Boys hockey: St. Dom’s and Edward Little battle to a tie

AUBURN — In a playoff-like game, St. Dominic Academy and Edward Little battled to a 3-3 draw in a Class A boys hockey game at Norway Savings Bank Arena on Wednesday.

“No one likes a tie, but coming back after being down 2-0 in the first period, that shows a lot about our team and how we can work hard and come back and not give up,” Edward Little forward Brooks Hefty said.

Hefty led the way for the Red Eddies with two goals and an assist.

“He’s been playing really well,” Edward Little coach Norm Gagne said. “I don’t know how many points he has over the last three or four games, but he’s popping them in left and right.”

Hefty has produced all 10 of his points this season (5 goals and 5 assists) in the past five games.

Curtis Wheeler forced overtime with a third-period goal for St. Dom’s.

“The second period, we didn’t play great. I knew we had to come with intensity in the third period,” Wheeler said.

St. Dom’s coach Dan D’Auteuil said the Saints had some hiccups.

“It was an up-and-down, a lot of chances for both teams,” D’Auteuil said. “We just need to find a way to play 45 minutes. We don’t play a full 45 minutes. We have these letdowns and all three of their goals were letdowns in their defensive zone and they capitalized.”

The Saints (7-3-1) had a short 5-on-3 power play in the first. After the first Edward Little player stepped out of the box, a Ridge Dionne shot from the point gave St. Dom’s a 1-0 lead nearly 10 minutes into the period.

“It was a great shot,” D’Auteuil said. “We have been telling them, ‘Shoot, shoot low,’ and when they finally did it, it went in and made things happen.”

Timothee Ouellette’s shot in the slot put St. Dom’s up 2-0 later in the frame.

Edward Little (5-5-1) started to get some puck luck in the second period. St. Dom’s goalie Jayden Lynn (20 saves) appeared to stop a Hefty shot, but it squirted past Lynn and across the goal line nearly six minutes into the middle frame.

Freshman Jack Caron tied the game when a Hefty shot attempt bounced off the end boards to Caron in front of the crease and he had an easy goal with a half-open net, 9:37 into the period.

Things got feisty in front of Edward Little goalie Camren Dufour (20 saves) when he attempted to cover the puck. Players got face-to-face with each other, but no penalties were called.

“Something that we have been preaching: Take the body and get more physical right from the start and do it the whole game,” D’Auteuil said. “When we play aggressive like that, we forecheck aggressive, it creates things.”

Hefty gave the Red Eddies a 3-2 lead in the final two minutes of the middle frame. Peyton Dyer and Andrew Clements had the helpers.

“Our coach has been harping on us about getting in the dirty areas to score, especially against a team like that,” Hefty said. “You have to get pucks to the net and one will go in eventually.”

Ben Dumais had a shorthanded chance for the Saints in the final seconds of the middle frame, and he appeared to get hooked on the breakaway opportunity, but no penalty got called and Dufour made the save.

Wheeler got knocked down early in the third period when he tried to break away from an Edward Little defender.

“It was definitely physical,” Wheeler said. “I was trying to play the body and get them off the puck; that’s how I play my game best.”

Wheeler evened the game 3-3 when he tipped a Thomas Casserly shot past Dufour on the man advantage shortly after the eight-minute mark. Spencer Morgan also had an assist.

“I got the puck in front of the net and Thomas had a good shot and we tied it there,” Wheeler said.

Morgan almost ended the contest with about 30 seconds left when Dumais slid a pass to him, but Morgan’s shot hit the post.

“I don’t know how it didn’t go in,” D’Auteuil said. “It went under (Dufour’s) arm.

Dufour made two huge back-to-back saves midway through the overtime session and then had to make a third one when the Red Eddies fumbled the puck right in front of the crease.

“We almost put one in on ourselves; that was a big save for Camren,” Gagne said. “He came through for us there. That’s something you don’t expect: rolled off the stick and it’s coming right back at you.”

The Red Eddies had a power play late in the overtime session but only got one shot on goal.

Edward Little’s Ben Poulin had the final scoring chance of the contest when he raced for the puck and unleased a slap shot with 10 seconds remaining, but Lynn made the save.

“That was a hell of a hockey game,” Gagne said, “I am sure Dan would admit it was up-and-down; everybody had their chances.”