WINSLOW — On Friday, Winslow High School won the Battle of the Bridge in girls and boys basketball. On Saturday night at Sukee Arena, the Waterville Senior High School ice hockey team returned the favor.
Jackson Aldrich scored a hat trick, and the Purple Panthers took a 6-2 win over their rivals.
“We moved the puck very well. We’re a very unselfish team and we love to pass,” Aldrich said.
Aldrich scored a pair of goals in the pivotal second period, and completed the hat trick with a breakaway goal at 12:49 of the third to cap the scoring for Waterville (2-0).
“I was in the right place at the right time. I don’t care who scores the goals. I just care about winning,” Aldrich said.
The Panthers took control of the game with three consecutive goals in the second period. Aldrich got it started with a power play goal at 2:46, giving Waterville a 2-1 lead. Michael Oliveira scored with a shot from the left circle at 6:09 of the second, pushing Waterville’s lead to 3-1. Aldrich’s second power play goal of the period, this one from the left circle, made it 4-1 Panthers at 13:22.
Winslow (1-2) cut Waterville’s lead to 4-2 when Dameron Rodrigue scored on the power play at 14:35 of the second.
It was the Black Raiders who came out flying. Winslow took an early 1-0 lead when Rodrigue scored at 7:40 of the first period, with an assist from Jimmy Fowler. Waterville coach Dennis Martin said his team might have been too amped up at the start of the game.
“We came out, and I think maybe we were a little too emotional. We were too jacked up,” Martin said. “Once we settled down, we got our legs going.”
Waterville tied the game at 1-1 in the final minute of the first period. At 14:22, Justin Wentworth scored with an assist from Matthew Jolicoeur.
The Panthers gave themselves a three-goal cushion at 11:57 of the third, when Andrew Roderigue scored on a hard slap shot from the point, sending the puck over the right shoulder of Winslow goalie Andrew Beals (28 saves). Fifty-two seconds later, Aldrich scored to complete his hat trick.
Waterville goalie Nathan Pinnette made 20 saves to lead a strong defensive effort by the Panthers.
“You’ve got to take care of your end. We’ve got solid guys back there,” Martin said.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
<URL destination=””>tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com
</URL>Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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