LEWISTON — There is nothing that stokes the competitive fire more than a rivalry game and that was on full display when the Lewiston co-op and Edward Little boys hockey teams faced off for the second time this season.
In a battle between two Class A contenders that was chippy at times, the Blue Devils finished a sweep of the season series with a 7-4 win on Saturday night at the Colisee.
“There’s a lot of people watching you and it gets your nerves up and gets you going and gets you more focused in on the game,” said Lewiston senior Aizyk Laliberte.
Lewiston/Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse (7-3-1), which moved up to second in the Heal point standings with the win, also beat Edward Little, 4-1, on Dec. 27. Edward Little (8-4) remains in fourth in Class A.
Laliberte proved he has Edward Little’s number this season. He had two goals and an assist on Saturday after scoring twice in the first meeting.
The Red Eddies took control early Saturday, taking the lead 51 seconds into the game on a goal by Breccan Albert. Leighton Clark and Nolan Heath also scored, and Edward Little led 3-1 after the first period.
Laliberte said the Blue Devils reset between periods and it changed the tenor of the game. Lewiston came out of the intermission working hard to squash the Red Eddies’ momentum.
“I don’t think we had a bad first period,” Lewiston coach Sam Cloutier said. “I think we had some costly mistakes and (Edward Little) took advantage of every mistake that we had in the first. I think after that, in the second we settled down a little bit and started to simplify in the game and getting pucks to the net.”
The Blue Devils outscored Edward Little 6-1 across the second and third periods, enjoying success on their breakouts and the power play amidst a plethora of penalties.
“(The) boys battled through the adversity and then were able to come back,” Cloutier said. “And they played well, played hard and did the little things right.”
Senior Austin Landry had two goals and an assist for Lewiston. Junior Lawson Mayer added a goal and an assist, while sophomores Landen Treworgy and Anthony Kavanaugh also scored a goal apiece.
“Unfortunately I think we got a little complacent and got on our heels and took the two-goal lead for granted,” Edward Little coach Kevin Smith said. “(Lewiston) came out firing on all cylinders in the second period. I think that caught our guys off guard a little bit.”
The Blue Devils will host Windham/Westbrook/Bonny Eagle on Wednesday, while the Red Eddies will host Falmouth.
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