Cheverus/Yarmouth bounces back with win over Cape

PORTLAND—The talent and experience of the Cheverus/Yarmouth co-op boys’ hockey team makes it a top contender in Class B South.

The squad’s depth and balance might just wind up putting it over the top.

Monday evening at the Cross Insurance Arena, Cheverus/Yarmouth met Cape Elizabeth, the reigning Class B state champion, and 48 hours after suffering a tough defeat, got back on track, thanks to six goals, scored by five different players.

The Capers struck first, less than two minutes in, on a goal from sophomore Alex Mainville, but Cheverus/Yarmouth settled in, drew even on a goal from sophomore Matthew Paradis, then took the lead for good when freshman Owen Cheever scored with 3:14 to go in the first period.

While Cape Elizabeth junior goalie Nathan Hanisko did everything in his power to keep his team in the game, eventually Cheverus/Yarmouth was able to add to its lead, as junior Quinn McCoy and classmate Owen Walsh scored second period goals to make it 4-1.

Cheverus/Yarmouth then put it away in the third period, as McCoy scored for the second time before senior captain Andrew Cheever struck as well and the squad earned a measure of revenge for last year’s playoff ouster with a 6-1 victory.

Cheverus/Yarmouth improved to 6-2 on the season and in the process, dropped the Capers to 1-9.

“We’ve been blessed with scoring up and down the lineup this year,” said Cheverus/Yarmouth coach Dave St. Pierre. “It’s a hallmark of our program. We have a lot of guys contributing which makes us more difficult to defend. It was a great product of puck movement tonight.”

Different directions

Cheverus/Yarmouth, which was ousted by Cape Elizabeth in last year’s semifinals, started with home victories over Kennebunk (2-1) and Leavitt (3-1). After a 2-1 home loss to Greely, the squad won at Leavitt (3-1), at home over Brunswick (3-1) and at home over Mt. Ararat (7-2) before falling at York Saturday, 5-2.

“Saturday night was a little bit of a hiccup for us,” said St. Pierre. “We played well and had chances, but puck management issues bit us in that game.”

Cape Elizabeth, which was hard-hit by graduation and had a coaching change after the championship win, as Jake Rutt stepped down and was replaced by Chris Howe, started with losses at Kennebunk (6-4) and Brunswick (4-1). After a 3-2 home win over Mt. Ararat, the Capers lost at Leavitt (3-0), at Biddeford (5-0) and at home to York (6-1), Kennebunk (8-0), Gorham (5-2) and Greely (5-1).

Last year, Cape Elizabeth won all three meetings: 6-1 and 4-1 during the regular season and 7-2 in the Class B South semifinals.

The teams were originally scheduled to meet Jan. 11, but bad weather moved the game to Monday on the big sheet of ice, where Cheverus/Yarmouth earned a measure of revenge.

The Capers took the lead at the 1:39 mark of the game, as Mainville sent the puck on net, it was deflected and got past Cheverus/Yarmouth sophomore Ethan Tucker.

Cheverus/Yarmouth then tilted the ice and soon took control of the contest.

After Hanisko saved shots from Andrew Cheever and McCoy, junior Cooper Jacobs set up Paradis for the tying goal at 9:43 of the first.

At 11:46, Walsh set up Owen Cheever for a goal and Cheverus/Yarmouth was ahead to stay, 2-1.

“We just shook (the first goal) off,” McCoy said. “It was just a bad bounce, nothing we could do about it. We didn’t hang our head, we just played our game.”

“To the guys’ credit, they didn’t get down and went back to work and focused on the elements we focused on for this game,” St. Pierre said.

After Tucker preserved the lead by denying sophomore Callum Mitchell and Hanisko robbed Andrew Cheever on the doorstep, the game went to the first intermission with Cheverus/Yarmouth up a goal, holding a 13-3 advantage in shots.

Cheverus/Yarmouth would be even more dominant in the second period, outshooting Cape Elizabeth, 21-1, and adding two more goals.

First, McCoy scored for the first time, unassisted at the 1:40 mark, skating in and beating Hanisko nearly point blank.

Then, at 4:35, Andrew Cheever passed to Walsh, who beat Hanisko just inside the near post to make it 4-1.

Hanisko made several key saves to keep the Capers within hailing distance at the second intermission.

Cheverus/Yarmouth then came out and ended all doubt in the third period, as McCoy again scored on a rush, from Paradis, five minutes in.

“We moved the puck well,” said McCoy. “Give-and-goes, putting the puck on net.”

Then, at 7:58, Andrew Cheever got involved in the fun, scoring on the power play, and that slammed the door on the 6-1 victory.

“We all went into this wanting to win and wanting to not let up, especially in this barn,” Andrew Cheever said. “We knew it was going to be a fun game. We had a fire in our belly. It was great to go out and beat those guys. We know who they are. It’s a great feeling to know we can trust everybody on the team. Every forward, every D. Everyone goes out and contributes and has each other’s back. We’ve developed a lot as a team. Our depth really helps.”

“Coach let us know what we needed to improve on from last game and we took his advice,” McCoy said. “(Cape) beat us up last year, so we came out hard tonight.”

“It was nice to get back into the flow tonight,” added St. Pierre. “I thought the boys did a much better job moving the puck tonight, creating chances. It was nice to see them respond after Saturday.”

Cheverus/Yarmouth outshot Cape Elizabeth, 45-7, and got four saves from Tucker and three from junior John Wallace, who came on in the third period.

The Capers got 39 saves from Hanisko, who continues to face a lot of shots, but turns away most of them.

“(Nathan’s) been there for us every night and had some big saves tonight and he’ll continue to do the same thing all year,” said Cape Elizabeth assistant coach Matt Riggle, who was filling in for Howe, who was out of town.

“We had a great effort all night. I was proud of how our guys showed their own. Cheverus/Yarmouth has a great team this year. They brought it to us. I have a lot of respect for them.”

Work to do

The teams meet again Feb. 8.

Cape Elizabeth will try again to bounce back Thursday at Greely. The Capers are currently ranked ninth in Class B South and haven’t missed the playoffs since 2009-10, but they’ll need some wins down the stretch to qualify.

“We’re fighting some injuries and sickness right now, but hopefully, once we have a full roster, we’ll be ready to go,” said Riggle. “The guys playing right now are giving it their all and I trust them going forward.”

Cheverus/Yarmouth (third in Class B South) is home Thursday versus Thornton Academy, the reigning Class A champion. Saturday, the squad goes to Edward Little, another Class A power.

“We just have to keep playing our game and improving where we can,” McCoy said. “Good things happen when we put pucks on net.”

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” said St. Pierre. “We’ve got tremendous leadership. Our four captains, Ian (O’Connor), David (Swift), Lucas (Soutuyo) and Andrew, have done a phenomenal job. They’ve bought into everything we’re trying to do and carried the cultural element we’ve built and carried it forward. They deserve a lot of credit for their leadership and the boys have responded well to it. It’s a great locker room. We have great chemistry. Now we have to put the hockey with that.

“We have the pieces to make a run. The league is tough. We won’t take anything for granted. I like what we have, but we have to continue to improve. TA will be a test. It will show us where we’re good and where we’re not so good.”