GORHAM — The Scarborough High girls’ hockey team does not have that one star that leads the team. Instead, the Red Storm come at you in waves with no let up.
Scarborough wore down a game York/Traip/Marshwood team, beating the Wildcats 5-0 in a South semifinal game Saturday at the University of Southern Maine.
Top-seeded Scarborough (16-1-2) stretched its unbeaten streak to 11 games. The Red Storm advanced to the South final on Wednesday night at Troubh Arena, against No. 2 Cape Elizabeth, a 5-0 winner over No. 3 Cheverus.
No. 5 York is finished with a 9-11 record.
While the Red Storm came in favored, having beaten the Wildcats twice during the season, their second game was a 1-0 victory on Jan. 2. York is known for its defense, behind goalie Erin Gray.
Gray, a senior who finished with 34 saves, was in form early, when Scarborough went on its first power play 37 seconds into the game. Gray stopped a couple point-blank shots and York killed the penalty.
“She’s the biggest reason why we’re in every game,” York Coach Kevin Purdy said. But Scarborough “works hard and moves the puck well.”
Scarborough was relentless, taking a 1-0 first-period lead and then dominating the second period, for a 4-0 advantage.
Maya Sellinger, Meagan Donovan, Lily Spooner, Hannah Martin and Evelyn Boardman (an empty-netter in the third) all scored for the Red Storm. Alison Mokriski and Kathleen Murphy both had two assists.
While the Red Storm was an offensive dynamo, the defense was impenetrable. Scarborough allowed only 10 shots – and none in the second period – and goalie Ariella Swett had no problem recording her 12th shutout of the season.
“We play a good offense every day in practice, so it really helps us,” Murphy said. “We run five defenders, which is more than most teams run. We have the numbers and really good chemistry.”
Scarborough wins the numbers game on offense, too, running three lines. On Saturday, the Red Storm kept the puck in York’s zone most of the game.
“We have three solid lines that all work together really well,” senior forward Caroline Timpson said. “Going into the second and third period, we have the other team drained.”
In the second period, Scarborough out-shot the Wildcats, 20-0.
“We’ve been working a lot on cycling, supporting the puck in the offensive zone, always communicating, making sure everyone knows where everyone else is,” Timpson said.
“We always crash the net to get those dirty goals.”
In the first period, Sellinger got a pass from Ashlyn Libby outside the crease. Sellinger shot. It was blocked, and Sellinger scored on the rebound for a 1-0 lead at 6:24. It stayed that way until the second period.
“The first period wasn’t our best, but we got better as the game went on,” Scarborough Coach Taylor Fowler said.
Early in the second period, Murphy sent a puck in, and Donovan got the rebound at 1:27. The Red Storm kept shooting. Gray kept York in it. At 1;48, on Scarborough’s third power play, Spooner, a defenseman, fired a puck in, scoring through a crowd. At 12:23, Martin rebounded her own shot for a 4-0 lead.
Copy the Story LinkComments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
