GORHAM — Gorham scored three unanswered goals during the second period and goalie Justin Broy made them stand up to lead the Rams to a 5-2 win against previously unbeaten Bonny Eagle in a Western Class A boys’ hockey game at the University of Southern Maine’s Arena.

Broy, a junior in his second year as the starting goalie, stopped the Scots’ final 25 shot in the second and third periods to help the Rams pick up some important Heal points in the regional standings.

“Since he took over in goal, Justin’s been phenomenal,” Gorham Coach Jon Portwine said. “There are games where he is not absolutely unbelievable, but those are few and far between.”

With the victory, the Rams evened their record at 5-5-1.

“Heal point-wise we’re not where we saw ourselves and it’s not indicative of the talent that’s in our locker room, but this was a big win,” Portwine said. “This will give us some Heal points.”

The game came at the start of a busy stretch of the season for the Scots, who are scheduled to play six games over the next 12 days, but Bonny Eagle Coach Mark Whitman was not dissatisfied with the way his team played.

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“It was a competitive game,” he said. “I feel we can compete with (Gorham). A couple of mistakes, a couple of bounces either way, and it’s a different game.”

The Scots (5-1) opened a 2-0 lead during the first 16 minutes.

Travis Rogers opened the scoring at 7:02 of the first period by tipping in John Doustou’s shot from the left point while the visiting Scots, who actually play their home games at USM, had a two-man advantage.

Bonny Eagle held a 12-9 edge in shots during the first period.

“That first period we were really short-handed a lot of the time, and that really hurt us,” Portwine said. “It doesn’t just take a man away. It takes us out of sync. It takes us out of rhythm.”

The Scots made it 2-0 when Josh Bagley finished off a rush by sticking the puck into the right side of the net for a power-play goal 37 seconds into the second period.

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Gorham scored three goals to take the lead.

Defenseman Dylan Turner made it 2-1 when he scored a power-play goal at 2:06 of the second period. Blake Babineau tied the score at 6:52 by directing Chris Hardy’s pass across the front of the crease into the right side while the Rams held a two-man advantage.

At 9:41, Jared Wood put a wraparound shot inside the right post to give Gorham the lead.

Hardy (11:44) and Spence Cowand (12:47) scored third-period goals to put the game out of reach. Broy made 10 saves in the final period.

The game was played on USM’s Olympic-sized rink, which is conducive to the wide-open style employed by both teams.

“You’ve got to skate here,” Portwine said. “It’s not about physical play. It’s about skill and being able to skate and handle the puck.”

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Gorham outshot Bonny Eagle, 42-40.

Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:

pbetit@pressherald.com

Twitter: PaulBetitPPH

 


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