The Yarmouth High boys’ hockey program won seven state championships, and the Cheverus boys won two. Now, in their fourth year as a co-op team, they have one together.

Cheverus/Yarmouth jumped out to an early lead, then held off Camden Hills, 4-3, to capture the Class B title Saturday at Cross Insurance Arena.

Cheverus/Yarmouth completes the season at 18-2-2. Camden Hills finishes at 15-7.

Yarmouth’s last title came in 2002, while Cheverus last won in 2006. The Cheverus/Yarmouth co-op formed when the current seniors were freshmen.

“Being with these guys, coming together as a family, it’s such a good feeling. This is the team I’d want to do it with,” said Cheverus/Yarmouth senior forward Andrew Cheever, who scored a goal and added three assists.

Ahead 3-2 after two periods, Cheverus/Yarmouth got some breathing room with David Swift’s power-play goal at 7:27 of the third.

“Great pass by my teammate, Andrew. He put it right in my wheelhouse and I was lucky enough to pound it in,” Swift said.

It was the third power-play goal of the game on four opportunities for Cheverus/Yarmouth. The power play has been a work in progress all season, said Swift and Coach Dave St. Pierre.

“It hasn’t been as good as we’d like it, but it’s certainly gotten better as the season went on. They work hard. I don’t think we’ve scored three power-play goals this season in a game,” St. Pierre said.

The Windjammers cut it to 4-3 with 27 seconds left when Owen McManus completed a hat trick, scoring his 40th goal of the season.

“I’ve been coaching Owen McManus for four years now in two different sports. He’s just developed into a complete player,” said Camden Hills Coach Harrison Rogers. “Using the whole ice, his turns, his vision, his toughness with the puck. You’re not getting the puck away from his stick.”

After the third McManus goal, St. Pierre called his timeout.

“It was more about giving our guys a little bit of a rest so we could get our top guys out there. We put our seniors out there because they’ve been fighting for us all year,” St. Pierre said.

Cheverus/Yarmouth took control early. Quinn McCoy scored just 54 seconds into the game, firing a hard wrist shot from in between the circles.

The South champions increased the lead to 3-0 with a pair of power-play goals 40 seconds apart later in the period. First, Cheever converted the rebound of a McCoy shot at 9:59. Then, just four seconds after beginning a new power play, freshman Owen Cheever tipped home his brother’s shot at 10:39.

“We knew that if we played our game, we’d put up that many goals, but we also knew going into the second and third that that was not going to end the game,” Andrew Cheever said.

The lead could have been greater after one period, but Cheverus/Yarmouth’s Lucas Soutuyo and Ian O’Connor each hit the post.

“In the first period, we were hearing the footsteps too often and just making those turnovers,” Rogers said.

McManus, the leading scorer in the state, struck twice in the second period. At the 9:00 mark, McManus made a move in front of the net, going to his backhand for the Windjammers’ first goal. At 11:46, McManus scored on a shot from the top of the left circle to make it 3-2.

“That kid’s a stud. He’s got to be one of the best players in the state,” Swift said of McManus. “It was definitely a reality check to get two potted in on you, but that’s a testament to who our team is. We’re never going to quit.”

Ethan Tucker made 15 saves for Cheverus/Yarmouth, while Quinn Hoppin had 21 saves for Camden Hills.

« Previous

Next »

Related Stories