LEWISTON — Even strength, Scarborough High was up to the task of containing the high-powered St. Dominic offense.

But St. Dom’s got two power plays in the third period and cashed in on both, rallying to beat the Red Storm 2-1 in the girls’ hockey state championship game Saturday night at the Colisee.

Kristina Cornelio and Isabelle Frenette scored for the Saints.

Sami Shoebottom scored in the first period for Scarborough.

Red Storm goalie McKenzie Cormier was brilliant with 23 saves, but her team had just 10 shots on net, and goalie Payton Winslow stopped nine.

Five penalties were called, the first three against Scarborough (one in the second period, two in the third). With four minutes left, St. Dom’s was called for a five-minute hitting-from-behind major. But part of the Red Storm’s power play was negated by a checking call against Shoebottom.

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Red Storm Coach Caitlin D’Amour, a former University of Southern Maine player, was not pleased.

“I’m going to say it: I thought the refereeing was inconsistent and it’s been inconsistent through the entire year,” she said. “If you’re going to let us play two periods (with only one call), let us play. St. Dom’s could handle the aggressiveness. We could handle the aggressiveness. It’s hockey.

“You didn’t see me or their coach complaining about the bumping. Let us bump. We’re girls. It’s not like we’re playing against guys who are 6-5, 250.

“And then don’t start calling things with six minutes to go. And I thought that five-minute (major against St. Dom’s) should have been only two minutes. Let us play.”

St. Dom’s Coach Paul Gosselin said “there’s a fine line between penalties and letting them play. There’s some of that in every game. I thought the hitting-from-behind call in a girls’ game was strange. It is what it is.”

It was the second state title for St. Dom’s (19-2), a team fortified by eight freshmen, five of whom started Saturday.

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Scarborough, which was making its third title-game appearance in four years (winning in 2014), finished at 18-2-1.

St. Dom’s averaged eight goals a game this year and dominated most of the play Saturday, but was scoreless through two periods.

“Their goalie was excellent today,” Gosselin said.

The Saints had more chances than their 25 shots, but Scarborough’s defensive foursome of Lily Nygren, Courtney Brochu, Ellie Smith and Grace Murphy constantly made plays, blocked shots, intercepted passes and neutralized players on rebound chances.

“We worked on that a lot the past two practices,” D’Amour said. “We knew they were going to crash hard.”

What St. Dom’s worked on was keeping Shoebottom from shooting.

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“We were just trying to keep her to the outside,” said Frenette, a defenseman.

Scarborough didn’t get off a shot until 11:58 elapsed but it was by Shoebottom. Getting free in the right circle, she roofed a wrister under the far post for a 1-0 lead.

“Her first shot was a zinger,” Gosselin said. “I don’t know what goalie could have stopped that. But we did a good job of keeping her out.”

In the second period, St. Dom’s got its first power play. Cormier came up huge, first with a glove save, then one with her pads, then another with the glove. After two periods St. Dom’s had 18 shots and no goals.

“I said (the goals) are going to come,” Gosselin said. “The goalie is playing well but we’re putting on a lot of shots … It took two power-play goals but that’s OK, we’ll take them.”

In the third period, Shoebottom was whistled for cross-checking at 1:09. The Saints scored 53 seconds later, with Cornelio open on the back door. Frenette’s goal came at 9:21, skating into the slot and firing.

Scarborough got its first power play – the five-minute major – at 10:54, but Shoebottom was whistled for checking at 12:09.

The Saints held on.

“We’ll build off this,” D’Amour said. “We lost three years ago by one goal (and then won the next year).”


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