LEWISTON — Wednesday’s rubber match between Lewiston and St. Dominic Academy/Gray-New Gloucester/Winthrop was all Blue Devils.

The defending state champions defeated the Saints 7-1, fueled by a five-goal outburst in the first period at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. The Saints won the first matchup 2-1 while the Blue Devils won 5-2 this past Saturday.

Lily Gish and Leah Landry each had two goals for the Blue Devils.

“I think we learned it was a team effort and we learned we need to work together,” Lewiston defenseman Lily Gish said. “Obviously, they are one of our biggest rivals; it’s good to (beat them) by a couple of goals.”

Landry opened the scoring as she knocked down the puck with her glove, gained control of it and fired from the slot for a 1-0 lead nearly two minutes into the contest. Brie Dube picked up an assist on the goal.

“She’s really good in and around (the slot),” Lewiston coach Ron Dumont said of Landry. “She’s tough to handle, she has a long reach and a quick poke check, and the puck seems to get to her.”

The Blue Devils then notched two straight power play goals. Gish notched her first of the game with Paige Pomerleau and Madison Conley picking up the assists. Gish fired the puck from the left circle at the 3:11 mark.

Dumont likes Gish’s strong shot, which Gish attributes to some some of the extra work the Blue Devils have put in this year.

“Before practice, we just shoot around, everyone lines up and shoots the puck,” Gish said. “I think that where it comes from.”

Charlotte Cloutier scored the second power play tally nearly seven minutes into the first period. Leah Dube set the goal up.

After Lewiston killed off a penalty, Leah Dube put the Blue Devils up 4-0 with a goal off an assist by Brie Dube at the 9:47 mark.

The early deficit was too much for the Saints to bounce back from.

“It’s a coach’s nightmare when two or three soft goals go in right off the bat,” St. Dom’s coach Paul Gosselin said. “It kills any chance to build momentum in the game. It was a tough start.”

The Saints got on the board 12 seconds later. Madi Pelletier found the back of the net, Tayrn Cloutier had the assist.

“I liked the response, I just wish we had more of it, but (Lewiston) is a good team. It was tough going,” Gosselin said.

Lewiston’s scoring barrage in the first continued, as Leah Landry scored from the slot again with 2:30 minutes remaining in the period.

Gish scored her second goal of the game from the right point four-plus minutes into the second period. Her shot took an in-between hop on Saints goalie Madyson Boulet (25 saves) and found the back of the net. Conley won the faceoff back to Gish for the assist.

“Sometimes you need those (lucky bounces),” Dumont said. “Her first (goal) was an absolute bomb, it was a nice shot. She has improved steadily with her shot and she’s getting stronger and stronger.”

Conley potted her first goal of the game four minutes later off assist by Gish and Bailee St. Hilaire.

Blue Devils goalie Kim McLaughlin made 15 saves in the victory. The sophomore is in her first year in the crease.

“You hear from a bunch of other coaches, different teams, that they have goalies that haven’t been a goalie before; our goalie has never been a goalie before, either,” Dumont said. People seem to forget that. I always hear that ‘our goalie is new this season and doing great.’ Well, our goalie is doing great, too, and she’s never been a goalie. She started exactly when the season started, that’s the first time she put on pads.

“For her high, high marks, she has done a great job.”

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