PORTLAND—Scarborough girls’ hockey team has flown under the radar this season, but the Red Storm have saved their best for last and will crash the sport’s biggest party.
The state final.
That’s because Scarborough, ranked third in the South Region, jumped on top-ranked Cape Elizabeth/South Portland/Waynflete early Wednesday night at Troubh Ice Arena, scored twice in the first period, then relied on standout senior goalie Ariella Swett to slam the door as the Red Storm earned a 3-1 victory.
Scarborough got first period goals from seniors Ashley Farrington and Meagan Donovan, then senior Morgan Scoville found the net in the second period.
Cape/SP/Waynflete finally solved Swett in the third period, when freshman Hartson Mosunic scored, but the Red Storm didn’t buckle from there and punched their ticket to the championship game.
Scarborough improved to 12-5-1 on the year, ended Cape/SP/Waynflete’s season at 13-3-2 and advanced to take on reigning champion Lewiston (16-2) in the state game Saturday at 3 p.m., at Troubh Ice Arena.
“It’s even better to win as the underdog,” Donovan said. “We came out and played our hardest and believed in ourselves. It’s just the best feeling.”
A sprint, not a marathon
Cape/SP/Waynflete and Scarborough were each coming off epic, multiple overtime thrillers in the semifinals to even reach this round.
After a solid end to the regular season produced the top seed in the South Region, Cape/SP/Waynflete handled No. 8 Portland/Deering (8-2) in the quarterfinals, but in Saturday’s semifinal against No. 4 Falmouth, an upset loss appeared imminent when Cape/SP/Waynflete went down two goals in the third period and still trailed by one with time winding down, but senior Katharine Blackburn scored with 7.1 seconds on the clock to force overtime and at the start of the fourth OT, freshman Libby Hooper played the hero to extend the season (see sidebar, for links to previous stories).
The Red Storm quietly put together a strong campaign as well and also advanced with relative ease in the quarterfinals, knocking off No. 6 Biddeford (4-1). Scarborough then rode the stellar goaltending of Swett through a scoreless regulation, two overtimes and almost a third until senior Evelyn Boardman scored the biggest goal of her life with just 8.7 seconds remaining in the third OT to knock off No. 2 Cheverus, 1-0, in Saturday’s semifinal.
In the regular season, the teams tied, 2-2, in the first meeting Dec. 23 in Gorham before the Red Storm took a 4-2 decision Jan. 22 in Portland.
Scarborough had won three of four prior playoff meetings (see sidebar).
Wednesday, in front of a raucous crowd, the Red Storm won with relative ease and this time, with no overtime necessary.
Scarborough needed 68 minutes and 53 seconds of game action to score its lone goal in the semifinals, but Wednesday, the Red Storm scored at 6:35 of the first period, as Farrington finished out of a scrum, getting the puck past Cape/SP/Waynflete junior goalie Abbey Steinhagen, with senior Calynn Gendreau getting an assist.
“We were all a little tired from last game, so getting that goal early meant a lot,” Swett said. “Having a lead made us feel safe.”
“That was a bit deflating because we thought we were playing well, so to let that one in was tough,” lamented Cape/SP/Waynflete coach Bob Mills.
The second goal came with just 39 seconds remaining in the first period, as Boardman set up Donovan for some breathing room.
“We came out really hard off the bat,” said Donovan. “Getting goals early set the tone for the rest of the game and was huge for our confidence. Coach (Taylor Fowler) told us to work together. Ev dropped the puck to me, I saw a girl coming, went around her, shot it and it happened to go in.”
“We started off trying to do individual things,” Fowler said. “Every kid wants their name in the paper, but I told them to play as a team. We went out and worked together finally and scored.”
With Swett stopping every shot she faced in the first period, Scarborough took a 2-0 advantage to the first intermission.
The Red Storm then quickly made it 3-0, when Scoville scored, from Donovan and Gendreau, just 62 seconds into the second period.
Cape/SP/Waynflete stepped up the intensity, but continued to be stymied by Swett, who made a highlight reel save on a Hooper breakaway bid, and Scarborough was seemingly in control heading into the second intermission, but the Red Storm didn’t relax.
“They’re a very good team and they come back a lot,” said Fowler, of Cape/SP/Waynflete. “They’re a third period team, so the kids knew they had to play to the very last whistle.”
Not surprisingly, Cape/SP/Waynflete made things interesting in the third period.
First, Swett denied freshman Marina Bassett on a couple chances, then saved a shot by Hooper, but at 3:43, a shot by Mosunic on a rush handcuffed a screened Sweet and the puck found the net to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Cape/SP/Waynflete hoped to continue to rally and had chances to make it really interesting, but Swett denied Mosunic, junior Delaney Whitten and Hooper.
Cape/SP/Waynflete went on the power play at 9:09 and got good looks from Whitten and Hooper, but Swett turned them aside.
Late in regulation, Hooper broke in free, but missed wide, then Scarborough senior defender Lillian Finley broke up rushes from Hooper and Mosunic and at 8:30 p.m., the horn sounded and the Red Storm were able to celebrate their 3-1 victory.
“The third period was stressful, but we kept our composure and we held on,” Donovan said.
“It’s amazing,” said Swett. “We kept the intensity from the other night. We made sure we stayed energetic. We talked in the locker room that we didn’t want to go to overtime today, that we wanted to get it done and get it done quick. I felt confident and trusted my teammates. It’s the best feeling in the world. This team has played together since elementary school.”
Swett denied 24 of the 25 shots she saved.
“She’s our rock back there,” said Fowler. “She keeps us in the games we need to win and without her, we wouldn’t be winning these games. Some goalies get down when they get scored on, but she bounces back and doesn’t let it bother her.”
“She made a few huge saves early in the game that set the tone for them,” Mills said. “She’s a very established goalie and it’s tough to beat her. We knew we’d have to throw a lot of pucks and bodies at her tonight and she stood on her head and played very well.”
Cape/SP/Waynflete had a 25-12 edge in shots and got nine saves from Steinhagen, but its promising season came to a painful end.
“I felt in the third period we played very well,” Mills said. ‘We had good puck possession and out-shot them, but we just couldn’t get it past them. We’ve got such a young team, so being this deep in the playoffs was a new experience for the girls and I think nerves played a big part.
“I’m really proud of the team. We didn’t really know what we’d have at the beginning of the season. It’s tough to lose our three seniors (Blackburn, Sofia Cook and Abby Dresser), but our ninth graders helped carry the team and we’re excited about the future. Hopefully we’ll learn from this year.”
The final hurdle
Way back on Dec. 15, Scarborough won, 4-2, at Lewiston, but the Blue Devils returned the favor Feb. 3 with a 3-0 victory in Gorham.
The teams met once before in the playoffs, when the Red Storm prevailed, 3-1, in the 2014 state final.
Saturday, Scarborough hopes to do it again and cap its eventful season in style, with the program’s second championship.
“We just need to play our game and get some pucks in early,” said Donovan.
“Nothing feels better than to win senior year,” Swett said. “We’ve worked so hard and everyone puts in 100 percent effort every single practice and game. We know what we need to do. We beat Lewiston before and I know we can do it again.”
“This is huge,” added Fowler. “We have nine seniors and I think this is our last season as a stand-alone team, so we want to make a name for ourselves. We just have to work hard and come together. When we work together as a team is when we have our best chance to win. We hope to give (Lewiston) a battle.”
Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.
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