GARDINER — There’s nothing like a good rivalry to bring out the best in an underdog.

Facing the prospect of missing the Class B North playoffs, the Gardiner boys lacrosse team played its strongest game of the season Wednesday in downing rival Maranacook/Winthrop 11-6.

With a game left in the regular season, Gardiner improves to 5-6 and moves into seventh place in the standings. Should they remain in that spot, the Tigers will host a preliminary round game in the playoffs. Maranacook/Winthrop (7-4) drops to fifth in the standings with one regular-season game left.

The Tigers took the lead for good late in the second half on a goal from Tanner Hebert. That made it 2-1, but two quick goals from the Tigers in the final 32 seconds really turned the momentum in their favor. Sloan Berthiaume scored the first one after a steal at midfield by Gardiner defender Cam Bell.

“On the clear Cam Bell picked it up and found a hole and got it in (to me),” said Berthiaume, who beat his defenders down the left sideline and angled in front of the goal and beat Hawks keeper Isaiah Weston.

The Tigers won the ensuing faceoff and held for the last shot. This time Berthiaume lofted a cross-field pass to Tristan Hebert who buried a shot with 1.7 seconds left to make it 4-1.

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“We just didn’t come out with the intensity we needed,” Hawks coach Zach Stewart said. “We were down 4-1 and we were struggling to get back.”

The Hawks came out strong in the second half with a couple of Tigers bouncing off burly midfielder Zack Godbout as he barreled into the Gardiner end. The bench erupted after leading scorer Ty Smith circled in front of the Gardiner goal and made it 4-2 with just 27 seconds having run off the clock. Smith finished with three goals but his playing time was limited due to a cut on his knee and an abdominal injury.

Kyle Morand scored for the Hawks to cut the lead to 4-3 with 5:32 left in the quarter, but the Tigers didn’t panic in the face of the Hawks onslaught.

“It’s always going to be a physical game (with them),” Berthiaume said. “We really just try to keep our cool. Sometimes it’s a little tough but we try our best.”

Logan Clark scored his second goal of the game for the Tigers and Connor Manter tacked on a goal just before the period’s end with Gardiner a man down to make it 6-3.

The Hawks drew to within 8-6 on back-to-back goals from Smith and Morand but the Tigers pulled away as Michael Poirier scored twice on assists fron Clark and Bell, who added a late goal for the final score.

“We had a bunch of kids missing for two weeks, so the kids who came back were ready to play,” Gardiner coach K.C. Johnson said. “We put it together. We’re still a little sloppy but back to Gardiner grind ’em lacrosse.”

Weston finished with nine saves while Gardiner goalie Noah Keene made five.


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