LEWISTON — The Lewiston High School boys’ lacrosse team couldn’t ask for a better start to the 2016 season in a game against the Messalonskee Eagles.

It took Blue Devils 16 seconds to score when Mohamed Khalid was immediately inserted into the game after the opening draw and went straight to the net where he made it 1-0. The Blue Devils never looked back in the 16-7 victory in a Class A Northern Maine contest at Campus Avenue Field at Bates College.

“We knew if we had a chance against (Messalonskee), we knew we had to come out flying,” Lewiston head coach Ben Fournier said. “We had to come off the opening whistle and not let up all game. Our guys did that and I am happy with the result.”

Messalonskee ended the Blue Devils season in 2015 with a 14-5 victory in the Eastern Maine Class A semifinals.

“We were very anxious (for the game), that’s why we were on top with all of our ball possessions,” Gunnar Wade said. “We tried to get everything.”

The Eagles, who fell behind 2-0, got on the board when Jackson Bernatchez scored,  with Austin Pelletier getting the assist. Messalonskee would get within one once again after Brendon Croteau made it 3-1. Connor Smith found the back of the net at 6:33 into the game to cut the Blue Devils lead to 3-2.

“It’s not the way you want to start the year, but there are some things in there that we can build on for the future,” Messalonskee coach Thomas Sheridan said. “Lewiston played a great game and I take my hat off to them.”

Sheridan said his team got looks offensively, but couldn’t finish on their chances.

Lewiston (1-0) spread out the offense in the remainder of the first quarter when it jumped out to the 7-2 lead. Nick Tilley, Croteau and Gunnar Wade each had a pair of goals in the opening 12 minutes.

“We are missing a couple of key guys, but everybody stepped up. We are playing more as a team now,” Fournier said. “It’s working out to our benefit, absolutely.”

In the second period, the Wade brothers — Gunnar and Griffin — took over the quarter. The two combined for three goals and one assist. Griffin, a senior, had a pair of goals, while Gunnar, a sophomore, had one goal to complete the hat trick and added the assist on Griffin’s second goal of the quarter.

“We just kept our heads up and kept the ball moving around, and we happen to be the open ones of the slide,” Griffin Wade said on what went well for his brother and himself.

Gunnar finished the game with five goals. He added a goal in the third and fourth quarter. He also had three assists. Griffin, meanwhile, finished the game with a hat trick after he scored one more in the third and picked up three assists.

Pelletier notched his first goal of the contest in the second quarter, while Connor Smith had his second in the game as the Eagles went into halftime down 7-4.

Jacob McBride led the offensive charge in the third quarter for Lewiston. The attacker had two goals as the Blue Devils stretched the lead to 14-5. Smith notched the hat trick for Messalonskee after he picked up the lone goal for the Eagles in the quarter.

Pelletier had a goal and an assist in the fourth quarter to finish the contest with two goals and two assists for the Eagles (0-1). Dylan Jones also scored in the fourth for Messalonskee.

McBride capped off his hat trick when he scored the final goal of the game, with Croteau notching an assist.

Lewiston netminder Bryan Wagg made eight saves, while CJ Reardon also made eight saves for the Eagles.

“Wagg’s is a great goalie. I think he saw a few shots that he wasn’t expecting the high heat from the Messalonskee attack and midfielders,” Fournier said. “Again, he’s a great goalie and he has the ability to step up if he need him to in tight games.”

nfournier@sunjournal.com