BIDDEFORD — The Biddeford/Thornton Academy girls hockey team fell to visiting Yarmouth 4-2 while continuing to struggle on the offensive side of the ice Tuesday.

The Tigers were able to knock on the door on handful of occasions, but were not able to catch up to the surging Clippers.

Offense has been an issue for Biddeford/TA early in the season, being shut out multiple times in its first few games.

Biddeford/TA coach Ashley Potvin felt that her team’s issue stems from difficulty shooting the puck.

“I don’t think (Yarmouth) was doing a lot, I think we were just having trouble shooting the puck which is something we’ve been struggling with … having the confidence to take the shot when you’re open and not only take the shot but also rebound or to have someone crash the zone,” said Potvin. “Offense is definitely something we have struggled with early this season.”

The Clippers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, getting a goal late in the first period from Caroline Grant and a score early in the second from Katie Clemmer.

Biddeford would respond less than four minutes later with a goal from the left wing by Ailaina Keely to cut the lead in half. Although the Tigers managed to keep the game close, they were never able to gain any steady traction in the Yarmouth zone, playing much of the second period in front of their own net.

The Clippers would put the game away early in the third period, scoring back-to-back goals in a span of just over a minute. The first on a powerplay goal from Sophie Newberg and the second on a breakaway from Clemmer.

Despite cutting the lead in half once again on a goal from Cali Collard with seven minutes remaining, the Tigers were not able to capitalize on further opportunities to push the Clippers, including a powerplay chance in the third. Yarmouth would hang on to secure the 4-2 win.

The Tigers struggled playing from behind early on, however Potvin was pleased with her team’s effort throughout the bout.

“It always is (hard) … when you dig yourself a hole it is always a lot harder crawling out of the hole,” said Potvin. “To our credit we hung in pretty tough, we opened up with an incredibly tough schedule so we’re hoping to keep hanging in tough but also bury some pucks.”

A bright spot for the Tigers was goalie Bekah Guay, who continued to play at an all-state level with 30 stops. Between red-hot goaltending and a solid defensive front, the Tigers are confident in their ability to shut down opposing forwards while their own offensive unit finds its way.

“That’s the thing. With the defense that we have and Bekah in net we have a solid defensive unit but we’ve got to be able to put the puck in to win some games,” said Potvin.

The Tigers move on to Lewiston this Saturday, and hope that their effort will be enough to get things back on track.

“It doesn’t matter what you do wrong, if you are going hard then you are at least doing one thing right,” said Potvin. “In my opinion, if we can continue to push ourselves and continue to go hard then we are going to get better because of that.”

— Associate Sports Editor Alex Sponseller can be reached at asponseller@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.

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