This is how you know your high school has a strong hockey tradition: It counts its state championships by the dozens.

Lewiston is once again the premier boys’ hockey team in Maine, winning its 25th state crown with a 5-0 victory over Bangor for the Class A championship Saturday at Cross Insurance Arena.

It’s the first state title since 2020 for the top-ranked Blue Devils, who finish the season 17-4. Playing in the state final for the first time, third-seeded Bangor ends the season at 14-6-1.

Aizyk Laliberte notched a hat trick for Lewiston with three power-play goals, two coming in the third period when the Blue Devils broke open a close game.

“We worked really hard to get here, and we got it done. We were all focused in the locker room… After we got our first goal, that got us really fired up,” Laliberte said.

Gabe Pomerleau made 21 saves for the shutout, including 11 stops in the third period.

These teams split a pair of regular-season games, with Bangor taking a 3-0 win the last time they played on Jan. 19. That game was on the minds of the Blue Devils as they took the ice, Pomerleau said.

“We put three periods of hockey together, that was the big thing,” Pomerleau said. “We knew we could play with these guys. If we play our game, no one can beat us. The only ones who can beat us are us.”

The Blue Devils got on the board early, at 1:58 of the first period, when Hayden Brown scored with assists from Austin Landry and Andrew Theriault.

Lewiston made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 11:07 of the second period, as Laliberte knocked home the rebound of Cam Plourde’s shot.

While Bangor didn’t have many scoring chances in the first two periods, there were a few strong opportunities. Pomerleau kept his team ahead early in the second period when he made a pad save on Chase Caron’s breakaway.

“Just going back to what I practice for. Come out, come out square. Charge the puck and get the save,” Pomerleau said. “The first period, (Bangor had) only two shots, so I was still a little shaky. The second period, I thought we were excited, we’ve got to slow back down. They got a couple shots.”

With Lewiston still ahead 2-0 early in the third period, Bangor thought it had scored on a rebound. The officials, though, ruled the puck didn’t cross the goal line, and a replay review confirmed the call.

“It was a shot from the point and a rebound. They all came crashing and I reached back and grabbed it. I had to get it. They put it in review, but I knew it was not in the net,” Pomerleau said.

Cody McCue made 23 saves for the Rams.

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