Hallowell, ME – CMCC Men's Ice Hockey survived a feisty encounter with its oldest and most heated ACHA rival, Thomas College, to win 5-2. The #3 ranked Mustangs took a 3-0 lead in the first period but had to hold on after the Terriers scored twice in the second to keep the game close. Five different players scored for Central Maine who have now won ten games in a row, the longest winning streak in program history.
It did not take long for Central Maine to find the back of the net. Sam Foley scored just 3:37 into the first to take a 1-0 lead. Heath McLean unloaded a heavy one-time slap shot from just inside the blue line. Thomas goaltender Matt D'Ortona made the pad save, but Colby Pawson was there at the top of the crease to poke the rebound loose. Foley arrived at the left post to hammer the puck into the unguarded side of the net for his 13th goal of the campaign.
Pawson then deposited a goal of his own past D'Ortona at the 13:34 mark. McLean led the rush up the ice, dropping a pass for Pawson at the blue line. The Oakland, ME native, not playing too far from home, swooped around one man, cut back at the left circle, and sizzled a shot under the netminder's glove to make it 2-0. It was the forward's fifth of the year and third in his last five games.
The third goal came less than three minutes later and was another beautiful setup. Dylan Blue powered through a hit along the left-wing boards and poked the puck back to Foley. The centerman spotted leading goal scorer Aaron Higgins all alone in the slot, feeding a pass to him on the doorstep. Higgins still had a lot to do, reaching for the puck with his back to goal. The Falmouth High School product quickly deked back to his forehand as he pushed across the crease, leaving the goalie stranded before roofing his wrist shot.
However, the Terriers refused to go quietly into the night against the #3 ranked team in the ACHA Men's Division 3 hockey. Thomas pulled two goals back early in the second period with a couple of pretty tallies of their own. Joe Fischetto and Hunter Coughlin worked the power play well before setting up Nick Fischetto for a one-timer from the right circle. His shot hit the water bottle to make it 3-1 after just 2:30. Just past two minutes later, Caleb Micklon led a two-on-one into the zone, feeding Quinn Hawley for a point-blank redirect that sneaked inside the post.
The Mustangs hung on for remainder of the frame and restored their multi-goal cushion less than a minute into the third. Higgins turned provider this time, picking up a loose puck on Michael Belleau's missed shot, circling behind the net, and finding Braeden Gagnon in the left circle. The defenseman one-timed a shot inside the far post past a surprised D'Ortona, who was screened by Belleau.
The Terriers struggled to create opportunities in the third but stayed close. That led to the game getting a little chippy between the two rivals. Thomas had a chance to cut the lead to one with 4:15 to go after drawing a power play. However, their goaltender took a penalty of his own just 20 seconds later. Belleau lost an edge and ended up in the back of the net. D'Ortona slyly slid deep in his crease to try to keep the Mustangs' alternate captain from easily getting out, but an extra jab with his stick earned him a penalty for interference.
With time winding down, Blue sealed the victory with an empty netter. Defenseman Zach Mitton waited for the Thomas goalie to reach the bench before lofting the puck down the ice from behind his own goal line. Blue was waiting in the neutral zone, getting there first to negate the icing, and lifting his shot over a valiant headfirst dive from Hawley.
Central Maine outshot Thomas 51-28 on the night. Freshman goaltender Cam Wickens recorded 26 saves for his tenth win of the season, while D'Ortona had 46 stops in the losing effort. The Mustangs improve to 13-2-0 overall and 4-0-0 in NECHA Colonial North division play, while the Terriers fall to 5-9-0.
Next up, CMCC heads to Massachusetts on Saturday to face the Curry College Colonels in Walpole, MA. Puck drop is set for 5:10 pm.
