Still, for the second time in this Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference campaign, the Dragons and Eagles ventured into another nerve-racking, sudden-death overtime period.
The first time around, the teams settled for a scoreless tie.
But, not this time!
Will Hirnak finally finished off one of his many golden opportunities, slipping a rebound of his own blocked shot past the last-ditched dive of Brunswick standout netminder Greg Walton 43 seconds into the first overtime for a 2-1 Mt. Ararat victory, the ninth consecutive win for the Eagles, who improved to 10-1-1.
Heading into Tuesday, Lewiston was atop the Eastern Maine Class A standings, with Hampden Academy, Brunswick, Mt. Ararat and Bangor rounding out the top five, with the teams separated by just 16 points.
“We were not defending well, and one mistake leads to another, and another, and you’re back on your heels and can’t get out of your own way,” said Brunswick coach Mark Roma, whose Dragons will entertain Edward Little on Friday. “Part of it is discipline, and the other part is I have to tip my hat to Ararat. They’re well-coached and play a simple game with a deep bench. They get the job done.”
Dragons high note
Things certainly began the way the Dragons wanted, with Ryan Black putting the hosts on top 1-0 just 35 seconds into the contest.
“We had a gameplan to attack, and it worked early on that first goal, but then we got away from it,” said Roma.
“We didn’t start the way we should have, a little bit sluggish, and after that we began playing well,” said Mt. Ararat forward Nate Santeramo, who helped get the Eagles even 10 minutes later.
Mt. Ararat set up for a corner kick, one of seven for the Eagles in the first half. Santeramo served a perfect pass to Griffin Stockford, whose header beat Walton to get the teams back on even ground.
“The tying goal gave us a boost, and he (Stockford) did a great job getting his head on the ball,” said Santeramo.
Mt. Ararat kept coming, firing eight straight shots at the Brunswick net. Walton dove to stop Hirnak, and Dragon defenders Cullen Shea and Parker Wild kicked Mt. Ararat shots away from the goal line to keep the game even.
“I was happy with the way the kids shook off the early Brunswick goal and came back,” said Renaud.
The Eagles outshot the Dragons 11-7 in the opening half and continued to generate solid chances in the second half. Hirnak especially created havoc near the Brunswick net, but Walton denied the Eagles.
“Greg is the best keeper in the state, and I don’t know where we would be without him,” said Roma of Walton, who had 13 saves, many from point-blank range. “He helps correct some of the mistakes that we make.”
Despite a hefty 20-9 shots advantage through regulation, Mt. Ararat again found itself in overtime with Brunswick. But, this time the Eagles didn’t waste much time.
Eric Knight possessed the ball near midfield, drove past two Brunswick defenders and sent a pass ahead to Hirnak, who had his first try blocked by the everpresent Jimmy Kenyon, but the rebound settled nicely back on Hirnak’s foot and he made no mistake, rolling a shot inside the left post to give the Eagles the 2-1 win.
“I put Will up front, knowing if anybody was going to do it, that it would be him, and he did it,” said Renaud of Hirnak, who limped off the field after the postgame celebration.
“He gets hurt in the celebration after the goal, after all the work,” said Santeramo of Hirnak. “This is a huge win. They played great and we played great. Yes, we possessed the ball more, and today we did a great job coming back and it paid off.”
Mt. Ararat goaltender Gabe Pelletier had six saves in the win, while the Eagles held a 12-6 advantage in corner kicks.
Mt. Ararat 2, Brunswick 1
At Brunswick High School
Mt.Ararat—101—2
Brunswick—100—1
Goals — (MA) Griffin Stockford, Will Hirnak; (B) Ryan Black.
Assists — (MA) Nate Santeramo, Eric
Knight.
Shots — Mt. Ararat, 21-9.
Saves — (MA) Gabe Pelletier 6; (B) Greg
Walton 13.
Corner kicks — Mt. Ararat, 12-6.
Records — Mt. Ararat 10-1-1, Brunswick
7-3-2.
Next — The Eagles host Bangor on Friday
at 6 p.m., while the Dragons entertain
Edward Little on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
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