Scarborough goalie Peter O’Brien makes a save on a point-blank shot by Edward Little’s Wesley Clements during Tuesday’s Class A semifinal hockey game at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

For the first time since the season-opening game against Greely, Lewiston trailed in the first period after Owen Anderson gave South Portland/Waynflete/Freeport a 1-0 lead in Tuesday’s Class A boys hockey semifinal at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee, which the Blue Devils went on to win 5-1.

“I thought we were right with them,” Red Riots coach Joe Robinson said. “It kind of took the wind out of our sails when (Lewiston) tied it, but it was still a tie game with a half-hour of hockey left to play. We were still fine.”

Lewiston freshman Brock Bergeron said the Blue Devils play continually better as a game goes along.

“We are a big third-period team,” said Bergeron, who tied the game with one second left in the first period. “The first period we try our hardest, but it comes down to the third period, and we usually do good in the second.”

Lewiston coach Jamie Belleau expected his players to respond to the Red Riots’ challenge.

“All season long, we talked about adversity and keeping their composure,” Belleau said. “I reinforced that, in the playoffs, the game is going to be hard. Every playoff game is hard, whether it’s for a period or a shift, there’s going to be some form of adversity, and how you respond will dictate your success. So we face some adversity in the first period, they scored one off a deflection and went up.”

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Belleau liked that his team had its fair share of puck possession and wasn’t being out-played by the Red Riots.

POINT SHOTS KEY

The theme for Tuesday’s first semifinal between Edward Little and Scarborough was the importance of shots from the outside of the circle to generate offense.

All five goals in the Red Storm’s 3-2 triple-overtime win originated from the blue line, none bigger than Zach Chaisson’s in triple overtime after the faceoff was won back to him. Chaisson took the puck and fired it past Edward Little goalie Gage Ducharme.

“It’s always a tough shot being in that pressure and situation,” Chaisson said. “I really ripped it, I really felt it. I knew it was going to be the right time, right spot. It went in and we won the game.”

Scarborough coach Jake Brown knew going into the game that sending shots through traffic was going to be crucial. The Red Storm have been continually better and doing that as the season has progressed.

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“I think it’s a part of our identity, it’s something we do all the time,” Brown said. “I thought we got definitely better at the second half of the year. I think teams are starting to collapse (defensively) because how skilled our forward are. It’s just part of our identity.”

Cory Schular scored the Red Storm’s first goal of the game by deflecting a point shot by James Lilley, and the second goal came when Cameron Budway tipped in a shot by Chaisson.

“I thought for both teams the (point) shots (were important),” Edward Little coach Norm Gagne said.

For the Red Eddies, Dylan Campbell tipped a Colin Merrit shot to beat Scarborough goalie Peter O’Brien. Wesley Clements put home a loose puck in the crease after a shot by Shawn Allen.

NO STRANGERS TO DRAMA

Tuesday’s classic between the Red Eddies and Red Storm is nothing new between the two teams this season.

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In the teams’ regular season meeting at the University of Southern Maine two days before Christmas, Dawson Gendreau scored for the Red Storm as with less than a second remaining in the game to give Scarborough a 4-3 win.

It was the third loss in a row for the Red Eddies in what eventually becaome a nine-game losing streak.

Brown gives credit to the players for winning the close games.

“I think this game was about the kids on both sides,” Brown said. “Both teams battled hard, and I think getting into overtime, it comes down to the guys on the ice. I am so proud of our team and how we handled adversity and how we really stuck together.”

Gagne, meanwhile, said the Red Eddies didn’t convert the chances they had in the tight game.

“I thought the refereeing was good, they let us play on both sides,” Gagne said. “There was some questions here and there, but you are going to have that in a playoff game. They are going to let you play and let the kids decide the game. We had as many chances as they did, we just didn’t bury them.”


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