PORTLAND—It may not have been a thing of beauty from start to finish, but for the Portland/South Portland/Deering/Waynflete Beacons co-op boys hockey team, Thursday evening’s home victory over Cape Elizabeth was just what the doctor ordered.
The Beacons, who had won just twice in eight outings and had been shutout in their most recent game, are starved for victories and thanks to a fast start and doing just enough at the finish, they were able to hold off the valiant Capers when it mattered.
The Beacons took a 2-0 lead after one period, as Johnny Bechard scored twice in a 60-second span.
When Jack O’Connell added a goal in the second period, the Beacons appeared home free, but Cape Elizabeth was a different team when the third period again and it would make things very, very interesting.
Goals from Bennett Hooper and Brady Hanisko in a 51-second span pulled the Capers within one with nearly 13 minutes still to play.
The Beacons restored order somewhat when Danny Fitzgibbon finished with 12:03 to play, but with 8:07 on the clock, Brendan Eavenson scored to again pull Cape Elizabeth within one.
Beacons goalie Michael Zaccaria then came up huge, robbing Hanisko on a breakaway, then stopping his rebound bid as well, then at the other end, with 3:14 left, Henry Ermlich finished to push the lead back to two.
That insurance goal loomed huge, as a mere 38 seconds later, Hanisko struck again, but despite pulling their goalie in the waning seconds, the Capers couldn’t muster the equalizer and the Beacons held on for a 5-4 victory, giving them a 3-6 record, while dropping Cape Elizabeth to 2-9 in the process.
“We really needed this win,” said Beacons captain Lucas Milliken. “We have potential. It’s a team game. We’ve just got to stick together.”
Finish strong
Cape Elizabeth, which won just twice a year ago and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010, has been competitive this winter.
The Capers opened with a 3-1 home win over Brunswick, then lost at home to Gorham (2-0), Kennebunk (4-1) and reigning Class B state champion Cheverus/Yarmouth (4-3). After a 4-1 setback at Leavitt, Cape Elizabeth was beaten by visiting Mt. Ararat (6-4), host York (2-0) and visiting Marshwood (2-0). The Capers then beat Brunswick for a second time, 3-2, on the road, before falling at Mt. Ararat Tuesday in overtime (3-2).
The Beacons made it to the state semifinals last winter, losing to Bangor, but they have found the going a lot tougher this time around.
After a 4-2 home loss to Windham/Westbrook in the opener, the Beacons were blanked at Thornton Academy (6-0). They got in the win column at Fryeburg Academy (6-3), but losses to visiting Falmouth (3-1), host Bangor (6-2) and host Falmouth (3-0) ensued. After opening the calendar year with a 5-0 win at Biddeford, the Beacons lost at home last week to Edward Little, 4-0.
The teams didn’t meet last year.
Thursday, the Beacons appeared poised for a relatively easy win before Cape Elizabeth battled back and the contest hung in the balance until the final horn.

Cape Elizabeth senior goalie Nathan Hanisko lunges to make one of his 32 saves early in the Capers’ 5-4 loss to the Beacons Thursday night. Photos courtesy Kneka Smith.
The first period was all Beacons, as they enjoyed a 16-1 advantage in shots on goal, but Capers senior goalie Nathan Hanisko held them in check for over eight minutes, including twice on the power play.
At 8;23 of the first period, Bechard gave the Beacons the lead for good, taking a nice feed from Michael McMains and slotting the puck just inside the far post.
A minute later, after Nathan Hanisko robbed captain Ian House on a rush, Bechard was there to bury the rebound to make it 2-0.
“(Hanisko’s) a pretty good goalie, so we thought we had to take a lot of shots,” Milliken said. “We scored on a couple rebounds.”
Late in the period, Cape Elizabeth earned a 5-on-3 power play, but couldn’t convert.
The Capers began to muster some chances in the second period, but by the end of the stanza, their deficit had grown.

Cape Elizabeth sophomore Bennett Hooper races toward Beacons goalie Michael Zaccaria as Jackson Nalli (2) and Henry Ermlich give chase.
Early in the second, both junior Alex Mainville and Brady Hanisko had bids for the Capers, but Zaccaria stopped them both.
At 4:55, however, the Beacons extended their lead, as O’Connell finished, with Corbin Voisine and Milliken getting assists.
Cape Elizabeth couldn’t get the goal back, but the Capers responded in a big way when the third period commenced.
After going on the power play, Cape Elizabeth cut the deficit to two at 1:15, as Hooper scored, from Brady Hanisko and Mainville.
Then, at 2:06, Brendan Eavenson got the puck to Brady Hanisko, who flicked a back-handed shot past Zaccaria and in and just like that, the score was 3-2.
After Eavenson shot high on a rush with a chance to tie it up, Fitzgibbon gave the Beacons a little breathing room at 2:57, scoring on a backhander in front, unassisted.
Zaccaria did all he could to protect the lead, coming way out to break up a rush from Hooper, then saving a Hooper shot, but at 6:53, on the power play, Brady Hanisko won a faceoff to Eavenson, who ripped a shot into the goal to make it a 4-3 contest.
At 9:03, the Capers’ hopes were dealt a blow as Eavenson was sent off for five minutes for boarding, but at the 10 minute mark, they nearly drew even anyway, as Hooper got to a puck and backhanded it on net while falling, but Zaccaria made the save.
Zaccaria then came up even bigger at 11:33, as Brady Hanisko raced in alone after a turnover. Zaccaria made a nice stop on Hanisko’s initial shot, then, prone on the ice, he knocked away Hanisko’s rebound attempt, preserving the one-goal advantage.
“I saw that (Hanisko) brought the puck out of the zone and Michael made incredible saves,” said McMains.
That inspired the Beacons, who transitioned into the offensive zone and at 11:46, Milliken set up Ermlich for a 5-3 lead.
Undaunted, Cape Elizabeth pulled within a goal for the third time at 12:24, scoring short-handed, as Brady Hanisko got another breakaway opportunity and this time, he wouldn’t be denied.
The Capers had one last chance to pull even, but House broke up a Hooper chance in front.
With 55 seconds to go, Cape Elizabeth’s first-year coach Matt Riggle called timeout, hoping to set up a play where they could pull Nathan Hanisko for an extra attacker.
After some confusion, Beacons coach Jeff Beaney called timeout as well.
Play finally resumed and the Capers were eventually able to pull their goalie, but they couldn’t get the puck into the offensive zone and the clock ran out, allowing the Beacons to exhale and celebrate their 5-4 victory.
“(Cape) came out strong in the third period and we had to respond,” Milliken said. “That’s how hockey is, those swings. We just had to keep going. It’s all about energy.”
“It’s a big win for us,” McMains said. “We got pucks deep, we pressured them, we crashed the net and we got the win. We had to keep the momentum going.”
“Cape did what they had to do,” added Beaney. “We knew they wouldn’t quit and they’d keep coming. I had to use the timeout to get the right people on the ice. We just didn’t want to give up a shot. We finished pretty well.
“They got pucks deep, put pressure on us and we were a little too cute. We turned simple plays into hard plays all of a sudden. That’s where we’re at. When it got tight, we got the game back and defended well. We played more than we usually do, so a lot of guys got some experience.
“We break the 18-game season into three six-game seasons. I’m trying to convince the guys we’re 2-1 in this stretch.”
The Beacons finished with a 37-19 shots advantage and got 15 saves from Zaccaria.
Cape Elizabeth got 32 saves from Nathan Hanisko.
“Their goalie is very good,” said Beaney, of Hanisko. “He’s got good size.”
Riggle was pleased with how hard his team fought.
“Our boys don’t give up,” said Riggle. “We have a small roster. We had 13 skaters tonight and all 13 contributed. We have a tremendous group of guys. From the first whistle to the final buzzer, they didn’t give up. It finally started clicking in the third period. The ice tilted our way a little bit, but we had 17 minutes in the penalty box. That will kill us every time. It’s tough to win any hockey game with that many penalty minutes, but the boys fought hard and didn’t give up. We just came up short.”
Time to make a move
Cape Elizabeth (now seventh in the Class B South Heal Points standings) returns to action next Thursday at home versus Leavitt.
“We work hard and we support each other and we bring that practices, games, team dinners,” Riggle said. “On and off the ice, we have a strong core of a program. We’re still working. We’re looking forward to the rest of the season. We’re hoping to keep bringing the same attitude and we’ll support each other and believe that things will go our way.”
The Beacons (currently 12th in the Class A state-wide Heals) are home versus St. Dom’s Saturday, go to Windham/Westbrook Monday and welcome Scarborough next Thursday.
“We need more wins to get into the playoffs,” McMains said. “We have to work hard and win more games. That’s all we need to do. Hopefully we can come back and beat St. Dom’s.”
“It’s a pretty young team and the goal is to play three good 15-minute periods, as opposed to just two or two-and-a-half,” said Beaney. “We’re at the point where we kind of control our destiny. It seems like we play better against the top teams. We have to figure out how to get over that final little hump, but I’m an optimist. We’ll get there. We have some games we can win that are worth a lot of (Heal Points).”
Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.
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