BRUNSWICK

Brunswick played a tight defensive game against Cony for the first two periods, but the visiting Rams scored two third-period goals to earn a 2- 2 Eastern Maine Class A boys high school hockey tie on Monday afternoon at Sidney J. Watson Arena.

“We pumped one (goal) in the first and one in the second, too,” said Brunswick head coach Mike Routhier, whose team is 6-5-1 and visits Lewiston on Jan. 30. “We didn’t work hard enough in that third period.

“We got points so you have to look on the bright side of it, but this is lessons we have to learn for situations in the future. We have to do the little things like Cony did.”

Cony (6-3-2) head coach Chad Foye was pleased with the effort and was impressed his team didn’t get down when they were in a 2-0 deficit.

“The kids worked really hard and battled through some adversity,” Foye said. “Those guys really worked hard to finish this game off.”

The Rams got momentum going when Chris Murphy beat Brunswick goalie Blake Alexander short-side under the cross bar from the right circle four minutes into the third period. The assist went to Austin Davis.

“(Murphy) stepped in and we talked about that a little bit, getting our defensemen a quick shot on net,” Foye stated. “He had a couple of shots blocked this year.”

The Dragons (6-5-1) looked to put the game away with 2:20 remaining, but Cony goalkeeper Tom Small made a big save to keep the deficit at one. The play continued as the Rams pushed the puck up the left boards, and Davis made a move as he swept the puck around the net. Alexander made the initial stop at the post, but Davis jammed home the rebound. Tyler Leet was credited with the lone helper.

“It was a big save, unfortunately we didn’t have a forward in place to counter their odd man rush,” Routhier said.

Early power play

Both teams had their opportunities with the man advantage, as the Rams and Dragons had three chances each in the early going.

The Dragons converted on their first power play as Matt Brooks found the back of the net after he picked up a loose puck in front of the crease and scored at the 4:49 mark. Cam Heatley had the assist.

Brunswick continued to control the action, peppering Small with six shots in the opening frame.

The Rams (6-3-2) put pressure on in the latter half of the period when they went to work on the power play, but Alexander came up with several big saves.

Brunswick scored again on the power play in the second period when Parker Wild blasted a shot off a face-off win at the 2:48 mark for a 2-0 Dragons lead. Heatley and Brooks assisted.

Brunswick finished 2-for-7 with the man advantage, while Cony was 0-for-6, including a two-man advantage in the second period. Cony’s best chance came nearly halfway through the second period when the puck went through Alexander’s legs, and came to rest against the post. The Rams weren’t able to get a stick on it as Brunswick cleared it out of harm’s way.

“Your goalie has to be your best penalty killer, he’s been all year for us,” said Routhier of Alexander, who had 28 saves, while Small made 17 stops.

Cony 2,
Brunswick 2

At Sidney J. Watson Arena
Cony— 0020—2
Brunswick—1100—2
First period — 1. (B) Matt Brooks (Cam
Heatley), pp, 4:49.
Second period — 2. (B) Parker Wild
(Matt Brooks, Cam Heatley), pp, 2:48.
Third period — 3. (C) Chris Murphy
(Austin Davis), 4:00; 4. (C) Austin Davis
(Tyler Leet), 12:52.
Shots on goal — (C) 7-8-8-7—30; (B) 6-
4-7-3—19.
Power play opportunities — Cony 0-6;
Brunswick 2-7.
Records — Cony 6-3-2, Brunswick 6-5-1.
Next for the Dragons — Jan. 30 at Lewiston, 6:30 p.m.