Last week was a week that saw good competition, success on the court and the ice, history made in the coaching ranks and City Cups awarded.

In other words, almost a taste of normalcy for winter athletes who are certainly making the absolute most of their abbreviated season.

Here’s a look at what transpired:

Girls’ hockey

For the third year in a row, the girls’ hockey City Cup went to Cheverus, which blanked Portland/Deering Saturday night, 4-0, as Lucia Pompeo scored three goals and Olivia Bradford added a goal on a rebound of a Pompeo shot.

“We knew the offense would come,” Pompeo said. “We were playing well. We worried more about defense, then we knew we’d produce on offense.”

“I’ve been very lucky to have Lucia,” Cheverus coach Scott Rousseau said. “She’s as great a leader in the locker room as she is a player. She’s very unselfish. She makes the freshmen feel welcome.”

The win was the Stags’ first in three tries, after losing to Cape Elizabeth/Waynflete/South Portland in overtime, 3-2, despite two Pompeo goals, and to Scarborough, 2-0. Cheverus welcomes Lewiston Wednesday.

“We just want to have fun with the rest of the season,” Pompeo said. “We’ll get better as we go. We want to just keep it going until the end.”

“I try to be process-oriented and not results-oriented,” said Rousseau. “We want to stay in the now and get better every day. If we’re lucky enough to maybe have an extra week and have a Cumberland County tournament, that would be great. We’re just trying to be the best team we can be. We’re lucky to get to be together again.”

Portland/Deering fell to 2-2 with the loss to Cheverus. Goalie Anna Gannon made 23 saves in defeat.

“I thought my goalie played really well,” Portland/Deering coach Tom Clifford said. “This is how Anna’s played. We were in it, even down 2-0, I thought we were playing well, but it came down to depth. I have a group of seven seniors and a bunch of kids who started two years ago. They compete.”

Portland/Deering visits Greely Tuesday and welcomes Cape/Waynflete/SP Thursday.

“Every day we get to the rink, even though we dress in the parking lot, the girls have smiles and they dance and sing, then they work hard,” Clifford said. “I’m happy we get this opportunity to play. I want to get the younger kids some valuable ice time and I’m happy to see my seniors get on the ice.”

Cape Elizabeth/Waynflete/South Portland, the defending South Region champion, won its first four outings including narrow victories last week over Cheverus (3-2, in overtime) and Scarborough (2-1). Bella Schifano scored twice, including the winning tally, against Cheverus. Schifano and Koto Yamada had the goals against the Red Storm and Abbey Steinhagen stood out in goal. Cape/Waynflete/SP plays Portland/Deering Thursday and goes to Biddeford Saturday.

Boys’ hockey

On the boys’ side, the newly-formed Cheverus/Yarmouth co-op squad regained the City Cup with Saturday’s 3-1 win over Portland/Deering, which evened its record at 2-2.

Cheverus/Yarmouth took a 1-0 lead with 4:58 to go in the first half, as Matt Robichaud finished, but with 1:18 remaining, Portland/Deering’s Max Cheever’s long blast eluded Pomerleau and tied the score. Cheverus/Yarmouth retook the lead less than three minutes into the second half, as Cal Oliver scored, and this time, it wouldn’t give it back. Portland/Deering had several power play opportunities to draw even, but couldn’t do so and finally, with 2:16 on the clock, Cheverus/Yarmouth’s Jackson Header, delivered the coup de grace on the power play. Bryson Pomerleau made 20 saves.

“The Cheverus seniors tonight talked to the Yarmouth boys about what this Cup means to them,” said longtime Yarmouth coach Dave St. Pierre, who is co-coaching the co-op team with former Cheverus coach Marco Giancotti. “The chemistry has been nice to see.”

“This means a lot to us,” said Pomerleau. “The team’s excited about the win. We knew how to handle adversity and we knew what to do down the stretch. The coaches have pushed family all year. That our chant.”

“The last few games have been rough for us,” Oliver said. “We’ve faced a lot of adversity, so this meant a lot for us to get back on the right track.”

“It means a lot to get the Cup back,” Giancotti added. “It didn’t feel good losing it last year in my first year as varsity coach.”

Cheverus/Yarmouth hosts Brunswick Thursday, then welcomes Greely next Saturday.

“We hope to have a good record,” said Pomerleau. “Having fun is a big point as well. It’s not the same season as usual, but it’s really good to have a family atmosphere around here.”

“With a little more time, I think you’ll see a lot out of this team,” Giancotti said.

“We look forward to a bright future,” added St. Pierre. “First and foremost, I hope we get to finish the season. I hope the kids get to enjoy the experience. Our big goal is continue to build the culture of this program and build a new identity together, go hard, compete and finish the season the right way.”

Portland/Deering was coming off a 4-2 win over the South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete co-op team as Danny Tocci scored twice and Nick McGonagle and Colby Winship had one goal apiece.

“It’s all about the memories,” Tocci said. “We’ll never get these times back. Whether we win all our games or win none, I want to be with the guys and enjoy it while I can.”

“We won a lot of little battles and got the job done tonight,” said Portland/Deering first-year coach Matt King. “We’ve really improved. Today, it wasn’t pretty, but we did what we had to do.”

Portland/Deering then got 26 saves from goalie Ryan Becker, but couldn’t win the City Cup for the second year in a row.

“(Cheverus/Yarmouth has) a lot of depth,” King said. “We roll two lines and spot guys here and there, but we ran out of gas.”

Portland/Deering welcomes Westbrook/Windham Thursday, then plays host to Gorham Saturday.

“It’s time we maybe split up our top two lines and maybe even go with three lines,” King said. “We’ve got to get more guys involved.

The SP/Waynflete/Freeport co-op team was 1-3 at press time following losses last week to Scarborough (2-1) and Portland/Deering (4-2). Against Portland/Deering, Dylan Hannan scored twice, but it wasn’t enough. The squad hosts Thornton Academy Saturday and visits Biddeford Tuesday of next week.

Girls’ basketball

History was made last Wednesday evening at Portland High School, when the Bulldogs hosted South Portland in girls’ basketball.

While the game itself wasn’t that notable, in the bigger picture it was seismic, as new Portland coach Abby Hasson coached against her mother, Lynne Hasson of South Portland, in what was believed to be the first time in Maine high school basketball history a mother and daughter matched wits on the sidelines.

Behind 17 points from Gemima Motema and 12 from Eliza Stein, the Bulldogs controlled play most of the way and prevailed, 57-29.

“I wanted to do it for Coach, in her first game against her Mom,” Motema said. “She brings energy and motivation to the program.”

“It was a really big game for Coach and I’m really happy for her that she got to win this game,” Stein said.

Abby Hasson was emotional after the win.

“It’s a little bittersweet, just because I care about those kids at South Portland so much and my Mom and my cousin (Kelsey Flaherty) are on their coaching staff,” Hasson said. “We’ve been in the gym for three weeks and we’ve come leaps and bounds. I couldn’t ask for anything more. We want to play fast and go, go, go. The girls came out ready to go today and when we play with that energy, we’re hard to deal with.”

“I wish we’d come out on the winning end of it, but we made history,” Lynne Hasson said. “There haven’t been a lot of father-son duos (to coach against each other) and to see a mother-daughter duo is important for the kids. I know Abby loves the game. She’s really good at building relationships with the kids. We come from a family that loves basketball and is passionate about it. For Abby to get a varsity job at her age, I’m really happy for her. She’s coaching a really good team. They’re tremendous. I’m happy for what it says for female coaches. We’ve worked hard to promote female coaches. Abby had (Bowdoin coach) Adrienne Shibles, (Colby coach) Julie Vellieux and (University of Maine coach) Amy Vachon behind her telling her to go for it.”

The teams played again Friday in South Portland and Abby Hasson ensured she’d hold bragging rights until next year, as Portland improved to 3-1 with a 55-31 victory. This time, Amanda Kabantu had 21 points and Motema added 19. The Bulldogs were at Falmouth Tuesday and host Falmouth Thursday.

Deering’s girls snapped a 22-game skid last Tuesday, downing visiting Cape Elizabeth, 54-32, as Ella McGowan scored 13 points, Nyabhana Lia finished with 12 and freshman Maya Gayle added 10.

“It’s a dream come true to win,” said Lia.

“It’s definitely a great feeling,” said senior Kaylee True-Magee, who finished with seven points. “I haven’t won since sophomore year. It’s a big win for our team. I think we all contributed, it wasn’t just one player. The focus at halftime was to calm down, take good shots and not foul. We focused on getting the ball inside.”

“I’m happy for the kids to play with purpose and finish the deal,” added longtime Rams coach Mike Murphy. “Last year was a tough year.”

Deering (1-2) was back in action Tuesday at Cheverus. The Rams host Cheverus Thursday and go to Scarborough Saturday.

Cheverus improved to 3-1 with a pair of wins over Falmouth last week, 73-41 in Falmouth and 51-35 at home. Freshman Emma Lizotte scored 15 points in the first victory. In the second, the Stags led, 22-5, after one quarter, but the Yachtsmen roared back within a single point before Cheverus pulled away behind Maggie Fitzpatrick, who had a game-high 23 points and also grabbed nine rebounds.

“It’s awesome,” Fitzpatrick said. “The team is so close and so enthusiastic. It’s so much fun to be a part of.”

“I was lucky enough to coach (2012 Miss Maine Basketball) Alexa Coulombe (at McAuley), who filled the stat sheet and Maddie fills the stat sheet too,” Stags coach Billy Goodman said. “She’s coachable. She does the little things. She has a great attitude, whether things are good or bad, like (2014 Miss Maine Basketball Allie Clement, also from McAuley). Maddie’s a mix of a couple great players I’ve coached.”

The Stags hosted Deering Tuesday and go to the Rams Thursday.

Waynflete opened its season Friday with a 42-22 home loss to Westbrook. Lucy Hart paced the Flyers with nine points. Waynflete welcomed North Yarmouth Academy Tuesday and goes to Fryeburg Academy Tuesday of next week.

Boys’ basketball

On the boys’ side, Deering got its first victory last Tuesday, erasing an 11-point deficit and winning, 48-41, behind 15 points apiece from Mpore Semuhoza and Titayo Augusto.

“It feels good to get a win,” Augusto said. “We came up short against South Portland, but we came to practice and worked hard and said today’s the day. We just had to play defense and that motivated the team.”

“I’m happy for these guys,” said Deering coach Todd Wing. “They’ve worked hard. It’s an odd year, but winning always feels good.”

The Rams returned to action Tuesday at home versus Cheverus, then play at Cheverus Thursday before hosting Scarborough Saturday.

Portland fell to 2-2 after losses last week at South Portland (67-47) and at home to the Red Riots (56-46). In the first game, Wani Donato paced the Bulldogs with 11 points. In the rematch, Portland cut a 20-point deficit to eight, but could get no closer despite eight points apiece from Donato and Sam Gerber.

“I’m really impressed with how the kids battled back,” longtime Portland coach Joe Russo said. “They did a good job. You can’t sit back against SP. They’re too big for us and they can shoot, so you have to pick your poison.”

The Bulldogs welcomed undefeated Falmouth Tuesday and go to Falmouth Thursday.

Cheverus fell to 0-4 after a pair of losses to Falmouth, 76-40 at home and 75-49 away. In the first loss, the Stags fell behind 18-3 after one quarter and couldn’t catch up. Evangelo Kapothanasis had a team-high 12 points.

“(Falmouth’s) very good,” said Cheverus coach Ryan Soucie. “They have very good guards and they’re big and the big guys know their roles and fulfill them. They have more experience than we do. We have a bunch of young kids who are learning how to play.”

In the second loss, Seth Huntington led the Stags with 12 points. Cheverus was at Deering Tuesday and hosts the Rams Thursday.

Waynflete improved to 3-1 last week after twice narrowly beating Westbrook: 43-42 at home and 46-42 in Westbrook. In the first win, Chris Saade scored 15 points and the Flyers held off a furious late Blue Blazes rally. In the second victory, Jaren Johnson led the way with 14 points. The Flyers were at NYA Tuesday and host Fryeburg Academy Tuesday of next week.

Skiing

Deering’s Sierra Aponte-Clarke was second (in 16 minutes, 45.1 seconds), Cheverus’ Annabelle Brooks third (16:49.6) and Deering’s Megan Cunningham fifth (16:57.1) at Saturday’s Sassi Classic Nordic ski race at Black Mountain.

Deering’s Cunningham had previously won a race at Libby Hill in a time of 17:53. Cheverus’ Brooks was runner-up in 17:56.4.

Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

Comments are not available on this story.

« Previous

City Cup returns to Cheverus/Yarmouth

Next »

Oxford Hills girls still have that championship look