AUBURN — Edward Little scored on its first shot of the game, but St. Dominic Academy scored on its last, and got the last laugh. Austin Roy scored three goals, then assisted on an empty-netter to lift the Saints to a 4-1 victory in a Class A boys’ hockey game at Norway Savings Bank Arena on Wednesday.

Cody Woodward blasted a shot from the right point less than four minutes in to put the Red Eddies (7-6) on top 1-0. It was the first shot of the game by either team.

The Saints (7-5-1) couldn’t find the back of the net on any of their four first-period shots, giving them a full three periods since their last goal against Edward Little, after they scored two in a 4-2 loss on Jan.9.

“It seems like every game we’ve been playing lately … that we’re getting scored on first,” St. Dom’s coach Bob Parker said. “We’re not panicking. It makes us a get a little bit more intense, a little bit more hard-working.”

While the St. Dom’s offense waited to find its way, the Saints’ penalty kill held off the Red Eddies attack. El couldn’t get anything going on a 5-on-3 early in the second period, and put just one shot on net across five power plays.

“Power play’s got to be better,” EL coach Craig Latuscha said.

“Penalty kills, I hate those,” St. Dom’s goalie Kyle Welsh said. “But these boys make them easy.”

Roy then made scoring look easy twice in the second period. He tied the game up just over three minutes into the period, slipping a shot behind EL goalie Devin Dumont off a pass from Justin Keaney, then finished off a rebound of a Reese Farrell shot four minutes later.

“Austin played very well,” Parker said. “He played with leadership in the defensive end, as well as the neutral ice and the offensive zone. He finished up really well tonight.”

Roy saved his best goal for his last. With the Saints on the penalty kill, Roy collected the puck at his own blue line before racing down the ice, making one defender miss, then beating Dumont for a shorthanded goal.

“My linemate handed me the puck. I saw the defense stepped up on me, I threw a little move down on him, went around, I saw Dumont coming out, so I just flicked it over on him,” Roy said of the play. “That was definitely a confidence-booster for the guys.”

The Red Eddies barely had an answer after that. After blasting nine shots at Welsh in the first period, EL combined for just seven in the final two.

“You got to keep shooting,” Latuscha said. “We didn’t shoot it as much. We shoot from way on the outside, we try to be fancy.”

Farrell put the final nail in the coffin on an empty-net goal with 32.7 seconds remaining. Naturally, Roy provided the assist.

St. Dom’s improved to 3-0-1 since the first meeting with the Red Eddies, while EL is winless in three games since then.

“Just bonding,” Parker said of the key to his team’s improvement. “Trying to do all the little things right. We may not be the best team in the league, but we’re going to work really hard.”

Latuscha said he hopes Wednesday night isn’t the last time these two teams meet this season.

“It’s a high school hockey game. It’s a rivalry game. It’s fun. That’s like a playoff game right there,” Latuscha said. “I hope we play them in the playoffs, I really do. I hope we meet up with them.”

wkramlich@sunjournal.com