it in the second.”
Kevin Smith scored on the power play at 4:36 off a Chris Carver pass from behind the net. Carver then made it 3-2 at 4:44 on a rebound. Carver had a crack at the equalizer with 5:10 left with a shot from the slot that went over the net.
“We fought back a little bit, and then we gave up a weak goal,” said Latuscha.
With 3:32 left, a slashing penalty to Carver gave Lewiston the power play chance. Jordan Bourgoin dropped a pass for Roy at the left circle.
“Jordan was coming down the side,” said Roy. “I saw two guys go after him. I hung back, and he made a good pass back to me. I saw an opening, and one of our guys was screening the goalie. So I just tried to get a shot on net.”
EL never recovered. In a penalty-filled third period, the Red Eddies took 11 penalties and gave up four power play goals. Bourgoin had a pair. Zack Blauvelt and Danny Cloutier each had one.
“We fell apart mentally,” said Latuscha. “We fell apart. Those penalties in the third period killed us.”
Though EL had three chances on the power play in the first period, including a two-man advantage, it was Lewiston taking early control with a 3-0 lead.
“I thought we came out the way I wanted us to,” said Gagne. “We took charge in getting those three goals.”
Brandon Girardin scored off a two-on-one at 5:29. With 6:02 left in the first, Roy scored with a wrister from the left post. He added a shorthanded tally with 2:54 left.
“First period, we wanted to take the body because that’s our strength,” said Roy. “When we take the body, we all seem to play good. We all seem to gel.”
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