In a possible preview of the Western Maine Class B boys hockey finals, Cape and Greely did not disappoint.
Greely (4-1) overcame a late deficit to pull out a 5-4 win in overtime behind a hat trick from senior captain Brian Allyn on Monday night at the Cumberland Country Civic Center in Portland.
Cape (4-2) trailed 3-2 entering the third period, but tied the score less than a minute in and took the lead with just over five minutes to play.
But Allyn scored his second goal on a power play with 2:30 left in regulation, converting a give-and-go feed from Jesse Shavel. Then 2:47 into overtime, Allyn made a nifty move to escape a Cape defender and broke in on Cape goalie Phil Jordan (30 saves) and lifted the game-winner into the top of the net.
“I thought we played hard tonight,” said Cape coach Jason Tremblay. “The kids battled on both sides of the ice. Both teams came ready to play tonight. A 5-4 loss in overtime, there’s not much you can do about that. It was a great play by (Allyn). He made a nice play … and game over.”
Greely coach Barry Mothes said the Rangers were lucky to end up on top. He wasn’t pleased with his team’s top-to-bottom effort.
“It was an exciting game as a fan,” Mothes said. “As a coach, not so exciting, a little frustrating. I’m glad we found a way to win. We had a pretty small handful of people who carried us tonight. Brian Allyn being one, Kevin Hart had a real good game on D, and Jesse Shavel. We didn’t have enough going on from enough people tonight. We’re fortunate to win.”
Shavel also assisted on Greely’s first goal – a top-shelf offering from Kyle Selig – that tied the game at 1-1 with 4:43 left in the first period, less than a minute after Cape’s Reid Douty gave his team an early 1-0 advantage with 5:39 left in the first. He broke in after taking a pass from Sether Hanson. Greely goalie Matt Labbe (17 saves) appeared to make the initial stop, but the puck trickled into the net when a defender crashed into the crease.
Greely took a 2-1 lead quickly in the second period as Allyn controlled the puck soon after the opening faceoff and slid a low shot past Jordan just 14 seconds in. Cape tied it on a power play with 10:30 remaining in the period as Sean Eubanks scored off a pass from Sam St. Germain. The Rangers retook the lead with 2:22 left in the period on a goal by Hart.
It was the Capers’ turn to jump out quickly in the third. 51 seconds in, St. Germain sent a pass from behind the net to Zack Labbe, who put it in to make it 3-3. With 5:10 to go in regulation, Cape retook the lead as St. Germain skated in on the left wing and centered a pass to Eubanks, who tucked it in for a 4-3 lead.
It was a fast-paced, cleanly played contest that saw only four penalties – two by each team.
“It’s up and down, it’s good hockey,” said Tremblay, whose Capers fell to Greely in last year’s regional semifinal. “It’s two of the better teams in our league. I think you saw a good Class B matchup tonight.”
The Rangers are a more veteran bunch, with 10 seniors on the roster to Cape’s four, but both teams have plenty of talented underclassmen, as well.
“They’re always ready to go, regardless of whether they’re loaded with experience or not,” Mothes said. “This is always a big game. We’ve had some big games with them over the years. I’m not surprised with their effort.”
And though the effort didn’t result in a win, it’s something the Capers hope to build on. They’ll have another regular-season crack at the Rangers on Feb. 5.
“They’ve got 8-10 seniors, so they’re well seasoned,” Tremblay said. “But we hung right with them. They moved the puck well. They’re got a couple young guys, too, that can move the puck well.
“If they’re the top team, then we’re right there. Not even a step away. We’re right there at the front. Like I said to our guys, it’s an overtime loss – you can get over that. We know it’s going to probably come down to these two teams in the end, but we need to take care of what we have left on our schedule.”
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