The Cheverus/Yarmouth co-op boys’ hockey team had no shortage of motivation when it took the ice Monday evening at the Cross Insurance Arena.

For starters, it was coming off a loss two days prior at York.

But more importantly, Cheverus/Yarmouth was getting its first look at the reigning Class B state champion Cape Elizabeth, the team that eliminated it from last year’s playoffs.

And after a sluggish start, Cheverus/Yarmouth earned its revenge, scoring six consecutive goals for a 6-1 victory.

“We all went into this wanting to win and not wanting to let up because we knew who they are,” said senior captain Andrew Cheever, who scored a goal and had an assist.

Cape Elizabeth (1-9) struck first, as Alex Mainville skated in and sent a seemingly innocuous shot on goal which deflected off Cheverus/Yarmouth goalie Ethan Tucker (four saves) and in at the 1:39 mark.

Advertisement

Capers goalie Nathan Hanisko was able to hold Cheverus/Yarmouth (6-2) in check until the 9:43 mark, when Matthew Paradis got the puck from Cooper Jacobs in front and sent it home to tie the score.

Two minutes later, Cheverus/Yarmouth took the lead for good. Owen Walsh passed the puck to Owen Cheever, who beat Hanisko to make it 2-1.

Hanisko prevented Cheverus/Yarmouth from opening it up even more, denying Brady Martin on a rush after a turnover, then robbing Andrew Cheever on the doorstep.

Cheverus/Yarmouth pulled away in the second period, as Quinn McCoy beat Hanisko one-on-one at 1:40, then Walsh snuck the puck just inside the near post at 4:35.

“Saturday night was a little bit of a hiccup for us, so it was nice to get back and play tonight and I thought the boys did an excellent job of puck management tonight,” said Cheverus/Yarmouth Coach Dave St. Pierre. “We’ve been blessed with scoring up and down the lineup this year. It’s kind of the hallmark of our program. We have a lot of guys contributing and it makes us hard to defend.”

The Capers had a chance to answer on the power play, but couldn’t muster a shot, then Bennett Hooper had a look on a rush, but shot just wide, keeping the score 4-1 heading to the third period.

Advertisement

There, McCoy scored his second goal five minutes in, taking the puck from Paradis, skating in, getting around two defenders, then beating Hanisko.

Andrew Cheever then capped the scoring at 7:58, scoring on the rush on the power play.

“We moved the puck well,” said McCoy. “We had some give-and-gos and got pucks on net.”

Hanisko made 39 saves to keep Cape Elizabeth in the contest.

“We had a great effort all night and I was really proud of how our guys held our own,” said Capers assistant coach Matt Riggle, who filled in for head coach Christopher Howe, who was out of town. “(Cheverus/Yarmouth) really brought it to us. I have a lot of respect for what they’re doing over there.”

Copy the Story Link

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.