AUBURN — Caroline Audette helped Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland build a lead and timely goals pushed it to a 5-2 girls hockey win over St. Dominic/Winthrop/Gray-New Gloucester/Monmouth on Tuesday at Norway Savings Bank Arena.
Audette scored two goals and assisted on another.
She lauded the Red Hornets’ effort, especially coming off a 4-3 loss to Winslow/Gardiner/Cony/Messalonskee/Lawrence/Brewer on Monday.
“It’s definitely hard (to come back and play the next day), especially to play one of our biggest rivals, St. Dom’s,” Audette said. “It’s hard to come back from a (tough) loss and still keep our heads up and prepare for a big game mentally.”
Red Hornets coach Dana Berube said that decision-making was the difference between the two games.
“We were making the right pass at the right time,” Berube said. “I thought our decision-making was a little bit better. We had a rough night (Monday). I reminded the girls: Hockey can be very humbling and you have to work hard for three periods — you always have to respect your opponent and get ready for the game.”
Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland (7-5-2) grabbed a 1-0 lead early in the first period when Kylee Spugnardi skated into the offensive zone and dished the puck to Caroline Audette, who was coming down the right wing. Audette, from the right circle, then shot the puck past Saints goalie Abrianna White (16 saves).
St. Dom’s coach Paul Gosselin said that he wasn’t too concerned about being down 1-0 at that point.
“We were pretty even (in the first period),” Gosselin said. “We were maybe a little conservative and they had one goal — it was a nice pass and nice shot — I thought we were in a good position at that point.”
The Saints’ (5-7) best chance in the first was in the middle of the period when forward Emma Roy chased down the puck near the goal, but she received pressure from the Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland defense and the puck rolled off Roy’s stick before she got a shot off.
“Yeah, couldn’t get a shot off and (she) missed on the breakaway,” Gosselin said. “If we put (that one) in, it’s a different game.”
The Red Hornets had trouble getting shots off in the first period and early in the second period. They started shooting more pucks on goal in the middle of the period, but didn’t score again until Sophia Hartley put home a rebound of a shot by Audette with four minutes remaining. Spugnardi recorded her second assist on the goal.
Audette scored her second goal with two and half minutes remaining in the middle frame. She skated down the left wing into the offensive zone, then cut toward the net and found a hole between the post and White’s right shoulder to make it 3-0. Hartley had the assist.
Berube said that he told Audette to shoot more often. Her second goal was an instance when she normally might have tried to pass.
“No one saw it coming. I think people think I normally take it all way up (the ice) and pass it last minute to (a teammate),” Audette said. “I think when I shot, everybody was kind of surprised.”
Defender Maddie Weymouth put the Saints on the board early in the third period.
“Maddie was at the point and took a shot; I think the goalie was screened and (Weymouth hit the far post),” Gosselin said.
Minutes later, there was a scramble in front of the Red Hornets net and St. Dominic/Winthrop/Gray-New Gloucester/Monmouth’s West Duffy scored to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Megan Lachance restored Edward Little’s two-goal lead in the middle of the third period.
“I didn’t like our start to the third, but I liked how we kept our composure, we stuck with it,” Berube said. “Megan Lachance, another big goal for her. That was great.”
The Saints killed off a penalty with four and half minutes remaining in the game but weren’t able to get the puck out of the defensive zone for the remaining of the game.
“I am not sure exactly how we got pinned in. I think we ran out of gas a little bit,” Gosselin said.
Gianna Castagna scored in the final two minutes to extend the Red Hornets’ lead to 5-2.
Goalie McKenzi Horton stopped eight shots for the Red Hornets.
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