The first time it happened, the Blue Devils allowed three third-period goals to Messalonskee. It was a much different final 15 minutes Monday against Scarborough. 

Kyle Sturgis lit the lamp with 6:30 remaining in regulation and Kyle Morin added another 30 seconds later as the Blue Devils scored three times in the final frame in a 3-0 victory over Scarborough at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. It’s the first shutout of the season for Lewiston. 

Sturgis atoned for a penalty-filled night by breaking the two-period stalemate with the Red Storm. With plenty of ice in front of him, Sturgis skated from the blue line down to the right circle before firing a shot past Scarborough goaltender Brandon Wasser.

“We tell our defenseman to make the play that is being dictated in front of them,” Lewiston coach Jamie Belleau said. “If they have open ice they’re supposed to take the open ice. He had open ice when he scored that goal.”

Morin doubled the advantage 30 seconds later, throwing a shot on net from the sideboards that made its way past Wasser. The goal was Morin’s team-leading seventh of the season. 

“We lost our composure a little bit when they scored that first goal,” Scarborough coach Norm Gagne said. “I talk about pressure points and that was a pressure point. You could sit back and feel sorry for yourself or you can bounce back and try to answer.” 

The Red Storm (6-4-2) lost their composure even more following Morin’s goal. They took the game’s final four penalties as the Blue Devils (6-3-1) skated 5-on-3 for the final 1:58. Scarborough had three players in the box in the final seconds. 

Jeromey Rancourt scored as the horn sounded, swatting in a pass from Sturgis. 

“Our kids responded pretty well to some adversity,” Belleau said. “We don’t like going into the third in our home games 0-0, but we were able to get some pucks to the net and put some pucks in the net.” 

The first period was a chess match. Neither team had many good looks at the net until Scarborough went down two skaters for 20 seconds late in the period. The Blue Devils couldn’t capitalize, but held an 8-5 edge in shots. 

“First period was pretty even, it was a back-and-fourth period,” Morin said. “No one really dominated and we needed to make sure we came out that next period firing on all cylinders.” 

The Blue Devils established some momentum to start the second period, but penalties washed that away. They took back-to-back penalties half way through the frame, but Scarborough’s power play unit couldn’t turn it into goals. The Blue Devils had the best opportunity during that stretch, but Scarborough Wasser stoned Joe Bisson on a breakaway. 

“They were taking the body down low in the corners and we were getting a little frustrated with that and I think we lost our heads a little bit,” Lewiston junior forward Brendon Croteau said. “We have to stay focused and can’t take penalties like that.”

Lewiston goaltender Jacob Strout pitched the team’s first shutout of the year, making 16 saves. Strout was run into by Scarborough’s Braeden Kane in the opening minute of the third period. He stayed in after being looked at by the medical staff on the ice and stopped the final three shots he faced. 

The Blue Devils outshot Scarborough 28-16, including 12-3 in the third period.