AUGUSTA — After a series of frustrating one-goal losses, the Mt. Blue field hockey team got its offense in gear Saturday morning against Class A North rival Cony.

Sophomore Hannah Minns not only scored all three goals in the Cougars’ 3-0 victory, she took all nine recorded shots. After an opening day win, the Cougars (2-3) dropped consecutive one-goal games to Cony, Messalonskee and Skowhegan, all strong opponents expected to reach the postseason tournament.

“It feels great because all season we haven’t been getting the ball in the goal,” Minns said. “But this game we all worked together and actually passed the ball around the goalie and finally (scored).”

The Rams (3-2) got some bad news before the game began.

First, senior back and captain Abby Silsby would miss the contest to take some pre-college testing, then came the really bad news. Starting junior goalie Jessica Lee was injured in warmups and taken to the hospital by ambulance.

“She caught a ball during warmups right on the kneecap,” Cony coach Holly Daigle said. “She had pretty serious surgery (on that knee) She’s got a metal rod in her knee.”

Lee, who had three shutouts in her first four games, was replaced by sophomore Jackie Carlton. The Rams also lost junior back Julia Nicol to a hip injury in the first half, and team leader Delaney Keithley was taken off the field twice to treat ankle and hand injuries.

None of this appeared to affect the Rams in the first half as they dominated play and out-shot the Cougars 10-2 while holding a 9-1 edge in penalty corners. The dominance went for naught, though, when Minns scored at the 16-minute mark off a rebound of a Samantha Ellis shot.

Keithley had several scoring chances, including a clean breakaway with eight minutes left in the half.

“I shot it right at the pads,” Keithley said. “Our ball movement from last year to this year has improved so much. We’re really starting to get a feel of the game and where our teammates are going to be.”

The Cougars turned things around in the second half and dominated the way the Rams had in the first.

“I changed a few things,” Mt. Blue coach Jody Harmon said. “I put Rebecca Harmon at center middie and moved my center middle to right back. It’s what needed to happen. We picked up the intensity. We were a little slowed in the first half and picked it up and played the game we can play.”

Minns made it 2-0 nine minutes into the second half when she blasted a left-to-right shot off a penalty corner that clanged into the back of the cage.

“(Assistant) Coach Fletcher has been telling me all year to one-time it off the pass,” Minns said. “I finally, actually did it and it actually worked.”

Ellis set up the third goal of the game with 9:41 left when she beat a defender down the right side and fired a shot that Carlton kicked aside to an uncovered Minns, who converted the rebound.

The final statistics were quite even. The Rams held an edge in shots (12-10) and penalty corners (11-5). Mt. Blue goalie Erika McArthur made six saves while Carlton had five.

“It feels wonderful,” Harmon said. “For us to score more than one goal … that’s all we’ve been talking about. We’ve worked very hard all week. Our schedule is very intense.”