GORHAM — It’s an everyday occurrence in Major League Baseball, and happens on occasion in professional basketball and hockey. But rarely do high school hockey teams get to face the same opponent two games in a row, affording the losing team in the first game a chance at instant revenge.

Massabesic/Bonny Eagle/Old Orchard Beach got that rare chance on Tuesday, and MOB ”“ the nickname the team gave itself ”“ took advantage, as it skated to a 5-3 victory over the Lake Region/Fryeburg/Oxford Hills Ice Cats at USM Ice Arena.

The two teams first met on the Ice Cats’ (1-3) home ice on Saturday, with the Cats coming away with a 5-2 victory in a game that was tied 2-2 heading into the third period. That didn’t sit well with MOB (2-3).

“After the way we played last game ”“ we thought we deserved to win, and the score didn’t show it ”“ they worked really hard, and we knew this game was ours and we wanted to capitalize on the opportunity again,” said MOB head coach Loren Blair.

It didn’t take long for opportunity to knock for MOB, and the team didn’t take long to avenge their prior effort.

“It was kind of weird that we played them two times in three days, but we came out in game two and really came out hard,” said MOB senior captain Kyle Whitman.

Whitman fed Justin Miles for the opening goal just 3:16 into the game, and MOB tallied the first 10 shots of the game against Ice Cats goalie David Long.

“They’re goalie is unbelievable; it’s just tough getting ones past him,” Blair said of Long, who is just a sophomore. “The second game, we noticed some things, and just shooting where we had to to get the goals.”

The Ice Cats tied the game on their first shot of the game, which came off the stick of Huxley Lovering 9:33 into the first period. But MOB came back and tacked on two goals in the final 1:40 of the period to go up 3-1.

Whitman scored MOB’s second goal, then assisted linemate Cameron Roy on the third.

“That was our main focus in practice the day before, to just come out strong,” said Whitman.

MOB’s emotions ran over a little in the second period, as it was called for three of its four minors in the middle period, but the penalty kill did its job, holding the Ice Cats scoreless on the power play while adding a shorthanded goal. Tanner McClure stole the puck away from the Ice Cats near the blue line and skated in untouched to put MOB up 4-1 midway through the period.

The third period was a problem once again for MOB, as the Ice Cats netted a pair ”“ one 37 seconds in and another with less than three minutes remaining ”“ to cut the deficit to 4-3. But Whitman was the man once more time for MOB, as he scored an empty-netter that came off a defensive-zone faceoff out of an Ice Cats timeout.

“I figured since we got the puck, I figured I would go above the blue (line) just to see if I could get the puck,” said Whitman. “It just worked out in a way that I could go down and get the goal.”

The win gives MOB ”“ in its first season with the three schools combined ”“ two in its first five games, and gives the team some momentum heading into a short, but deserved, holiday break.

“This is huge. We’ve been playing well. Just to finish strong before our little break is huge for the guys,” said Blair. “We’ve been long days and long nights trying to get the chemistry together. It’s starting to show some dividends.”

MOB will be back in action on Saturday as it takes on South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete at Portland ice Arena.

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