ORONO, Maine — Senior left wing Dameron Rodrigue’s third goal of the game, coming with 7:59 left in the third period, rallied the Winslow Black Raiders to a hard-fought 6-4 Class B North high school hockey victory over the determine Old Town-Orono Black Bears at Alfond Arena on Monday night.
Freshman center Tommy Tibbetts also had a hat trick for Winslow, which extended its unbeaten streak to 11 games (9-0-2) by overcoming a 3-1 deficit. Winslow is now 10-2-2.
OT-Orono fell to 5-7.
Andrew Beals finished with 26 saves for Winslow, and Chase Albert made 29 for OT-Orono.
Both goalies played very well as they were subjected to a number of odd-man rushes and defensive lapses in front of their nets.
Chris Hoxie’s second goal of the game snapped a 3-3 tie and gave OT-Orono a 4-3 lead 1:10 into the third period when he scored from in tight off a Lance Roy pass.
But Tibbetts answered with his second goal 23 seconds later by sweeping a loose puck into the short side after the puck pinballed in the slot.
Rodrigue’s game-winner came on a wraparound as he wheeled out from behind the net to the left of Albert.
“I think [Albert] thought the puck was going to go around the net. I stopped it and he got his skate on my wraparound. But the puck just sat there, and I kept whacking at it,” said Rodrigue whose hat trick was his first of the season, as was Tibbetts’.
Jacob Trask picked up his third assist of the game on the game-winner.
Tibbetts cemented the win on the power play with 2:41 left off a wrist shot from the circle to Albert’s left resulting from a turnover.
Rodrigue’s second goal of the game and Tibbetts’ score with 3:15 left in the second period rallied the Black Raiders to a 3-3 tie.
Jacob Dubay staked the Black Bears to a 1-0 lead 5:27 into the game before Rodrigue answered 4:31 later. OT-Orono’s Jacob Gallon broke the tie with 2:33 left in the first period, and Hoxie expanded the lead on the power play 2:36 into the second period.
Rodrigue sliced the lead to 3-2 at the 6:28 mark courtesy of nice feed by Trask.
Jacob Houghton flipped the puck high out of the defensive zone, and Trask corralled it, creating a two-on-one. He slid the pass across the slot to the streaking Rodrigue, and Rodrigue’s 14-foot one-timer squeezed through Albert.
Beals made a couple of nice back-to-back saves off Dubay and Hoxie before Albert stopped Trask’s shorthanded breakaway.
Winslow’s Jacob Grenier set a pretty passing play in motion that led to the tying goal as he did a nice job keeping the puck at the right point, took a few strides and sent a diagonal pass to the far post to Ben Frost. Frost one-touched a pass across the low slot to the oncoming Tibbetts and he jammed it past Albert.
Dubay opened the scoring by making a scintillating rush and, a few seconds later, beating Beals with a wrist shot from the left circle.
Rodrigue tied it off another nifty pass from Trask as he pushed the puck through Albert from just beyond the top of the crease.
Gallon scored following some crafty work by Nick Boutin. Boutin maneuvered around a Winslow defenseman and was able to get off a wrist shot. Beals made the save but spilled the rebound in the path of Gallon and he roofed it.
Hoxie made it 3-1 when he was parked at the top of the crease, pounced on a Lucas Shorette rebound and pulled it around Beals before tapping it into the exposed net.
“They controlled the game early, but we stepped it up after they scored the first goal,” said Rodrigue.
“It was a good battle,” said Winslow coach Andy Dube. “Hats off to them. They made it tough on us. But we never gave up.”
“I was happy with the way we played, but they took advantage of our mistakes,” said Old Town-Orono coach Denis Collins.
“We played a great game. We just have to minimize our mistakes,” said standout Black Bear defenseman Austin Sheehan.