The Cheverus girls’ hockey team has youth and skill in abundance, and that was on display Wednesday afternoon when the Stags hosted Falmouth at Troubh Ice Arena.
Cheverus, a co-op team that also includes two players from Kennebunk and one apiece from Old Orchard Beach and Windham, got a hat trick from sophomore Maddie Doherty, two goals and three assists from sophomore Mikayla Tarbox and a goal and three assists from freshman Lucy Johnson in an 8–0 victory – its third in a row.
Cheverus is 6-1-1.
“It’s reassuring knowing it’s going to be like this for awhile,” said Doherty. “I think we have really good chemistry together.”
Falmouth (5-3) tested Cheverus goalie Ella Lemieux early, but Lemieux (17 saves) denied Kate Kinley seconds into the game, then stopped a shot from Trinity Grenier and a rebound bid from Kinley later in the period.
“We needed to capitalize on the few chances we got, but their defense snuffed them out and if they didn’t, (Lemieux) was right on top it,” said Navigators Coach Rob Carrier.
The Stags went ahead at 4:39 of the first period when Johnson got the puck to Talbot, who beat Navigators goalie Whitney Adams.
It looked like the score would stay 1-0 through the end of the period, but with 18 seconds remaining, Olivia Bradford got a loose puck, skated in on a breakaway, faked Adams to get her to move to her left, then finished for a 2-0 advantage.
The second period began in unorthodox fashion, with Adams off the ice dealing with an equipment issue, but Falmouth’s defense held strong in front of an open net and Bradford missed just wide. After Adams returned, the Johnson-to-Talbot combination struck again 2:45 into the period, as Johnson put the puck right on Adams’ stick and Adams banged it home for a 3-0 lead.
With 3:32 left in the second, Cheverus struck once more as Doherty scored in front after Talbot, operating behind the goal, set her up (Johnson also was credited with an assist), and the Stags took a four-goal advantage to the third period.
Then, Cheverus blew it open.
Just 11 seconds in, Johnson scored unassisted and short-handed.
After senior Clare MacDonald added a sixth goal, Doherty completed her hat trick with two goals in the final minute, both assisted by Talbot.
“Mikayla had all my assists, and I assisted Lucy and Mikayla,” said Doherty. “We all just help each other.”
“This is going to be our team going forward,” added Stags Coach Scott Rousseau. “It’s very exciting to put that Talbot-Lucy Johnson-Doherty line together. We envisioned that line all year long.”
The Navigators, who got 22 saves from Adams, look to quickly regroup.
“This was really the only blowout we’ve had all season and every other game has been close,” Carrier said. “We’re going to work on getting better the next couple weeks. We have some tough games against Cape and Lewiston and we’ll focus on the rest of the season.”
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