Edward Little girls hockey co-op’s late surge drops Cheverus co-op

The Red Hornets score three goals in the final period to secure their 11th straight win, prevailing in a showdown of state title contenders.

Posted January 28

Updated January 29

Jimmy James Staff Writer

Sophia Drouin of the Edward Little co-op reaches for the puck while clashing with a Cheverus co-op defender, right, during a girls hockey game Wednesday in Auburn. Edward Little, the No. 1 team in the North, won 3-0 against the South’s top-ranked team, with all three goals scored in the third period. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image

AUBURN — It was going to be hard to top her hat trick against rival Lewiston on Saturday, but junior Kylie Dulac may have found a way Wednesday at Norway Savings Bank Arena.

The Edward Little co-op team was deadlocked at 0-0 with Cheverus/Windham/Medomak Valley until Dulac broke through in the third period.

Red Hornets sophomore Leksi Langevin followed up Dulac’s goal with one of her own just 22 seconds later, and freshman Sophia Drouin scored with under three minutes, clinching a 3-0 victory in a showdown of state championship contenders.

“We had a bit of a slow start, but that goal really pushed us, (and) having (Langevin’s) goal not far after that,” said Dulac. “And, yeah, it was big for the team. I think it raised our confidence and it just boosted us forward to get us through that last period.”

Wednesday’s game was one of the biggest of the regular season, given that both teams are on top of their respective region’s Heal point standings, Edward Little in the North and Cheverus in the South. It lived up to the hype, as the Red Hornets (15-1) and Stags (11-3-2) were evenly matched through nearly 34 minutes of scoreless play.

Then Dulac set things in motion, and suddenly Edward Little had tallied three goals.

“In a game of chicken, we flinched first,” Cheverus coach Scott Rousseau said.

Dulac said the key to pulling out a victory was maintaining energy despite the slow start.

“I think going into that, we definitely knew that we needed to have a big win there,” Dulac said. “And just coming out flat in the beginning, we realized that we needed to turn that around, and that’s what we did in the third period, just came out with better momentum and just able to get pucks to the net.”

Edward Little, the unanimous No. 1 in the Varsity Maine poll, also defeated Cheverus 3-0 on Dec. 6 in Portland.

Dulac’s goal was her 20th of the season. She also recorded an assist on Langevin’s goal. Dulac has three hat tricks season, and she has assisted on 19 goals.

“That was a beautiful shot by (Dulac), and I thought we got a lot of momentum from it, so it was great to see,” Edward Little coach Dana Berube said. “Try to learn something from every game, and I think this group has done that, so that was a good win.”

Adalyn Martin, a sophomore, finished with two assists, while Drouin added one.

Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland/Oxford Hills wraps up the regular season with a pair of home games: Thursday against Brunswick, which is ranked fifth in the Varsity Maine poll, and Saturday against the Gorham co-op. Third-ranked Cheverus, the three-time defending state champion, finishes against the Penobscot Pioneers on Thursday in Orono and then at home against No. 4 Biddeford.