LEWISTON — When asked about the goals she scored Saturday in the girls’ hockey state championship, Avery Lutrzykowski couldn’t recall the details.
That’s because the sophomore forward for St. Dominic Academy notched three goals and three assists in a 10-2 victory over Falmouth at Androscoggin Bank Colisee.
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“I don’t know if I remember all of them,” said a giddy Lutrzykowski. “I knew once we scored, the flood gates would open. And they did.”
The title is the Saints’ second straight and third overall – the most for any school since the sport became sanctioned by the Maine Principals’ Association before the 2008-09 season. They finished their season 21-0.
Five players scored for St. Dom’s. Lutrzykowski and Kristina Cornelio each notched a hat trick, Alexis Kesaris added two goals, and Alexandra Hammerton and Emma Theriault got one apiece. Isabella Frenette totaled three assists.
The Saints raced to a 3-0 lead just a few minutes into the game. It was 5-0 after one period.
“We were just really comfortable – the nerves weren’t really high,” St. Dominic Coach Paul Gosselin said. “They went to business and that was it. I’m just extremely proud of what they’ve accomplished.”
The Yachtsmen finished 16-5. They have lost in three state finals.
“I’m sure it was a bit of nerves, but I think it had more to do with how quickly they got that first goal,” Falmouth Coach Rob Carrier said. “The sequence of those three goals just dug us into a hole we couldn’t get out of.”
The Saints scored three goals in 61 seconds early in the first period. Lutrzykowski kicked off the scoring three minutes into the game, skating around Falmouth’s net before firing a shot through traffic.
Theriault added to the lead just 30 seconds later, then assisted on a goal by Kesaris, and it was 3-0 with 10:56 left in the first period.
Cornelio tacked on two more goals before the end of the period – the first assisted by Lutrzykowski, the second on a power play.
Five minutes into the second period, Frenette set up Cornelio for another goal. Falmouth got on the board at 8:13 when Rachel Morse capitalized on a power play, assisted by Kayla Sarazin. But Kesaris answered with 2:42 left in the period to make it 7-1.
The Saints added to their lead just nine seconds into the final period, with Lutrzykowski again scoring on a Hammerton assist. Then it was Hammerton’s turn to score, before Lutrzykowski completed her hat trick with a short-handed unassisted goal.
Falmouth’s Mary Hyland scored the final goal with 34.4 seconds left, assisted by Stone Carmichael and Devon Sarazin.
“That’s a phenomenal team,” Carrier said. “If it was easy to beat them, somebody would have.”
There was plenty to smile about for the Saints – but one St. Dominic player had another reason behind her joy. Michela Avondetto, an Italian exchange student who plays forward, had a surprise visitor outside the locker room before the game: her dad.
“It was exciting, I didn’t expect that at all,” said Avondetto, a senior. “He’s truly proud.”
While his daughter and her teammates posed for pictures on the ice with the trophy, Luca Avondetto stood by the rink’s exit, beaming and clutching an Italian flag. He arrived Saturday morning in Portland. The pair hadn’t seen each other since Christmas.
“I was crying, and she was shouting,” Luca Avondetto said of their reunion while laughing. “It was perfect.”
Taylor Vortherms can be contacted at 791-6417 or:
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