Bill McHugh scored the gamewinner and Jason Barden made 15 saves Saturday to give Scarborough a 3-2 victory over Portland at the USM Ice Arena.
The game was marked by intense physical play from both squads. In the end though, the Red Storm (12-3-1) proved to be too much for Portland (3-10-2), winning their fourth in a row.
“This was an ugly win,” said Scarborough coach Jay Mazur.
His boys got off to a quick start when junior Jack Snyder slapped the puck into the net during a power play to give his team a 1-0 lead. That lead was doubled just three minutes later when senior Dan McGovern’s backhander got past Portland goalie Ray Quattrucci’s glove.
“We came out strong and got a good start,” said Barden.
After 15 minutes of hockey, the Red Storm had the Bulldogs right where they wanted them. They had out shot their opponents 11-4, but more importantly held a 2-0 advantage.
“We played the first period like we’re supposed to,” said Mazur, “but in the second period we gave them second life.”
That second life was all their opponents needed.
Portland came out for the second period fired up, and dominated the first moments of the period with three good scoring chances. Two minutes after retaking the ice, the Bulldogs converted on one of those chances when freshman Sam Guimond fired a wrist shot from the left face-off circle, beating Barden on his stick side
Three minutes later, Portland senior Joe Quattrucci made an interception in the neutral zone. He skated to Barden’s stick side and netted the equalizer.
“We’ve got to bury a team when they’re down,” said Mazur. “They just don’t quit.”
Both teams came out in the third period playing like they knew one goal would be the difference. A Portland penalty in the early stages of the period allowed the Red Storm to strike.
Senior Mark Beidelman slapped a shot from the left side and McHugh stuffed the rebound into the net. With 12 minutes left to play, the Bulldogs were determined not to let that goal be the deciding factor, but the Scarborough players had other ideas.
“We were just hoping to keep the lead,” said McHugh. “We tried to stay strong and hold on to get the win.”
The win did not come easy. Portland became more aggressive as the seconds slipped away. They began firing shots at Barden from all angles in an effort to negate McHugh’s goal.
At one point there was a scrum in front of the net, with Bulldogs slapping at the puck to try and notch another goal. When the whistle blew, the Portland skaters went into a frenzy as it appeared they had just tied the game.
But during the celebration, Barden pulled the puck out of his padding and handed it to the referee.
“When we have a lead I just want to help the team with big saves,” said Barden. “I decided I’m not letting them score again.”
In a last ditch effort, Portland pulled their goaltender in favor of an extra skater. Even with the one-man advantage they were unable to get the puck around Barden. When the final horn sounded, the Red Storm had picked up win number 12.
“We held it together in the third period,” said McHugh, “It was a good team effort.”
“We don’t even think about losing,” said Barden. “We go into every game thinking we can win.”
Scarborough’s next game will be a big one, as they take on the defending class A state champions Cheverus Saturday, whom they tied, 2-2, five weeks ago. The game should be good preparation for the upcoming state tournament.
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