BIDDEFORD — After dominating for the first two periods but unable to pull away, Cheverus scored two goals in the third period Wednesday night to come away with a 4-2 victory against Thornton Academy in a boys’ hockey game at the Biddeford Ice Arena.
The victory was the first for the Stags (1-1) following a 5-3 loss to Lewiston in their opener.
Cheverus held a 19-6 advantage in shots through the first two periods yet held just a 2-1 lead.
“We wanted to spend as much time in their end as we could,” Cheverus assistant coach Brad Church said. “We did a good job at doing that, sustaining some pressure, and their goalie did a good job of keeping them in the game early.”
The Golden Trojans (0-2) could barely cross into the Cheverus end of the ice in the first period, when Seth Dube made nine saves for the Trojans.
But Jesse Pierce put Cheverus ahead at 4:55 assisted by Luke Church.
“We were getting chances,” Cheverus forward Ryan McSorley said. “We just couldn’t finish until halfway through the first period, when Jesse scored. That gave us the confidence we needed to get the offense going.”
The Golden Trojans didn’t fire off their first shot until 12 minutes into the game, when Nolan Millett broke loose with no one but Cheverus goalkeeper Colby Benway between him and the goal.
But Benway made three saves at the end of the period, including on the breakaway, to keep Thornton scoreless.
Evan Balzano tied the score for Thornton with 5:24 left in the second period on a power play with assists by Millett and Chase Wescott.
But Mike Hatch answered back for the Stags less than a minute later – assisted by Sean Walsh and Cam Dube – for a 2-1 lead at the end of the period.
Four minutes into the third, McSorley cushioned the Cheverus lead with an unassisted goal.
“It was a good defensive play by Hatch getting the puck up the ice quick,” McSorley said.
“Their defenseman fumbled it, and I picked it up and just tried to pick a corner.”
And he found one. But the Golden Trojans managed to create some dangerous opportunities in the third period – matching Cheverus’ six shots.
They cut the deficit to one goal when Luke Chessie put away a rebound with 2:14 left. Spencer Bergeron’s shot bounced off Benway and Chessie was there to score.
“As a team we never try to feel comfortable,” McSorley said. “When we feel too comfortable we tend to let up, so we try to play on edge the whole time like it’s a 0-0 game.”
Thornton didn’t allow the Stags to feel comfortable until the end, when Colby Anton capitalized on the Golden Trojans’ open goal with a buzzer-beater.
Seth Dube finished with 25 saves for the Golden Trojans. Benway notched 12 for the Stags.
Both teams will play again Saturday, with Cheverus at home against Brunswick (0-1-1) and Thornton hosting Portland/Deering (1-0).
“We did a good job at controlling the middle of the rink and getting pucks deep,” Brad Church said. “They’re a good team and they gave us a good challenge. It was a good win for us.”
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