The Maine Gladiators 16U team’s perfect record is no more.

After putting together a 24-game winning streak during the fall, the Gladiators opened the USA Hockey Tier II 16U 2A national tournament with a 4-1 loss to the Wisconsin Elite Hockey League’s Southwest team on Wednesday at the Children’s Health Star Center Plano in Plano, Texas.

Gladiators coach Chris Pomerleau said the team got an unlucky break in the opening period that changed the complexion of the game.

“We had a goal called off that changed the whole dynamic for us,” Pomerleau said. “It was 0-0 and we had a goal called off that would have made it 1-0. That whole change of play to not having a goal and being in the box and being a man down; it just crushed us mentally.”

Pomerleau added that the goal was waved off because Gladiators player Hayden Brown was whistled for elbowing the goalie while scoring, which sent Brown to the penalty box and put WEHL Southwest on the power play with 15 seconds left in the first period.

After the scoreless first frame, WEHL Southwest jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second period. Blake Haun got the first goal early in the period, with Landen Starr and Drew Apicella recording the assists.

Landon Burke tallied the second goal 4:05 into the stanza when he got the puck past Maine goalie Gabe Pomerleau.

Deagan Nadeau of Sabattus and North Yarmouth Academy scored a power-play goal for the Gladiators early in the third to cut the deficit to 2-1. Poland/Leavitt/Oak Hill/Gray-New Gloucester standouts Brody Emond and Breck Langevin each tallied assists.

“We were kind of back in it and we got another power play, and we got a retaliation penalty,” Chris Pomerleau said. “It made it even. We had another mental error and we were down (a man) for five minutes. That put us on our heels.”

Owen Hoehn and Ian Bass scored in the third for WEHL Southwest for a 4-1 advantage.

Apicella picked up his third point of the game on Bass’s goal.

The Gladiators went 1-for-7 on the power play, while WEHL Southwest was 1-for-6.

“We had a lot of stuff going on our power play; the puck was moving well,” Chris Pomerleau said. “Their goalie was good. We didn’t get enough people in front of the net, taking the eyes away from the goalie and a lot of low percentage shots on the power play.”

Mason Kelm stopped 32 of 33 shots in the win. Gabe Pomerleau stopped 24 shots.

The Gladiators continue pool play on Thursday when they take on the Atlanta Fire at 4:15 p.m.

“Controlling our emotions when things aren’t going our way is going to be huge tomorrow,” Chris Pomerleau said. “Things aren’t going our way, right? We need to change that and move in the right direction. We need to put this game behind us and win the next two games to be in it.”

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