GORHAM — The goals and the wins aren’t coming with quite the same ease as they did a year ago, but the Cheverus/Kennebunk girls’ hockey team is still finding a way to score enough to prevail.

Even when it takes awhile.

Wednesday afternoon at USM Ice Arena, Cheverus was flustered for more than 42 minutes by Scarborough and its goalie, Ariella Swett, but late goals from Abby Lamontagne and Sophia Pompeo produced a 2-0 victory.

“There are a lot of ways to win hockey games and we’re finding new ways to win,” said Cheverus Coach Scott Rousseau, whose team is now 7-1. “We’re certainly a little more conservative this year, but the girls are buying in and they work very hard.”

Neither team could score in the first period, although each had chances. Swett stopped three one-on-one opportunities for Pompeo. Late in the period, the Red Storm (5-2) got good looks from Maya Sellinger, Calynn Gendreau and Hannah Martin, but Cheverus goalie Trinity Atwater kept the puck out of the net.

Cheverus then completely dominated the second period, enjoying a 15-1 advantage in shots, but couldn’t break through.

Swett denied back-to-back bids by Lamontagne and Hannah Woodford, frustrated Pompeo once and Lamontagne twice on a power play, then robbed Lamontagne twice more late in the period and turned aside two promising bids from Pompeo.

Scarborough’s best chance came off the stick of Gendreau but rang off the crossbar.

The Red Storm had three power plays in the third period, but couldn’t convert. At the other end, Woodford was denied by Swett, who also made a nice glove save on a shot by Zoe Mazur.

Finally, with 2:28 to play after killing its final penalty, Cheverus struck. Pompeo got the puck to Lamontagne, who beat Swett to the far side with a wrist shot.

“I was just coming down the ice and I knew I had to get (a goal),” said Lamontagne. “Sophia got me the puck, I got past a defender, and I saw the goalie shift over, so I threw it back where she came from.”

Scarborough never produced another shot, and with 46.7 seconds remaining, Pompeo took a pass from Lamontagne and sent the puck into an open net to clinch it.

“We did a really good job of being patient and not being flustered because it was such a tight game,” Rousseau said. “(Scarborough) is good and played very well.

Cheverus finished with a 26-12 shots advantage and got 12 saves from Atwater.

The Red Storm failed on four power-play opportunities but hung tough for 45 minutes, thanks in large part to Swett’s 24 saves.

“I’m very pleased (with Ariella),” said Scarborough Coach Caitlin Jordan. “I couldn’t ask for any more than what she did.

“We have a very young team. Half our team is freshmen, and these games are learning opportunities. We get to face Lewiston and Cheverus again before the end of the season, and I think it could be a different outcome.”

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