BIDDEFORD — The Biddeford girls hockey team shut out the visiting Cherverus, Kennebunk and Old Orchard Beach squad 1-0 Monday afternoon.

Biddeford’s lone goal came from defenseman Paige Boudreau.

Tigers goalie Rebekah Guay had a solid performance, stopping 21 shots. Cheverus/ Kennebunk/Old Orchard goalie Taylor Courtois also had an impressive performance, stopping 18 of 19 shots on net.

Biddeford’s defensive dominance began immediately in the first period.

The Stags managed to keep consistent pressure in the Biddeford zone throughout the first 15 minutes. Although Cheverus/ Kennebunk/Old Orchard attempted over 20 shots, only nine of them made it on goal.

Biddeford coach Ashley Potvin was expecting a strong defensive performance from her team.

“Coming in we knew that we would be able to control the defensive end a little bit better than we had been,” said Potvin. “So it was good to see the defenders defend low and play well in our defensive zone.”

Although it was a tight defensive battle in the first period, both teams had a handful of scoring opportunities.

With 9 minutes remaining in the first, Biddeford’s Suzette Lamoureux took a breakaway pass down the ice but was stopped at the net.

Later in the period, the Stags were able to create a scrum in front of the net, rifling three consecutive shots on Guay.

The Stags came out fast in the second period, however were still unable to break through the Tigers’ defense.

With less than eight minutes remaining in the second period, Biddeford went on a two-minute power play after a tripping call that swung the momentum in the Tigers’ favor.

At the 6:09 mark, Boudreau received a pass down the middle of the ice and gained control of the puck. Boudreau then fired a wrist shot in the top right corner of the net, putting the Tigers on top 1-0 for the remainder of the period.

The Stags once again came out strong in the third period and were able to put more pressure on Guay, who faced a flurry of shots throughout the period.

At the 10:10 mark in the third, the Stags hoped to tie the game with a two on one breakaway opportunity. Despite the advantage, the drive was ended by a shot that missed right.

The Stags continued to surge during the period, and with 3:13 remaining in the contest, they went on a power play but also removed the goalie, giving them a two-player advantage.

“We told them that it wasn’t about how many people were on the ice, it was about who was going to go all out for the next few minutes,” said Potvin.

Biddeford’s penalty kill came up big and was able to push past the two minutes, while also closing the game out strong. Potvin was pleased with her team’s entire special team performance on the afternoon.

“The girls did a great job with the penalty kill. We practiced our penalty kill this week in practice so it was good to see that, our power play unit also produced big for us,” said Potvin.

As the playoffs approach, Potvin feels that Monday’s close win will be beneficial for her team down the road.

“Experience-wise this was a big win. We have let a few close games slip away towards the end, so this win is a great experience,” said Potvin. “It shows us that we can be in close games, keep up with good teams and be successful.”

— Sports Staff Writer Alex Sponseller can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.