FALMOUTH – It was the most consistent pressure the St. Dom’s hockey team had produced all evening.

As the third period ticked away, the Saints put on a series of shots and even hit the post once, but the decisive goal came at the other end.

Falmouth shrugged off St. Dom’s attempt at a third-period rally and scored midway through the final period to thwart the Saints’ comeback hopes in a 7-1 win in a Western A hockey quarterfinal.

The top-ranked Yachtsmen had broken open a 1-1 tie with two second-period goals and then sealed it with Mike Chase’s tally 7:16 into the third.

“We pressed them for the first five or six minutes,” said St. Dom’s coach John Pleau. “I said, ‘Boy, we’ve got the momentum now. Now it’s just capitalizing on it.’ Then they come down and boom, one goal.”

Chase and James Tolan each had a goal and two assists for Falmouth. Sam Lundquist had a pair of assists and goaltender C. J. Fortier made 13 saves to complete a three-game sweep of the Saints.

“I think we have a bit more experienced club,” said Falmouth coach Scott Rousseau, whose team beat St. Dom’s 6-2 and 3-2 during the regular season. “I know we only have four seniors on the ice, but we also have a core group of junior defensemen. They’ve done this before. They were very patient and understand that it’s a long hockey game.”

Eighth-ranked St. Dom’s had a limited number of chances. The Saints finished with 14 shots and went 0-for-4 on the power play. After taking a 1-0 lead, the Saints struggled to produce the offensive firepower needed. The best bids came early in the second and third periods.

“We had a couple of opportunities,” said Pleau, whose team couldn’t manage a shot late in the second period on the power play while down two goals. “Had we buried them when we needed to, it would have been a whole different ballgame.”

The Saints struck first with a goal with 2:14 left in the period. A D.J. Morin shot from the point was deflected in front by Richard Paradis.

“We dominated the period,” said Rousseau. “That would have been tough to go into the locker room with, but our senior leadership said, ‘It’s not a big deal guys. Let’s get the first goal of the game.'”

The Yachtsmen tied the game by the end of the period. Chase put in a rebound of a Tolan shot with 1:04 left.

“Now we feel we played a good period,” said Rousseau. “We really did play a good period, and it’s 1-1.”

The Saints had quality bids by Sheldon Roy and Alex Tyburski early in the second, but it was Falmouth that struck twice. Tolan stole the puck from a defenseman trying to clear the puck for a goal at 6:57. Then a Jeff McCorkle blast from the point bounced in off goaltender Max Wiley with 4:40 left.

“They got good bounces,” said Pleau. “They had the luck of the bounce, and the way they skated with their presence, they created it. We didn’t really adjust to it. It showed the difference between having an older club and a younger club.”

Despite putting pressure on in the third, Chase made it 4-1. Dan Hanley, Tolan and Cam Hart added tallies in the final minutes.

“I’m really proud of the boys,” said Pleau. “We had a great season. We had a great home run stretch here. Next year, it’s going to be a tough club. We’ve got everybody coming back but four.”

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