Greely forward Andy Moore, shown during a game earlier this season against Lewiston, had a hat trick and two assists in a 7-2 win over Cheverus on Saturday night. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer Buy this Photo
FALMOUTH — Schedules can be tricky, especially when weather interferes. Greely High, favored to win a second straight Class B state title, had labored to beat York 3-1 on Jan. 9. The Rangers were not scheduled to play another game for nine days – but a snowstorm postponed it. Add to that a rash of illnesses, and Greely was grinding.
“It had been a real struggle to get that day-to-day continuity,” Greely coach Barry Mothes said.
Greely’s next game was Jan. 20 at Orono/Old Town, and the Rangers were stagnant in a 4-2 loss.
“A long way to drive to not play very well,” Mothes said.
It was also hardly time to panic. Greely was still 6-2-1 – the other loss to unbeaten Class A power Lewiston, the tie to Scarborough. But the Rangers had to work through some things.
“We hit a bit of a flat patch, and we got to get our energy back and our speed back up,” Mothes said. “I think we’re in the process of doing that.”
Greely showed energy Saturday night in a 7-2 win over a feisty Cheverus team at Family Ice Center.
The Stags entered with a 9-1 record, although Greely was ranked higher because of its much-tougher schedule. Cheverus’ one loss came to Class A Portland/Deering, and its most impressive win was a come-from behind 4-2 victory at Gorham.
“I think we’re improved all around,” Cheverus coach Marco Giancotti said, “We’re not real deep so we’re still working on who is going to play where, although that has come a long way.”
On Saturday, Cheverus, behind forwards Jackson Wilson and Jack Chaput, peppered Greely with 18 shots on net in the first period.
But Greely goalie Ben Singer stopped every shot. The Rangers made their chances count and took a 2-0 first-period lead. In the second, Greely dominated the possession and extended the lead to 5-0, and eventually a 7-2 win.
Forward Andy Moore, who had a hat trick and two assists, remains the offensive focus, but the Rangers have other weapons, including Tyler Grasky, Evan Dutil and Ryan Moore.
Greely will face other Class B contenders, including Gorham on back-to-back Saturdays, and Yarmouth on Feb. 15. The Rangers also face Class A Thornton Academy and St. Dominic next week on consecutive days.
“In the long view, we’re hoping our schedule will pay off as the weeks go on,” Mothes said. “We tend to play a better brand of hockey against better teams. Hopefully that’s going to bring out our best going forward.”
With a month to go in the regular season, the Rangers seem ready to go on a run.
YARMOUTH MAY end up being Greely’s chief competition in Class B South. The Clippers began the season 2-3 – losses to Greely (2-0), South Portland and Falmouth. Since then, Yarmouth has won five straight, including victories over Cape Elizabeth and Gorham last week.
Sophomore forward Isaac Grondin leads the Clippers with eight goals and six assists. Senior defenseman Spencer Kind has 10 assists. Sophomore goalie Charles Henry Watson features a 1.73 goals-against average.
LEWISTON REMAINS the best girls’ team in the state and is three games away from a second-straight undefeated regular season. The Blue Devils (16-0) beat Cape Elizabeth 5-1 on Monday night and play Saturday against Scarborough (15-1-1), the state’s second-best team, at the University of Southern Maine.
Last month, Lewiston beat Scarborough 2-0.
“It will be a good matchup,” Scarborough coach Taylor Fowler said. ““They’re a very good team with very good skaters. Unfortunately, we only had four shots when we played them (last time). We missed the net a lot.”
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