HALLOWELL — The Eagles remained perfect on the season by doing the same thing to the Windjammers they did back on opening night last month. They beat them.
Messalonskee skated to a 3-1 win over Camden Hills in a matchup of the top two teams in Class B North Saturday night at the Camden National Bank Ice Vault. The Eagles (6-0-0) got goals from Owen Kirk, Bryce Crowell and Garrett Card following a 13-day break owed to both illness and scheduling.
The Windjammers, who got an impressive 30-save performance from netminder Jackson Bernier, dropped to 4-2-0. Their only two losses have come against Messalonskee by a combined 9-4 score.
“I liked our energy,” said Messalonskee junior Will Durkee. “The bench was fired up whenever we did even little things. The first few minutes of the first period were a little tough, but once we got going we were fine.”
It was a sluggish start for Messalonskee in the first period, but a stretch pass out of their own zone sparked the offense. Defenseman Bjorn Brickett spotted Durkee at the far blue line, and sent Durkee in on a 2-on-1 with Kirk. Kirk finished it of at the 5:28 mark.
The start of the second period was delayed — so much, in fact, that Camden Hills was issued a bench minor for delay of game. Messalonskee took advantage on an otherwise quiet night on the power play (the Eagles were 1 for 9 with the man advantage) when Crowell fired home for a 2-0 Eagle lead just 61 seconds into the period.
The rest of the middle frame was marred by more than a dozen penalty calls. Despite holding the Windjammers to just three second-period shots, Messalonskee couldn’t capitalize on two extended 5-on-3 power plays.
Perhaps more importantly than building the lead, the Eagles didn’t lose focus when the steady parade to the penalty box began.
“There were some points in the game where I think we stopped moving a little bit, but it’s just from lack of games and having some time off,” Messalonskee coach Dennis Martin said. “You know me, it’s all about outworking our opponent, winning the loose puck battles and working hard.”
Camden Hill managed just nine shots through two periods and 17 for the game. Eagle goalie Gio Caccamo made 16 saves for the win.
“It’s been a big thing for us all year,” Messalonskee defenseman Brandon Bearce said. “It’s just crowding the front, getting in the way of shots and sacrificing the body. To keep the puck out of the net, you have to play as a team and give 100 percent, and we’ve been doing a pretty good job with that.”
Aiden Aselton put the Windjammers on the board at 3:39 of the third with a 4-on-4 goal, and the Eagles had to hold off a late push from the visitors.
Caccamo was at his finest when he stonewalled Camden’s Jakob Johnson at 8:22 of the third period after Johnson shook free of his defender in the low slot.
Card fired from the circle of his own defensive zone to score into an empty net with 35 seconds remaining, providing the knockout blow in a game between to B North heavyweights.
“We’re not worried about wins and losses,” Bearce said. “We’re just focused on being at 100 percent when it matters at the end of the year.”
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