Scarborough’s goalie, Peter O’Brien (left), makes a save off the stick of South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete’s Deven Hannen (center) as Red Storm’s Zach Chaisson follows the first period of Monday’s Class A boys high school hockey game at the University of Southern Maine Ice Arena. Scarborough came away with a 6-2 victory. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
GORHAM — Despite the snowy and icy conditions on a relatively quiet University of Southern Maine campus, the Scarborough Red Storm and South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete Red Riots took the ice at the Ice Arena for a Monday morning clash. The end result was a 6-2 victory for the Scarborough squad as the hosts tallied three power-play goals in the the third period to seal the victory.
The Red Storm improved to 3-1, while the Red Riots fell to 3-2-2 on the young season.
Scarborough’s Cam Budway (right) tries to skate past South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete’s Austin Gross during Monday’s Class A boys high school hockey game at the University of Southern Maine Ice Arena. Scarborough improved to 3-1 with a 6-2 victory. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
Scarborough received goals from four different players, including a pair scores from Nolan Matthews and Jacob Brown.
“Early in the year our first line was scoring the majority of our goals,” said Scarborough coach Jake Brown. “We’ve made some changes and we’re seeing some secondary scoring. I think over the course of an entire season you need that secondary scoring. We’ve got veteran guys up front and they’re starting to build some chemistry together. In the years past we’ve been more of a defensive team, but this year we’re more offensive.”
The Red Storm have scored 17 goals, while only giving up eight in four games thus far. A 5-1 defeat to Lewiston is their only loss.
Playing its first game on the schedule since Dec. 21, the Red Riots struck first when Dylan Hannan found the back of the net for the game’s first score at the 4:41 mark. The freshman scored off an Anthony Panciocco and Harry Milspaugh assist.
But Scarborough quickly tied the contest when Matthews netted the equalizer two minutes later after picking up a loose puck off a Dawson Gendreau shot. With 50 ticks left on the clock, Ethan Jasa put the home team ahead as he whipped a shot past South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete goalie Liam McGibbon for the goal.
The score stood at 2-1 entering the first intermission. Each team had six shots on goal with no power play attempts for either side, although a roughing penalty was called after the period ended on the Red Riots.
South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete’s Austin Gross (right) skates in front of Scarborough’s Cam Budway during Monday’s Class A boys high school hockey game at the USM Ice Arena. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete opened the period killing one of two penalties in the period to keep the score at 2-1.
After a Scarborough hooking penalty, the Red Riots evened the score by taking advantage of the power play as Eric Walker scored off a Deven Hannan assist midway through the frame.
Four minutes later, the Red Storm jumped back ahead when Matthews registered his second goal when he beat McGibbon with an unassisted tally.
Scarborough maintained the 3-2 lead, despite being outshot by South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete 17-13 through two periods.
Scarborough pulls away
The penalty bug hit the Red Riots again to start the final period. A tripping penalty in the first minute gave Scarborough a power play and Jacob Brown promptly scored the power play score for a two-goal lead. A Zach Chaisson shot bounced straight back to the boards and to Brown’s stick, where the senior blasted home the score.
A five-minute major on South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete gave the Red Storm another power play and they took full advantage of the 5-on-4, scoring two more power-play goals to seal the game.
“I think we just tried to simplify things on the power play. After that first power play, we just simplified it and put pucks on net,” Jake Brown said. “The bounces weren’t going our way, but if you put pucks on net and drive the net, you’re going to get some good bounces in the game.”
South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete coach Joe Robinson was frustrated after the game.
Scarborough’s Ethan Jasa (left) and South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete’s Anthony Panciocco both chase after the puck in the opening minutes of Monday’s Class A boys high school hockey game at the University of Southern Maine Ice Arena. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
“There’s two teams on that ice, we had one power play and they had six,” Robinson said. “But, we go 0-for-6 on odd man rushes in the first period — one was a two on none, one was a breakaway. You capitalize on two or three of those, it’s a whole different game. It’s stuff like that, you’ve got to capitalize on your chances early, you have to take advantage of that, and we didn’t.”
Defensively, Robinson acknowledged his team is capable of playing better.
“I think defensively on this big sheet it’s hard because we’re not used to it. It’s always a challenge coming out here,” Robinson said about playing on the USM ice. “Getting bogged down behind the net with our D not realizing there’s plenty of room on either side to make a play instead of coming back, taking the time and energy as it gives them more time to forecheck. We had a lot of turnovers on our blue instead of getting it out quick. Making that extra move, it will cost you every time.”
Senior co-captain Deven Hannan agreed it was a tough loss and the team is capable of better and will look to learn from the loss.
“It was a tough loss that’s for sure. We didn’t get any bounces or any calls our way and that definitely hurt us. Then they got the five-minute power play and they get that bounce off the wall and a couple of others go in and it brought us right down,” Deven Hannan said. “I think we can learn from this. We need to put teams away early and then goals like that won’t matter. We have a good mixture of different ages and I think we’re coming along together. We’ll get some more games and some practices under our belt and I think we’ll come together just fine.”
South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete’s Connor Corcoran skates down the ice during the second period of Monday’s Class A boys high school hockey game at the USM Ice Arena. Scarborough downed the Red Riots, 6-2. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
Sebastian Courtier relieved McGibbon in net in the third period as the two combined for 19 saves in the game. O’Brien turned away 18 shots for Scarborough. The Red Storm held the advantage in shots, 25-20.
Scarborough travels to Troubh Arena on Thursday for a 7:50 p.m. game with Portland/Deering, while the Red Riots next play on Jan. 9 when they host Cape Elizabeth, also at Troubh Arena, at 5:30 p.m.
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