BIDDEFORD — Thornton Academy used nearly all its allotted time in both regulation and overtime, but the Trojans were able to score when it mattered in a come-from-behind, 4-3 overtime victory over Cheverus in a boys hockey clash at Biddeford Ice Arena on Wednesday.

The Trojans (6-4-1), who trailed 2-0 after one period and 3-1 three minutes into the third, scored two goals in the final three minutes on a five-minute power play, then scored with 24.4 seconds left in overtime to secure an improbable but much-needed win.

“We just needed to pull together,” said Thornton senior captain Drew Lavigne. “And once we got that first goal (of the third period), it was easy riding from there. We had the momentum, we had the effort, everyone was going 100 percent, and once we had that goal, we knew we had it.”

The end of the game was a stark contrast from the beginning for Thornton, which was missing a few players, forcing others to play out of position or on different lines. And it showed in the first period, as passes failed to connect and bounces went Cheverus’ way, leading to two Stags goals.

“That first period, they get a couple bounces there; they get the power play goal, and then they get the one that seemed to find some sort of leg and get in,” said Thornton head coach Jamie Gagnon. “So it couldn’t have (gone worse).”

The Stags (6-4-1) opened the scoring just 1:54 into the game, as Alexander Grant-Roy took a shot from the right point off a faceoff that deflected into the back of the net.

Less than four minutes later, Matt O’Leary sent a pass from behind the net that was tipped in by Conor Ryle on the power play to make it 2-0.

That was the way the score stayed heading into the first intermission, but as bad as things were going for the Trojans, Gagnon said he knew there was plenty of time left.

“Ultimately, it was just 15 minutes worth of effort. We still had 30 minutes ahead of us,” he said.

Thornton was able to chop the lead in half late in the second, as Alex Fallon collected the puck in his own defensive zone on the penalty kill and raced up the right side before snapping a shot past Cheverus goalie Jason Blier.

Another unlucky bounce struck the Trojans early in the third however, as Ryle stole the puck on a Thornton power play and raced the other way. Ryle’s shot was blocked by Thornton goalie Andrew Huot, but the rebound hit off Fallon’s skate, who had raced back to try and stop Ryle, and past Huot.

“As soon as it hit his skates, I felt the pain. There is nobody in that locker room that works harder than Alex,” said Gagnon. “I know that was just eating at him.”

“Obviously that’s a little bit of a day-ruiner, but we were able to come back from it,” said Lavigne. “It obviously didn’t bring us down too far because we were able to come back and win the game.”

The comeback began when the Trojans caught a break in a big way. Stuck in their own defensive zone for over a minute and unable to ice the puck, the Trojans got a stoppage they desperately needed when Cheverus’ James Hannigan was whistled for hitting Dayton Wintle into the boards. Hannigan was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct, giving Thornton a man-advantage for the remainder of regulation.

“That’s what we needed, down by two. But we still needed to execute,” said Gagnon. “It certainly didn’t mean the game was over, by any stretch.”

Gagnon’s message to his team at the start of the power play: “Just stay poised.”

It took the Trojans two minutes to net the first goal, as Jimmy Remmes carried the puck from the left corner and snuck a shot into the top left corner past Blier.

The tying goal didn’t come as easy, as both Fallon and Carter Davis were unsuccessful with less than two minutes to play.

But after a Cheverus timeout with 1:13 left, the Trojans finally got that goal. Eric Profenno carried the puck behind the Stag goal, was denied by Blier on a flip near the right post, but collected the rebound and somehow slid a second attempt under Blier with 55 seconds left.

“A lot of it’s will,” Thornton senior Taylor Browne said of what it took to crawl all the way back. “That late in the game, you’re that tired, it’s just will power.”

Browne then played the part of the hero in the waning seconds of the eight-minute overtime period, as he collected a pass from Lavigne just inside the blue line and fired a shot past Blier from the right circle to complete the stunning victory.

“The only doubt I had was my pass getting through. (A Cheverus player) almost got it,” said Lavigne. “And once he had it, I had no doubt in Taylor. He’s got a rocket. I wasn’t expecting the goalie to save that.”

“I was just hoping it got in,” said Browne. “I got around the defenseman, I had a wide-open lane in front of me, and I kind of took a shot. It wasn’t quite where I wanted it to go, but it went in. I’ll take it.”

Browne, who had played at his normal defensive spot all game, was moved to forward by Gagnon before an offensive zone face-off just before the goal. Needless to say, Gagnon’s move worked.

“As luck would have it, Browne gets (a chance), and he had a couple all game long that he just missed on,” said Gagnon.

The win was a big swing in momentum for the Trojans, who won back-to-back games for just the second time all season, and who trailed the Stags in the standings heading into the contest.

“That scene at the end of that game is something that brings a team together,” said Gagnon. “It can galvanize a group, and hopefully it does.”

— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.