BIDDEFORD — During the second-period intermission of Tuesday night’s Western Maine girls quarterfinal-round playoff game against Gorham/Bonny Eagle, Biddeford junior forward Abbie Paquette had a vision: “I actually visualized myself trying to be persistent in front of the net and scoring the winning goal,” she said.
Approximately 35 minutes later, that premonition became reality, in an eerily precise way.
After over 47 minutes of scoreless hockey, Paquette ended the game just like she thought she would, whacking home a rebound of Taylor Turgeon’s shot with 5:51 remaining in the first overtime to send the No. 3 Tigers to a 1-0 victory over the No. 6 Rams in a nail-biter at Biddeford Ice Arena.
After Turgeon’s shot from a few feet in front of the blue line was stopped by Gorham/Bonny Eagle (7-12) goaltender Madeleine Hamblen, three Biddeford (13-6) skaters crashed the net hoping to stuff home the rebound.
After a few long seconds it was Paquette who finally worked the puck free, sending it up and over the sprawling Hamblen to send the Tigers into Friday’s semifinal at No. 2 Falmouth.
“It was under the goalie, right under her arm,” Paquette said of the play. “I saw it, pulled it out from under her arm and tried to lift it over her. I just tried my hardest to stuff it in the net so we could win.”
Hamblen was the star of the night, stopping 32 shots ”“ several of them on Grade A chances from close range ”“ before Paquette was able to find a way around her. Biddeford goalie Cassie Ellis was just as good, saving 17 shots for her second shutout of the season.
“Our goalie played phenomenal, their goalie played absolutely fantastic, and it was a very back-and-forth battle for a while,” Biddeford coach Ashley Potvin said. “We just kept telling the girls, ”˜We’re going to get paid. Pay day is going to happen, and the puck will go in eventually.’”
The chances came thick and fast for both teams, starting in the first period, when Hamblen made fantastic saves on both Cassidy Petit and Katherine Dumoulin to keep things scoreless.
Biddeford continued to control most of the play in the second period, but once again, the Rams senior goalie frustrated the Tigers, making tremendous saves on both Dalani Roy’s wraparound try and Dumoulin’s shot from point-blank range from a centering pass by Roy.
“Especially in the second period, we had the momentum,” Potvin said. “We were passing the puck well, we were moving it well, it just seemed like for whatever reason we couldn’t get one to go in the back of the net.”
Gorham/Bonny Eagle’s first great chance came a minute into the third period when Charlotte Pierce, who had been lurking in the neutral zone all game in an attempt to get by the Biddeford defense, finally got her break as the puck squirted through Tiger defenseman Mallory Mourmouras.
Mourmouras was able to slow Pierce down slightly by hooking her, but Ellis was still forced to come up with a big save to keep the game even.
“I just had to keep my mind on the game and think about stopping all the shots I could, moving fast and doing what I needed to,” Ellis said. “As long as I thought about stopping it and saving it and keeping my position, I was good. But a 0-0 game is very scary.”
“It was very nerve-wracking,” said Paquette. “I could feel my heart pound a little faster every time they came down in the zone.”
The teams continued to trade untaken chances through the third period and into overtime before Biddeford finally ended it 2:09 into the second overtime.
The play started with Turgeon picking up a loose puck just inside the blue line, skating to her right and throwing a shot on goal. Hamblen made a pad save and looked to have the puck under control, but Paquette worked it free and was able to get it airborne and into the back of the net.
“It was visual the whole time, so I didn’t believe they were going to blow the whistle, but I most certainly was going to try either way,” Paquette said, adding of the moment when she saw the puck cross the line: “I just screamed. I was so overcome with joy.”
Paquette’s goal ensured Biddeford would play in its first semifinal since 2011 when it meets Falmouth at 6 p.m. Friday.
The teams met twice during the regular season, with the Yachtsmen coming out on top both times ”“ 3-2 back on Dec. 30 at Falmouth Family Ice, where Friday night’s game will be played, and 4-1 last Saturday at BIA, when Biddeford was playing its fourth game in five days.
Falmouth had the better of the play in both games, outshooting the Tigers by a combined 85-31, but Potvin will be hoping a two-day breather for her still weary players, along with the momentum from an overtime win, can help her team pull the upset.
“I think the extra rest is going to help us,” Potvin said. “As a coaching staff and as a team, we’re going to look at what adjustments we need to make to play a little more competitively against them this time around.”
— Staff Writer Cameron Dunbar can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or cdunbar@journaltribune.com.
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