Cony’s Ben Platt celebrates after scoring a goal against Brewer during a Class B North quarterfinal game on Tuesday in Hallowell. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

HALLOWELL — You could pinpoint the exact moment the Cony boys hockey team took control of this game.

The Rams led 1-o in the first period of a Class B North quarterfinal against Brewer, but the visiting Witches had all the momentum. Brewer had a 5-on-3 advantage after two Cony penalties, and the Rams spent the better part of a minute desperately trying to kill off the two-man advantage.

After doing so, Cony’s Ben Platt found himself with the puck in Brewer’s zone, skated behind and around goaltender Cole Fernald. He got a helpful deflection to double the Rams’ lead. It was a momentum-changer for Cony, which won 6-2 to earn a date with No. 3 Messalonskee (14-5) in Saturday’s semifinal.

“I saw I had space burning the (defense) wide, and I wrapped around the net,” Platt said. “Lincoln (Dawbin) was in the slot, so I just throw it on the net, and it goes in. … It was big.”

How Cony did it

• No. 2 Cony (15-4) rode the momentum from Platt’s second goal of the game into the second period, peppering Brewer’s net early. They would reap the rewards, going up 4-0 as Cooper Clark and Dawbin scored 13 seconds apart, at 6:23 and 6:35, respectively.

“Ben has a great shot, and there’s no better kid to pull us out of a tough situation like that,” said Cony coach Dan Foster. “Brewer came out flying, and we had to match them, so we knew we needed to keep it going after that and continue to be aggressive.”

• After Noah Cannan answered with two goals for No. 7 Brewer (6-12-1), Cony locked down defensively. Jackson Wing scored late in the second for Cony and Kyle Lepage rounded out the scoring in the third. 

What it means

• After winning just two games two seasons ago, Cony has won playoff games in back-to-back seasons, going 29-11 in the process. The 15th win is the most for the Rams since 2011-12.

• Cony’s matchup against Messalonskee, which topped Camden Hills 7-0 in its own quarterfinal showdown Tuesday, sets up a rubber match between the Rams and Eagles after two classic battles. Cony beat Messalonkee, 7-5, on Jan. 16 before the Eagles won a 6-5 overtime showdown on Feb. 1.

“It’s one of those games where it could go either way,” Foster said. “We’ve played two close ones this season, so we know it could come down to whoever gets the better bounces. We’ll be ready.”

They said it

“We were down a linemate, Cale Harrington, so (Cooper Clark and I) had to bear down for a couple days in practice working with our new linemate, Caleb (Lerette). It’s been working well; we knew we had to work extra hard, and that’s what we did.” — Ben Platt

“We’ve got a talented group of kids, and they’re working really hard. The biggest thing for us is working on that discipline and staying out of the box; when we stay out of the box, we can beat anybody.” — Dan Foster

Stat leaders

• Brewer: Noah Cannan (two goals), Cole Fernald (29 saves)

• Cony: Ben Platt (two goals, assist), Ryan Bourque (18 saves)