Boys Ice Hockey

Maybe playing the two-time defending state champions intimidates Cape Elizabeth’s playoff opponents. Or maybe at playoff time, the Cape Elizabeth hockey team is usually playing its best hockey of the season and opponents should be wary – regardless of Cape’s regular season record. Whatever the reason, Cape Elizabeth is tough to beat at this time of the season and they proved it again on Monday night with a 5-1 victory at Leavitt in the West B quarterfinals.

Cape has won the last two Class B state championships, but graduation losses hurt the squad more than usual this season and they struggled through their always difficult schedule – going 1-7 to start the season. Since that early stretch, the Capers went 7-5 and they appear to be playing some of their best hockey of the year.

On Monday, the fifth-seeded Capers traveled to Ingersoll Arena in Auburn and took on No. 4 Leavitt. The Hornets were 9-10-1 entering the game including a 4-2 loss to Cape back on Jan. 10.

Cape Elizabeth wasted little time against Leavitt with the combination of Peter Kelley, Tom Rich and Colby Pearson accounting for two first period goals. Kelley netted both tallies with his teammates assisting on both scores. Cape extended its lead to 3-0 in the second period with Pearson scoring (from Rich and Zach Breed) at 4:40. Leavitt finally got on the board with a power play score later in the period and the teams went to the final period with the visitors holding a 3-1 advantage.

Cape scored a pair of insurance goals in the last 15 minutes of play with Max Foner and Rich finding the net. Pearson and Rich earned assists on Foner’s score and Pearson and Kelley assisted on Rich’s goal.

Junior goalie Lincoln Jordan played well stopping 19 Leavitt shots.

Cape Elizabeth (9-12) will now prepare for Saturday’s semifinal match-up with top-seeded Greely (15-4) at the Portland Ice Arena. The Rangers defeated the Capers on two occasions during the regular campaign with an 8-5 win in December and a more recent 4-1 victory on Feb. 8.

A game recap and photos from Saturday’s West B semifinal will be on our website at www.keepmecurrent.com

Scarborough hoping for a playoff run

The Scarborough hockey team finished in the No. 5 spot in the West A Heal Point standings, which meant the Red Storm got a bye into the quarterfinals. They took on No. 4 Portland on Tuesday night at the Portland Ice Arena with the winner moving on to face either top-seeded Falmouth or No. 8 St. Dominic in a regional semifinal on Friday at the Colisee in Lewiston.

(A re-cap of Scarborough’s Tuesday night game with Portland is at www.keepmecurrent.com)

Scarborough (14-6) did not face Portland (15-4-1) during the regular season. The Red Storm lost three of four games in the final two weeks of the regular season – all close games against teams that finished above them in the standings. The dropped a 2-1 decision to No. 2 Biddeford; then lost a 3-2 decision to No. 3 Kennebunk; and they also fell by a 3-1 score to No. 1 Falmouth.

Scarborough won six of seven games to open the season and they had a seven-game winning streak in the middle of the season. They lost both regular season games to Falmouth (5-2 on Jan. 11 and 3-1 on Feb. 17) and they topped St. Dom’s both times they played them earlier this year (4-3 on Jan. 24 and 5-1 on Feb. 20).