WINSLOW — The Waterville boys’ hockey team had never lost a game when leading after two periods this season.
Presque Isle changed that in dramatic fashion Saturday.
Additional Photos
Senior defenseman Andrew Michaud blasted a one-timer past goalie Kaleb Kane with 2:45 remaining as second-seeded Presque Isle edged No. 3 Waterville 5-4 in an Eastern Class B semifinal at Sukee Arena.
“Crazy,” Michaud said. “Just a wild game.”
Michaud scored two goals and Jillian Flynn stopped 22 shots as the Wildcats (13-5-1) advanced to the regional final Tuesday night at the University of Maine.
Chris Lee had as goal and two assists for the Purple Panthers (11-8-1). Nick Denis collected two goals and Tommy Samson also scored for Waterville.
“It’s frustrating,” Waterville Coach Dennis Martin said. “We wanted a chance at a championship. It’s a tough loss, especially when you have the lead in the third period.”
Waterville led 4-3 heading into the third before Cooper Madore’s power-play goal tied it with 5:31 left.
Michaud then buried the winner after taking a nice pass from Alex Michaud.
“We practice the play every day in practice,” Andrew Michaud said. “Alex takes the puck behind the net and draws everyone to one side. I pinch down and try for the one-timer.”
“Down 4-3 after two periods, we were confident we’d get a couple more goals,” Presque Isle Coach Carl Flynn said. “We knew it’d be a tight game, and it was.”
The teams were tied 2-2 after the first period and 3-3 late in the second before Samson pulled Waterville ahead with a power-play goal. Lee took a shot from the right point and Samson, who was stationed in front to the left of Flynn, redirected the puck into the net with 3.5 seconds remaining in what was a wild second period.
“We were playing really well,” Martin said. “We had the lead and felt pretty good going into the third.”
Presque Isle took a 3-2 lead just three minutes into the second when Tyler Seeley beat Kane with a low wrist shot from the left wing.
But Denis answered for Waterville, taking a nice pass from Andrew Rodrigue through center ice, charging down the right side and beating Flynn with a hard wrist shot.
Waterville grabbed a 1-0 lead just 4:18 into the game when Lee, after taking a pass from Oliveira, came out of the right corner and ripped a tough-angle shot that deflected off Flynn’s pads and into the net.
“I think we were a little nervous at the start,” Carl Flynn said. “We’re used to being the underdogs here wearing our dark jerseys. Wearing our whites, I think we were a little anxious at the start.”
The Wildcats then went on the offensive. Joseph Patenaude converted a rebound to tie the game, and Presque Isle surged ahead just 43 seconds later with a power-play goal by Andrew Michaud. The Presque Isle forward took a pass from Michael Michaud at the left point, skated in toward the circle and fired a shot through a screen into the top corner.
Presque Isle held the lead until the final minute of the period, when Waterville pulled even on a Denis goal. Lee won an offensive zone faceoff to the right of Flynn, and Denis scored on a shot to the near side.
Bill Stewart — 621-5640
bstewart@centralmaine.com
Twitter: billstewartkj
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.