LEWISTON — Cam Smith had a secret.

While his Scarborough High teammates and Falmouth High opponents jostled in front of the Falmouth goal, waiting for the whistle, Smith knew where the puck was. It had slipped through the goalie and stopped in the crease behind him.

“I was the only one who saw it,” said Smith, who was at the goal line along the boards.

“I just wanted to skate fast and get there before anyone else.”

Smith flew in and stuffed the puck in. His second-period score was the only one as Scarborough topped Falmouth 1-0 in the Class A South championship game Tuesday night at the Colisee.

Smith’s opportunistic goal and a disciplined defense, backstopped by goalie Ross LeBlond’s 26 saves, has Scarborough shooting for a second straight state championship.

The top-seeded Red Storm (16-2-3) will play the South’s top seed, Lewiston (16-2-2) in the state title game at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Colisee.

Scarborough and Lewiston played twice during the year, both ending in a tie.

“Someone will walk away with a win,” said Scarborough Coach Norm Gagne.

Tuesday was the first time the second-seeded Yachtsmen (16-5) have been held scoreless. Falmouth had been held to one goal only once during the season, and that was against Scarborough.

“Defense is the key,” Gagne said. “They were putting on a lot of pressure.”

Scarborough lost senior defenseman Colin Hayward to an injury early in the game and Gagne was patching things together around senior Sean McDonald, junior Eric Murray, freshmen Anthony Burnham and Mason Parks, and a couple of forwards – Justin Perry and John Callahan – helping out.

“We really gritted it out,” Gagne said.

Falmouth had 26 shots but Scarborough wasn’t quiet with 23. Falmouth goalie Spencer Pierce (22 saves) made some big stops, including saves on two Matt Caron rushes.

“He was key for them,” Gagne said. “This was a battle, both teams going to the very end.”

Falmouth Coach Deron Barton agreed.

“You play a game like that, you know, I’m proud of my guys. They did everything we asked them to,” he said. “They worked hard. They executed systems right to the end. No complaints from me.”

The first period featured plenty of hits and chances, Scarborough outshooting Falmouth 11-9 but the Yachtsmen having better opportunities.

LeBlond, a senior who transferred from Cape Elizabeth after three seasons with the Capers, was moving, making pad saves and gloving others.

“The more shots I face, the better I play,” LeBlond said.

Two of Falmouth’s best chances came short-handed early in the second period.

Robbie Armitage knocked the puck from Scarborough’s blue line. He was breaking into the zone when LeBlond came well out of the net to knock it away. Theo Hembre then had a breakaway and LeBlond made the save.

“When we needed him, he came up big, time and time again,” Gagne said.

Scarborough got its third power play later in the period. In the closing seconds of the advantage, Parks sent the puck in from the point. Pierce made the save and appeared to sit on it.

“But it just snuck past the goalie and no one knew it,” said Smith, who scored at 12:07 – one second after the power play expired.

Falmouth kept coming, especially in the third period when LeBlond made 10 saves while his defenseman cleared away rebounds.

“Their possession in their own end was strong,” Barton said. “Their defensemen and forwards did a very good job of playing defense.”

Falmouth pulled Pierce with 55 seconds left but Scarborough held on.

CLASS A NORTH

LEWISTON 5, St. DOMINIC 1: The favored Blue Devils dispatched rival St. Dom’s for the third time this year.

Lewiston broke open a 2-1 game after two periods with three third-period goals.

Lewiston dominated most of the play, outshooting the Saints, 42-13. Sam Frechette scored two goals. Alex Rivet had a goal and two assists.

While Scarborough is the defending state champion, the Blue Devils have not won the state title since 2002. Since then, Lewiston has been in the championship game six times, the last appearance in 2013.

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