BRUNSWICK

It was opportunity versus flashy at Sidney J. Watson arena on Wednesday night, and on this occasion, flashy wasn’t nearly flashy enough.

The Mt. Ararat/Lisbon /Morse boys high school hockey team peppered Brunswick’s Riley Kirk all night in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference affair, making the most of multiple opportunities in front of goal. The Dragons had a couple highlight-reel responses, but by the end of the third period, it all unraveled.

The Eagles went on to earn their first win, 7-2, against Brunswick since 2004 in resounding fashion.

“Couldn’t have come at a better time,” Eagles coach AJ Kavanaugh said. “This whole locker room knew we hadn’t beat Brunswick since 2004. They knew that last year. We came up short last year and to finally get over that hump means a lot and it couldn’t come at a better time. We had a tough loss against Greely and now we can kind of get some momentum going for the rest of the season.”

After almost six minutes of scoreless hockey to start the game, senior Tyler LaCascio set the tone for the Eagles (4- 4) and punched in a goal in traffic to open the scoring at 9:13. Five minutes later with the score tied 1-1, Bradley Boulet weaved through the Brunswick (2-5-1) defense and scored a second one-onone goal just before the break.

By the time LaCascio scored the Eagles’ third unassisted goal three minutes and 48 seconds into the second period, the theme was in place — right place, right time.

“It was good fore-checking,” Kavanaugh said. “It also meant that Riley (Kirk) played well for them in net. Especially Tyler LaCascio’s goals were kind of just rebound goals or scrums in front of the net. Some of those unassisted goals were just hard work, crashing the net.”

“Coach always preaches us hard fore-checking,” LaCascio said. “We’ve been a little sloppy the last couple games, so we were just trying to come out and execute the gameplan.”

Thanks in large part to Kirk in goal, the Dragons hung around and skated into the third period down 3-2. Fewer than four minutes in, though, and the Eagles were at it again. Ryley Austin scored another unassisted goal at 3:52 and started what was soon to be a major breakdown.

Down a skater and on the defensive nine minutes into the period, Noah Austin collected a loose puck and sent the Eagles headed for Kirk’s goal. He quickly dished to senior captain Mark Abreu, who finished goal No. 5. Over the next three minutes, Sam Alexander and Jason Magno added two more goals and suddenly it was 7-2.

The Dragons didn’t know what hit them.

“I’m not sure,” Brunswick coach Bill Bodwell said of the onslaught. “I’m proud of the fact that the guys didn’t give up and they kept their composure all the way to the end.”

“I think the chemistry was clicking, we were crashing the net, and we were able to put pucks in,,” LaCascio said.

Dazzling Dragons

Brunswick had just two successful counter punches on the night, but they both passed the eye test. Following LaCascio’s opening goal in the first period, Michael Deveaux took responding into his own hands at the other end. After stealing the puck near the circle, he skated right with his back to goal, spun around and fired low inside the post to make the score 1-1.

Later in the second period, Deveaux scored again when he took a smooth pass across the ice and ripped a slapshot home to cut the two-goal deficit in half.

Equally appealing was Kirk, who finished with 26 saves and stood on his head for much of the game. Late in the second period with the Eagles pressing hard, the junior saved a one-on-one chance before diving to his left to block the rebound and then acrobatically glove-saving a third attempt to keep the score 3-2.

Again right before the break, he saved another breakaway look.

“He played unbelievable,” Kavanaugh said of Kirk. “He really did. Just watching him the last two years, from last year to this year, he’s really picked his game up and he’s going to carry them to a couple wins this year, no doubt about it.”

“Riley, my goalie, had an outstanding game tonight. He made some of the best saves I’ve seen in high school hockey in a long time,” Bodwell said.

Still, the Eagles kept coming and kept crashing the Kirk saves. They managed 12 shots in each of the final two periods and kept possession of the puck throughout.

“It just shows they’re a veteran team,” Bodwell said of the Eagles. “They’re loaded with seniors. This is really their year and I want to congratulate them. We both play on this rink and I hope they make the playoffs and have a good season.”

Brunswick’s playoff chances in the wildly competitive Class B South take a hit with the loss and the schedule doesn’t get much easier. The Dragons will be on the road for the next three games before hosting the Eagles again on the Jan. 21.

“It’s definitely a character test for us,” Bodwell said. “So far, we’ve passed. I told the guys to make sure they walk out of here with their heads up high and this is part of what youth sports are all about. Things don’t go your way, you act with maturity and keep going.”

Eagles 7, Brunswick 2

At Watson Arena

	Brunswick—	1	1	0	—	2
Eagles	—	2	1	4	—	7

First period — 1. (E) Tyler LaCascio, 9:13; 2. (B) Michael Deveaux, 12:08; 3. Bradley Boulet, 14:39. Penalties — (E) Sam Alexander, tripping, 3:31; (E) Jason Magno, slashing, 11:40 Second period — 4. (E) Tyler LaCascio, 3:48; 5. (B) Michael Deveaux (Alex Labbe), 11:32. Penalties — (B) Jared Hummer, hooking, 13:40. Third period — 6. (E) Ryley Austin, 3:52; 7 (E). Mark Abreu, (Noah Austin), sh, 9:35; 8. (E) Sam Alexander, 11:22. 9. (E) Jason Magno (Jacob Sargent), 12:22. Penalties — (B) Jack St. Pierre, tripping, 5:34; (E) Sam Alexander, cross-checking, 7:58; (E) Noah Buiniskas, interference, 12:45. Shots on goal — (B) 8-5-8-21; (E) 9- 12-12-33. Saves — (B) Riley Kirk 26; (E) Parker Lacey 19. Power-play opportunities — Brunswick 0-4, Eagles 1-2. Records — Eagles 4-4, Brunswick 2- 5-1. Up next for the Dragons — Saturday at York, 7:15 p.m. Up next for the Eagles — Saturday at home against Windham/Westbrook, 7:30 p.m.