FALMOUTH — It was an early season matchup of two state powers, and it did not disappoint.
Lewiston, trailing 1-0, scored three goals in a 36-second span in the third period, pulling away with a 4-2 win over Greely on Tuesday night at the Family Ice Center
Andy Moore closed Greely to 3-2 with a goal at 12:28, but the Blue Devils got an empty-netter to seal it.
Chris Williams also scored for the Rangers (1-1). Evan Knowlton, Ryan Pomerleau, Kurtis Pelletier and Damon Bossie scored for Lewiston (1-0).
After being outshot the first two periods, Lewiston outshot Greely 16-3 in the third.
“We try to stay patient, keep working hard and things will come,” said Jamie Belleau, starting his 12th year as the Blue Devils’ head coach.
Lewiston is coming off a 17-3 season where it missed out on a fourth straight state title. Greely was last year’s Class B champion with a 19-2 record. The Rangers again are playing a schedule loaded with some of the best Class A teams; their two losses last year came to Lewiston and St. Dominic.
Greely, which opened its season last Saturday with an 8-1 rout of Brunswick, returns all its defensemen, goalies Jared Swisher and Ben Singer, and an all-state forward in Moore.
Lewiston returns its three top scorers from last year. The Blue Devils have a new goalie, Keegan McLaughlin, up from the junior varsity.
Lewiston sharpened its game last weekend against two southern New England powers, losing 6-2 to Boston College High, and 3-2 to Rhode Island dynasty Mount St. Charles.
On Tuesday, Lewiston and Greely put on a show with back-and-forth play, smart defense and solid goaltending.
After a scoreless first period in which Greely outshot the Blue Devils 10-5 – Lewiston came out shooting to start the second. The Blue Devils thrive when they are pesky around the net, but the Rangers held.
The Rangers responded with Moore doing his playmaking thing, keeping Greely in possession. Finally, Williams got the puck behind the net and sent it into the crease. It deflected in at 3:21.
Lewiston had more chances in the second period, but several shots were off target. The Rangers outshot Lewiston 7-6 in the second period.
“It’s our first league game,” Belleau said. “We were a little off with decision-making, taking too long to take a shot, too long to make a pass.
“But we were getting shots and we were working hard. We would get our breaks. It took a little longer than we would like, but we popped a couple in.”
Greely looked to have lot of momentum later in the third period, killing a two-minute, 5-on-3 power play. Moore was tenacious on the kill, and Singer (22 saves) played well.
But the penalty kill, ending at 9:36, may have tired the Rangers. The Blue Devils kept coming.
Knowlton sniped a shot over the glove, tying the game at 10:53.
Pomerleau’s rebound put Lewiston up 2-1, at 11:20. Pelletier gave needed insurance at 11:29 with a steal and score.
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