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ORONO — The Hampden Academy co-op boys hockey team had always fallen at this hurdle. To finally clear it, it took the Broncos not just three periods, but three overtimes, too.

Wyatt Allen’s goal in the third overtime gave Hampden a 2-1 victory over Messalonskee in the Class B North championship game Wednesday at Alfond Arena. The win sends the Broncos to Saturday’s state championship game against the York co-op (17-4) at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.

“I can’t say enough about Messalonskee and their coaching staff because we’re two teams that are evenly matched,” said Hampden coach Zach Wilson. “This is our fifth time here in six years, and we’ve never won it — we’ve always lost — so to get over the hump, it’s special.”

Hampden claimed its first regional title since 2003 after losing three straight North finals from 2022-24 (against Camden Hills in 2022 and 2024 and Messalonskee in 2023). The Broncos also fell to rival John Bapst in last year’s regional semifinals.

“It takes a lot of leadership, and our seniors have been here three times and really led us to get to this point,” said Allen, a sophomore. “We wanted it for them. … It means a lot for them and for everyone else.”

There was little offense in the first period, though Messalonskee goalie Nathan Kirk did make a pair of fine saves in the final minute to keep the game scoreless. Then, after Hampden’s Silas Bryant was sent to the box at 4:07 of the second, top-seeded Messalonskee (17-4) took the lead, as Alex Beckwith poked home a loose puck in the crease at 5:45.

Messalonskee killed off two penalties following the goal and took its 1-0 advantage into the third period. But the Eagles’ Colby Hardy was sent to the box 50 seconds into the third, and third-seeded Hampden (14-6-1) took advantage 30 seconds later when Miles Shields fired the puck past Kirk from a tight angle.

Thirty-two minutes of scoreless hockey followed. Then, at 2:25 of the third overtime, Hampden’s Henry Armell fired a shot that took a fortuitous bounce close to the net, and Allen guided the puck over the line from point-blank range to send the Broncos to the state championship game.

“(Armell) poked it through the crease off a bouncing puck, and I just tapped it in back door, wide open,” Allen said. “This is what we’ve been working for all year — all the 5 a.m. practices and skates and wind sprints. I couldn’t have done it without all my teammates.”

The game was about as even as could be. The action was back-and-forth throughout, with neither team dominating for any long stretches. Hampden outshot Messalonskee 33-32, and both goaltenders, Kirk and Hampden’s Aiden Surran, made 31 saves.

That tight game was exactly what both teams expected. They also needed overtime to decide their regular-season matchups, Hampden defeating Messalonskee 2-1 on Jan. 6 at Sawyer Arena, and the Eagles topping the Broncos 4-3 on Feb. 14 at Colby College.

“We just played a double-overtime against Cony, so we’ve played a lot of hockey these past two games,” Wilson said. “We just said to keep believing and keep putting pucks to the net. It’s not always going to be a beauty goal; it can sometimes be a bad bounce or a deflection or something like that.”

Messalonskee entered the game having won six straight and 13 of 14 since that Jan. 6 loss to Hampden. The Eagles got a strong showing in net from Kirk and killed five of the Broncos’ six power plays.

“We had some chances there in overtime and didn’t capitalize,” said Messalonskee coach Dennis Martin. “The hockey gods weren’t with us there at the end, with it bouncing off something, but that’s what happens a lot of the time in overtime.”