BRUNSWICK — When he was named interim coach of the Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse boys ice hockey team earlier in January, due to an investigation into an alleged bullying incident, Erik Baker set some simple goals.

“Let them skate, and then have fun and make some memories. I think tonight was a big memory for a lot of them,” Baker said after Friday’s 3-2 overtime victory over Brunswick/Freeport.

One minute and 48 seconds into the overtime period, the sophomore forward Lawson Mayer netted the game-winning goal then celebrated in front of the student section before being embraced by his Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse teammates at the glass.

“It was a great shot from my defender, Gavin Wallace, and I was just right time, right place, and hacked at it,” Mayer said. “Whiffed it the first time, but, you know, got the rebound, which is all that matters.”

The victory snapped a three-game losing skid for Mt. Ararat (6-7).

Two days after an overtime win over Biddeford/Massabesic/Old Orchard, Brunswick (2-12) came close to another comeback but could not replicate the extra-time magic.

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Senior forward Oscar Nelson started the scoring for the Eagles at 3:06 in the second period, collecting a rebounded shot from Finn Dedek. At 7:00, junior forward Brennan Fitzpatrick doubled the lead off assists from Sean Cram and Tristan Huot.

A collision between a Brunswick and Mt. Ararat player right after the goal led to a scuffle between the teams. Two Eagles and one Dragon were sent to the penalty box.

Twenty seconds later, sophomore Ethan Patterson used the power play to Brunswick’s advantage, putting a puck from Nat Rathbone and Max Stadnicki into the net to get his team on the scoreboard.

Mt. Ararat could not stay away from the penalty box, as Dedek was called for a major boarding penalty later in the period. Once again, Brunswick took advantage. With 15 seconds left in the second, sophomore defender Avery Tatham evened the game at 2-2 off passes from Evan Dorsey and Bo Marini.

Brunswick head coach Dennis Hagemann said a “next shift” mentality helped Brunswick stay focused and not get discouraged by the first half of the game.

“We always work to get better and this team has shown what a positive mindset and attitude can do for them,” Hagemann said. “Because their body language screams mental toughness, and that’s how we clawed back and never gave up.”

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Sophomore Michael Shoemaker saved 24 shots for the Dragons. Junior Kai Stockford saved 32 shots for the Eagles, including 16 in the third period.

“I really wanted to win it,” Stockford said about his late-game focus. “You know, two wins against Brunswick in one season … It was very stressful, but it was a lot of fun too.”

The Eagles also beat Brunswick/Freeport 3-0 on Dec. 21.

Sticking to the basics

Rebounding and readjusting has been a large part of Mt. Ararat’s season since the first week of January, when MSAD 75 Superintendent Heidi O’Leary paused hockey activities to address “a potential bullying/harassment issue” and to begin “an investigation in line with our district policies and procedures.”

Baker, O’Leary’s brother who has youth hockey coaching experience, was named interim coach by the school board on Jan. 9, replacing A.J. Kavanaugh. Board chair Amy Spelke said the change is not a negative reflection on the coaching staff, but a measure to “allow the investigation to move forward in a fair and thorough manner.”

The investigation is currently ongoing.

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On Jan. 11, the varsity team returned to the ice in a game against the Biddeford/Old Orchard Beach/Massabesic co-op, the first game under Baker. Since, the Eagles are 3-4, with all three wins coming in overtime.

“We stay with the basics,” Baker said. “We’re not trying to perform anything special and make any special plays. It’s really about sticking with the basics of hockey and understanding the basics and then performing those. And if you play your position and your teammates play theirs, it all seems to work out for us.”

Baker said he didn’t want to introduce or change anything in the playbook, since the season was underway when he took over.

“They had enough adversity outside, we didn’t want to create it on the inside,” Baker said.

Baker believes the players have responded to the coaching change as well as could be expected.

“We just talked about being a family,” Baker said. “Really, what we talk about is, I call it the four R’s: Respect yourself, respect your teammates, respect the referees and respect your coaches. That’s what we’ve been preaching since Day 1, and they’ve seemed to have latched on to that, and they’re doing real well with it. So I’m really proud of all those kids. They’ve done a great job.”

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