(PHOTO: RAM Sports)
LEWISTON – Another rivalry game at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee took place Saturday night when the Lewiston Blue Devils topped the Saint Dominic Academy Saints by a score of 6-1.
Both teams lived up to the rivalry expectations. Tempers boiled over multiple times throughout the contest when players crowded the goalies and after big hits.
Physical play wasn’t the only factor in this game, however. Penalties and Lewiston’s scoring were both widespread.
“It’s going to be hard to come out and be perfect right away with so many new guys,” said St. Dom’s head coach Bob Parker. “It’s going to take some games.”
Just 44 seconds into the game, Lewiston went to the penalty box for a trip. Though the Saints had a man advantage, Lewiston only allowed one shot on goal during the minor penalty.
With an early penalty kill in their pocket, Lewiston got their first of six goals 4:43 into the first period. Sam Frechette received a tape-to-tape pass from Kyle Morin and quickly fired a shot between the leg pads of Kyle Welsh.
“Sure it was a momentum swing,” said Lewiston’s head coach Jamie Belleau. “I thought we responded well to the early kill and we obviously popped three goals in the first, so it was a good response.”
The Devils would get on the board again with less than 7 minutes remaining in the period on a Brad McLellan dump-in when Lewiston was looking to get fresh bodies on the ice. The puck bounced in on Welsh and deflected off of his stick and into the net.
A minute and change after the second goal, Lewiston tacked on another when Jeromey Rancourt took a shot from the slot that got past Welsh. Alex Robert and Nick Bisson assisted on the goal.
After Welsh had allowed three goals on five shots, Ridge Servidio came off of the bench in relief.
The Saints had an opportunity to get on the board when defenseman Gavin Bates carried the puck into the offensive zone past a pair of Lewiston defenseman and shot the puck on goal. Lewiston’s goalie Jacob Strout got a piece of the puck, but the puck sat in the crease for a second or two before being cleared by the Lewiston defense.
The play of Servidio off the bench provided a spark for the Saints who would control much of the play in the early parts of the second period.
“He made some great saves, he really did,” said Parker. “He did his job, and that’s all we were asking him to do was keep us close so we could try to get some goals back.”
On the power play, Austin Roy found a puck in front that bounced off of the end boards and buried the shot. It would be the first and only goal for the Saints in the contest. Noah Toussaint and Isaac Lapointe assisted on the goal.
Jeromey Rancourt would break the spirit of the Saints with his late second-period goal on a breakaway. He fired a shot over the glove of Servidio with 1:56 remaining.
The third period would see two more Blue Devil goals that would propel them to victory.
Cole Ouellette scored on the power play when he skated the puck through the offensive zone and curled around the net to stuff it in on the far side of the goal. Brendon Croteau had the assist on the play.
With 7:01 remaining in the game, Ryan Bossie shot from the left faceoff dot, and the puck found its way to the back of the net.
Ridge Servidio had 17 saves on the night while Jacob Strout recorded 14 saves.
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