Cheverus/Yarmouth blanks Scarborough to stay undefeated

PORTLAND—For some teams, having more than one able goaltender could be a problem.

For the Cheverus/Yarmouth co-op squad, it’s anything but.

In fact, it’s gotten to the point when the team’s goalies have pushed each other to make each other better and Thursday afternoon at Troubh Ice Arena, it was junior Ethan Tucker’s time to shine and he and his teammates went out and produced another key victory.

Hosting Scarborough, Cheverus/Yarmouth went on top to stay at 12:47 of the first period, as junior Matthew Paradis scored on the power play.

With Tucker holding the Red Storm at bay, Cheverus/Yarmouth got an insurance tally at 9:05 of the second period, as senior Cole Putnam scored his first varsity goal.

Scarborough wasn’t able to answer and with 41.2 seconds left, an empty-net goal from senior Quinn McCoy slammed the door on a 3-0 victory.

Tucker, who shares time between the pipes with seniors Brayden Fitch and Johnny Wallace and freshman Milan Polianchev, posted his team’s third shutout in four games as the reigning Class B state champion extended its unbeaten streak to 23 games, improved to 8-0 on the year with its 14th consecutive victory, dropping the Red Storm to 3-4 in the process.

“It’s nice as a coach to have quality goaltender and have guys back there we can rely on when things break down from time to time,” said Cheverus/Yarmouth coach Dave St. Pierre. “Not only that, they’re tremendous kids. All of them do great things for the program and support each other.”

The beat goes on

Cheverus/Yarmouth finally broke through and won the Class B state title last March and hasn’t missed a beat this winter.

After a 3-1 win over Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse/Hyde in the opener, Cheverus/Yarmouth defeated Greely (6-1), Windham/Westbrook (7-2), Cape Elizabeth (4-3), York (3-2), Brunswick (3-0), Poland/Leavitt/Oak Hill/Gray-New Gloucester (6-1) and Brunswick again (5-0).

Scarborough, which missed the playoffs a year ago, due in large part to a multitude of one-goal losses, started with a one-goal loss (4-3 to Thornton Academy), then defeated Bangor (3-2), Windham/Westbrook (6-3) and reigning Class A champion Lewiston (3-2). After a 3-2 loss to Bonny Eagle, the Red Storm were beaten by Falmouth (7-2).

The teams didn’t meet a year ago. The most recent encounter was Jan. 12, 2023 (a 3-2 Cheverus/Yarmouth victory).

Thursday, Cheverus/Yarmouth did enough to keep the good times rolling.

Cheverus/Yarmouth sophomore Owen Cheever keeps the puck from Scarborough senior Jack Prouty during Thursday’s 3-0 Cheverus/Yarmouth victory. Hoffer photos.

Neither team generated many chances in the first period, as each had a power play opportunity that didn’t result in a goal.

Cheverus/Yarmouth went man-up again with 2:46 to go in the period and 33 seconds later, it went ahead to stay, as freshman Griffin Zinman got the puck to Paradis, who ripped it past Scarborough junior goalie Bryce Bellerose for a 1-0 lead, which held into the second period.

“I always try to have as much confidence as I can, but I like to have a lead,” Tucker said.

“We’ve been talking about having quicker starts,” said St. Pierre. “Our first periods haven’t been great this year. We did a better job of that this game.”

Early in the second period, Tucker had to make back-to-back stops on shots from junior Daniel Polsiner and senior Jack Prouty, then he denied a rush from senior Wyatt Grondin.

After Bellerose kept the deficit at one by denying senior Owen Walsh and Paradis, Cheverus/Yarmouth made it 2-0, as Putnam, who was wide open in front, got the puck from sophomore Owen Cheever, and finished. Junior Matthew Reed was also credited with an assist.

“It felt amazing,” said Putnam. “My family’s here, my girlfriend’s here. What more can I ask for?”

“Cole comes to work every day and supports everyone around him,” said St. Pierre. “He’s such a good teammate. It was great that he was in the right place and he buried it. I’m super-proud of him.”

“We were a little bit flat, but we came out better in the second period, then we lost a little momentum on that turnover in a vulnerable area,” Scarborough coach Eric Wirsing said. “I can’t fault the guys for trying to make a play.”

Cheverus/Yarmouth had a chance to extend its lead even further when it went on the power play two minutes later, but Bellerose turned aside shots from freshman Charles Hughes, McCoy and Cheever.

Scarborough sophomore Preston Sullivan gets around Cheverus/Yarmouth freshman Charlie Hughes.

Scarborough nearly got right back into the game a minute into the third period, but Tucker robbed Grondin after a turnover.

The Red Storm then went on the power play, but Tucker twice denied junior Collin Lebel before robbing junior Brett Kemper.

After McCoy hit the post, Scarborough got one last chance with 2 minutes on the clock, as it went on the power play, but it would be Cheverus/Yarmouth taking advantage, as after Tucker made one final save on Lebel, McCoy got the puck in front of the net from Cheever and fired it all the way down the ice into an empty net to bring the curtain down on the 3-0 victory.

Cheverus/Yarmouth celebrates during Thursday’s victory.

“I think we were really consistent, start to finish,” said Putnam. “We’ve struggled a little bit in the first period, but today, we did really well.”

“That’s a strong team there and they’ll be dangerous down the stretch,” St. Pierre said, of Scarborough. “I thought they out-competed us in the second period, but we stayed with our game plan and pulled it out. We lost a lot of leadership from last year, some heart-and-soul guys. We told guys they’d have to take over and learn from what they did. Those kids set a great example for everybody and it’s been easy for kids to step in. They saw what it looked like.”

Cheverus/Yarmouth had an 18-11 advantage in shots on goal and got 11 saves from Tucker. It also prevented Scarborough from scoring on the power play.

“I want to do what I can to help the team to win,” said Tucker. “I have a good defense in front of me. They’re great shot-blockers. I saw the puck well today. I was watching it good the whole way.”

“We’ve been working hard on our PK,” St. Pierre said. “It hasn’t been a strength this year. The boys did a great job of keeping their structure and taking care of pucks they had to and Ethan did a great job of saving the pucks he had to.”

Scarborough got 15 saves from Bellerose, but couldn’t put the puck in the net.

“It was an uphill challenge all day,” said Wirsing. “(Cheverus/Yarmouth’s) a very well structured team. We knew coming in that grade-A chances would be a difficult task. Sometimes, we got away from what we wanted to do, like get the puck in deep. Part of that was due to how they play. I felt the third period was our best period and we had some good opportunities, but we weren’t able to get one by (Tucker).

“We’ve had a grind the past couple weeks and I think we’ve handled it well. It would be nice to be over .500, but we’ve played some really good teams and learned a lot about what we need to do to get better.”

Long way to go

Scarborough (currently ranked fifth in the Class A statewide Heal Points standings) is back in action Monday at home versus Fryeburg Academy. The Red Storm have a key test at Thornton Academy next Wednesday.

“We’ve got to mature,” Wirsing said. “I think we have a lot of upside. I think we’re doing the right things. We’ve got to do it on a consistent basis. We have to be able to compete for 45 minutes. If we can do that over the next month or so, I think we’ll put ourselves in a good spot.”

Cheverus/Yarmouth (first in Class B South) sits idle for a week, then hosts Greely next Thursday.

“Last year helps a lot,” Putnam said. “A lot of teams are gunning for us and trying to make a statement, but we’re doing well and I hope we can keep it up.”

“We have to keep playing our game and not get over our heads,” Tucker said.

“We need to stay humble and keep working hard,” St. Pierre added. “It’s only the halfway point. We’re happy with our start, but we still have a ways to go and a lot to work on. We have to remember to play the game the way we’re supposed to play it and if we do, I think we’ll be OK.”