PORTLAND—With its legacy hanging in the balance Saturday at the Cross Insurance Arena, Cheverus/Yarmouth’s co-op boys hockey team produced its finest stretch of the season.

Scoring four goals in just over five minutes of the third period to shake free of John Bapst and go on to win the Class B state championship.

Again.

As it has all postseason, Cheverus/Yarmouth struck first, just 2 minutes, 46 seconds in, as junior Matthew Reed finished a feed from sophomore Owen Cheever.

But with 3:42 remaining in the first period, the Crusaders drew even, as senior Will Bourgeois redirected a shot from junior Cooper Lewis past Cheverus/Yarmouth’s standout junior goalie Ethan Tucker.

Both goalies were solid in a scoreless second period and it was anyone’s game when the third period began.

And there, just 89 seconds in, junior Matthew Paradis etched his name in program lore by scoring the go-ahead goal, on a wraparound shot.

After killing a John Bapst power play, the floodgates opened.

With 9:25 left, Cheverus/Yarmouth got some breathing room on a goal from junior Colby Carnes.

Then, a mere seven seconds later, sophomore Owen Cheever struck and just like that, the score was 4-1.

Carnes then finished for a second time to end all doubt and bring the curtain down on an impressive 5-1 victory.

Cheverus/Yarmouth completed its season with a record of 19-2-1, ended John Bapst’s campaign at 19-2-1 and for the second year in a row, can call itself the best boys hockey team in Class B.

“This year is a little more emotional,” said Cheverus/Yarmouth coach Dave St. Pierre. “Last year’s team set the stage for this year’s team and built the program up. This year’s team didn’t want to step back. They wanted to continue to build an amazing program and I’m really so proud of them.”

Back-to-back

Cheverus/Yarmouth was a powerhouse in 2023-24 and captured the co-op program’s first championship with a 4-3 victory over Camden Hills in the Class B state final.

Graduation then took a heavy toll on the program and there was uncertainty as to how the squad would respond, but from the get-go this winter, the answer was positive.

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), Brunswick again (5-0), Scarborough (3-0), Greely again (5-2) and York for a second time (2-0) before falling from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 3-0 setback at Kennebunk/Wells. After surviving Cape Elizabeth in overtime (1-0), Cheverus/Yarmouth was beaten in overtime by Class A power Lewiston (4-3) and after blanking Gorham (2-0), Cheverus/Yarmouth settled for a 2-2 tie with eventual Class A top seed Falmouth. Cheverus/Yarmouth then closed the regular season by downing Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse/Hyde (6-0) and Poland/Leavitt/Oak Hill/Gray-New Gloucester (3-1).

After a 5-0 win over No. 8 Cape Elizabeth in the quarterfinals, Cheverus/Yarmouth knocked off the fifth-ranked Poland/Leavitt/Oak Hill/Gray-New Gloucester Kings in the semifinal round, 3-1. Tuesday, in the regional final, Cheverus/Yarmouth again scored first and went on to a 4-2 win over No. 3 Gorham.

“This year’s seniors created their own legacy,” St. Pierre said. “One of the things I’m most proud of is how the seniors didn’t step back. They worked hard to continue what was built. This team has a very different personality than last year’s team. As coaches, we let that develop and it made a big difference for us.”

John Bapst, which also has players from Bangor Christian/Deer Isle-Stonington and Hermon, enjoyed a dominant 16-1-1 campaign, then defeated No. 8 Houlton (5-0) in the quarterfinals, eliminated No. 5 Hampden Academy (3-0) in the semifinals, then knocked off No. 3 Messalonskee (3-1) in the regional final Wednesday to advance.

The teams didn’t play this season.

Cheverus/Yarmouth was making its second straight state final appearance as a co-op. As stand-alone programs, the Stags were 2-1 in Class A Finals, while the Clippers went 7-6 in Class B.

Saturday, with an early start (10:30 a.m.) due to a Maine Mariners contest scheduled for later in the day, John Bapst, which was seeking its first crown, gave Cheverus/Yarmouth everything it could handle for two periods, but the defending champions became the repeat champions by completely dominating the third period.

It took just 29 seconds for Cheverus/Yarmouth to get the first scoring chance, but Carnes was denied by John Bapst’s talented freshman goalie Camden Leighton.

After Tucker made his first save, on a shot from sophomore Nathan Maryatt, Cheverus/Yarmouth opened the scoring.

With 12:14 to go in the first period, Cheever drew the defense and set up an open Reed in front, who only had to backhand the puck past Leighton and in for a 1-0 lead.

“I think Matty Reed did a great job getting the game going for us,” St. Pierre said. “He’s a third liner for us and he grinds.”

Tucker then preserved the lead by robbing senior Owen Maryatt on a breakaway and freshman Mason McNally on another great look.

Cheverus/Yarmouth had its chances to double its lead, but Leighton robbed junior Hakon Yeo and saved shots from Carnes and senior Brady Martin.

With 3:42 remaining in the first period, the Crusaders drew even.

The tying tally came as a result of Bourgeois getting his stick down to redirect Lewis’ shot just enough that Tucker couldn’t react and just like that, the score was 1-1.

John Bapst had a slim 10-9 advantage in shots on goal in the first period, but the score remained deadlocked at the first intermission.

Neither squad could break through in the second period.

Senior Owen Walsh nearly put Cheverus/Yarmouth in front a little over a minute in, but Leighton grasped the puck with his glove, with a flourish.

After Tucker denied Lewis, he saved a long shot through a screen off the stick of senior Nick Needham.

At the other end, McCoy missed just wide, Paradis had a shot denied by Leighton’s blocker, then Walsh, after a nice move, had a shot saved as well.

With 7:18 to go, after a potentially costly Cheverus/Yarmouth turnover, Tucker bailed his team out by robbing Lewis.

Late in the period, Leighton saved a shot from Paradis and Tucker turned aside a shot from Nathan Marryatt before stymieing sophomore Sam Churchard on the rebound.

Cheverus/Yarmouth had been outshot, 18-14, through two periods and John Bapst had to like its chances when the teams returned to the ice for the third period, but it didn’t take long for the Crusaders’ title hopes to be dashed.

In the first minute, Leighton had to save a shot from Yeo while Cheever missed just wide.

Then, with 13:31 to play, Paradis put Cheverus/Yarmouth ahead, thanks to a tremendous individual effort.

First, Paradis entered the zone and faked a shot, then he skated around a defenseman and around the goal completely, before tucking the puck inside the post before Leighton could react for a 2-1 advantage.

“I was just in the moment,” Paradis said. “I went wide, saw an opportunity to wraparound and I just went for it. I was just trying to get it in as quickly as I could. It was just natural, to be honest. That felt great. It’s what we needed.”

John Bapst pushed for the tying goal, but Tucker saved a bid from Lewis and after the Crusaders went on the game’s lone power play, Tucker denied Needham and Nathan Marryatt as well.

Cheverus/Yarmouth then ended all doubt with a dazzling stretch of three goals in just 1 minute, 11 seconds.

First, off a faceoff win from McCoy, Carnes buried a shot with 9:25 to play, making the score 3-1.

“Second intermission, Coach told us to put the puck on net and see what happens and that’s exactly what we did,” Carnes said.

Only seven seconds later, McCoy won the puck off the faceoff to Cheever, who raced in and wouldn’t be denied and the lead was three.

“I just saw open ice, I took it to the middle, the kid was way too far outside and I just ripped it,” Cheever said. “We realized the opportunity we had and we took advantage of it. We went out there and played our game. We came out and put in a few and really got going.”

“Our third period has been our best period all year,” McCoy said. “We’ve put it together and we were confident knowing we could do it again.”

“Coming out for the third period, I said to my coaches, ‘Our big guys haven’t stepped up yet and they’re going to,'” St. Pierre added. “They did and put the game away, but I still wasn’t comfortable after that. I still talked to the boys about making sure we made good decisions with the puck and we played our systems the right way.”

John Bapst coach Devin Fitzpatrick called timeout, but it didn’t help, as with 8:14 remaining, off another McCoy faceoff win, Carnes got the puck from Walsh and beat Leighton through his legs to complete the scoring.

“I didn’t see much,” Carnes said. “I just tried to get the puck on net. Good things happen when you do that. I didn’t think it would go in, but it did. A goal’s a goal. Quinn was in a zone the third period. He won a bunch of huge faceoffs and that gave us the ability to score those goals.”

“I just always try to win the puck to the outside and we’ve been able to bury shots all year,” said McCoy.

“We’ve done a good job winning faceoffs all year,” St. Pierre added. “Quinn did a great job all night. He’s a senior captain and he did what he had to do.”

The Crusaders put senior Trenton Zetes in goal and he held Cheverus/Yarmouth at bay the rest of the way, but there would be no comeback.

That’s because Tucker denied Bourgeois on a rush, then he saved a shot from Owen Marryatt.

With 1;24 to go, St. Pierre pulled Tucker for senior Braydon Fitch, then with 34 seconds left, Fitch came out, so senior Johnny Wallace to end the game between the pipes.

“I’m super-happy for (Braydon and Johnny) to get in,” McCoy said. “They’ve put in a lot of work for us all year.”

“Part of the emotional response I’m having is that Braydon and Johnny work so hard in practice and they’ve made us a better team, so to give them an opportunity to taste a little of this game was awesome,” St. Pierre said. “I’m so happy for them.”

At 12:11 p.m., the horn sounded and the celebration began, as Cheverus/Yarmouth repeated as Class B state champion by virtue of its 5-1 victory.

“It’s great,” Paradis said. “Two in a row. It’s a really surreal feeling.”

“It’s the pinnacle of our season,” said Carnes. “It’s what we grinded for all year, waking up at 4 in the morning, it’s incredible to go back to back.”

“I’m so glad to win another one,” Cheever said. “I couldn’t sleep last night because I knew what last year felt like and I really wanted to do it again.”

“This means even more being a senior and doing it twice in a row,” said McCoy. “It’s bittersweet, but this is how I wanted to end it. It was incredible to be on the ice for my final game and to win the state championship. It’s a feeling like no other.”

“I’m most proud of the camaraderie, the friendships, the love this room has for each other,” St. Pierre added. “It’s so seamless now. It’s not about each school, it’s about the communities together. That’s been an achievement beyond my wildest dreams. When (former co-coach) Marco Giancotti and I started talking and I started talking with (Cheverus athletic director) Amy (Ashley) and (Yarmouth athletic director) Sarah (Holmes) about it, I never expected that piece to develop as fast as it did. That’s a testament to the boys.”

Cheverus/Yarmouth had four different goal scorers, continuing a season-long theme.

“We take pride in our balance,” St. Pierre said. “We take pride in playing a team game, both offensively and defensively. If you look up and down our lineup, I think we’ve got over 20 guys with a point and at least 15 with a goal. That makes us difficult to defend.”

Tucker made 28 saves, as he once again was at his best on the biggest stage.

St. Pierre, who was part of a pair of Yarmouth state titles just after the turn of the century, when he was an assistant to Scott Matusovich, has caught up to his mentor, who was on hand Saturday.

“I’m sure (Scott) and I will get together and share some stories,” said St. Pierre. “I’ve caught up to him on titles and I’ll make sure to remind him of that. He’s a great mentor of mine. He taught me so much about coaching. Having him here to witness this means a lot.”

For John Bapst, Leighton made 19 saves, while Zetes stopped three in relief.

Just getting started

As was the case a year ago, the Cheverus/Yarmouth program will lose some special players to graduation, 10 of them in fact, but a lot of firepower, as well as a big-game goalie, returns and another title run would shock no one.

“I would not be surprised if there’s a three-peat next year,” said McCoy, who will be watching from afar. “They have the heart and the skill.”

“We should have another solid team next year too,” Cheever said. “We’ll add to it.”

“We want to savor this one,” St. Pierre added. “We have a great group coming back next year and some young players ready to step in. We’re excited about that.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.