BRUNSWICK — The Brunswick High School boys hockey team needed overtime to outlast Massabesic/Old Orchard/Bonny Eagle, 2-1, Monday night at Sidney J. Watson Arena.
Despite outshooting their opponents 21-10 in the game, the Dragons had a tough time solving freshman goaltender Gavin Sperlich. It took a shorthanded tally from Michael Eno 2:16 into the overtime period to seal the Brunswick victory.
Massabesic/Old Orchard Bonny Eagle, a cooperative team known as The MOB, received a stellar performance from Sperlich. The Dragons started fast in the team’s home opener, pouring in 13 shots on Sperlich. The netminder was up to the challenge as his team looked to find its footing in its opening game of the season.
“I think it was just nerves,” said MOB coach Loren Blair. “They’re young group. I have a lot of sophomores out there that didn’t even dress for varsity last year. I told them settle down and breathe, it’s going to come eventually.”
Early pressure from the Dragons quickly led to a goal in the first period. Jack St. Pierre took a cross ice pass from Michael Marro and he ripped a shot over the shoulder of Sperlich. St. Pierre’s shot caught a piece of the crossbar but dropped in the goal for a 1-0 Brunswick lead.
Brunswick kept the pressure on shortly after the goal, as Scout Masse found Jacob Doring alone in front, but Sperlich shut the door with a pad save.
Brunswick didn’t allow a shot on goal for the opening 10:11 of the game, but it was a dangerous chance for the MOB. Peyton Oertel caused a turnover in the neutral zone and released a shot from the high slot that was turned away by Dragons goaltender Spencer Marquis. It was the lone chance in the first period for MOB, as the Dragons held a 13-1 shots advantage with only a goal to show for the efforts.
“Even though we had the shots, we started off a little jittery too,” said Brunswick coach Michael Misner. “It was our first home game, but once we got moving I felt good.”
The MOB went on the power play early in the second period, but the Dragons limited the visitors to one shot on the advantage. Brunswick had the best chance shorthanded as Marro picked up a loose puck and sent Doring in alone for a chance that was denied by Sperlich.
The short-handed attempt was the best scoring chance of the middle frame for the Dragons, as the MOB settled in. Marquis preserved the lead for the Dragons. The Brunswick goalie’s best save came late in the second as Kurtis Morin cut toward the middle of the offensive zone and ripped a low shot that Marquis fought off.
“Spencer came up huge for us, especially in the second and the third,” said Misner. “He made some timely saves and did great.”
Brunswick battled through penalties in the second period. The Dragons went on the penalty kill 5:37 into the period after a slashing call on Henry Burnham. Brunswick killed the penalty, with Doring again threatening with a short-handed chance.
Brunswick was outshot in the second period. 5-3, with Marquis’ performance in net matched by his counterpart Sperlich. The MOB goaltender had 15 saves heading into the final frame.
“Having a goalie play like that you stay motivated to keep going,” said Blair. “He’s a freshman and he keeps us in it. We need that to be successful.”
Tie game
The MOB kept up the pressure late in the game on a Brunswick team with only 13 skaters.
“They had numbers on us, so we were starting to get fatigued, but you’ve got to keep being aggressive,” said Misner. “They’re not going to let off the gas pedal.”
The MOB broke though on a five-minute power play. Doring was assessed a boarding major penalty with just over five minutes remaining. Chris Westgate put the MOB on the board, taking a pass along the boards from Brady Cormier and beating Marquis with a quick release as he cut to the middle.
Brunswick kept the MOB off the board for the remainder of the power play, sending the game to overtime.
“When you come out flat on the road it’s not good,” said Blair. “To be able to come back in the second period and keep that motivation going into the third was nice.”
With Brunswick on the penalty kill again early in the extra period, the Dragons sealed it with another short-handed chance. Marro chipped the puck off the boards as Eno picked up the puck for a 2-on-1 chance. Eno looked off the defender and placed a shot under Sperlich’s glove for the win.
“They battled for three periods,” said Misner. “I told these guys third period it’s going to be gut-check time. They’re not giving up. We worked through some things and found some opportunity, but it was a tough game.”
Brunswick improved to 2-0 on the early season, with Yarmouth up next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Watson Arena.
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