Presque Isle’s Carlisle, defense stop Old Town

ORONO – The Presque Isle High School hockey team is coming of age. Old Town’s Indians found that out the hard way on Saturday afternoon.

Presque Isle received a pair of goals from sophomore center Doug Carlisle and held Old Town to only 14 shots on goal en route to a 6-2 Eastern Maine Class B win at the Alfond Arena here.

Nate Straetz, Norman Elliott and defensemen Tim Belden and Adam Schmidt had the other goals for 3-3 Presque Isle. Goaltender Dan Namur turned in a solid 12-save performance.

“This had to be our best game of the year, definitely,” said Straetz, who scored what proved to be the game-winner at the 5 minute, 11 second mark of the second period.

Carlisle got his second goal of the game only 38 seconds later to build Presque Isle’s lead to 4-1.

“Our boys have finally come around. They’ve started playing a well-disciplined style of hockey,” said Presque Isle coach Rod MacIntosh, whose team generated 27 shots on goal.

“We try to get the whole team involved in defense,” said Belden. “We usually have three men back at all times and we try to keep the shots down on the goalies. We figure they can’t score if they don’t shoot.”

Old Town coach Gene Fadrigon said, “We got outplayed. They beat us to the puck. They came ready to play and we didn’t.”

Carlisle and Schmidt scored 1:07 apart in the first period to give the Wildcats the lead for good.

Owen McMahon sent linemates Carlisle and Straetz in on a two-on-one and Carlisle, who had the puck on the right wing, snapped a rising 20-footer into the short side corner.

Schmidt then scored on a drive from the left point that slipped between the pads of Old Town goalie Jeremy Smith.

“Doug was screening in front and had drawn a couple defensemen over to him. I figured if I kept the shot low, the goalie might not pick it up. I was surprised it went in,” said Schmidt.

Old Town got one back when Joe Field scored a shorthanded goal early in the second period as he converted a breakaway backhander off an Adam King pass.

But Straetz and Carlisle retaliated three minutes later.

Straetz took a Belden pass and split a pair of Indian defensemen.

“Coach is always talking to us about going outside but their (left) defenseman was playing me to the outside so I cut back inside,” said Straetz. “I saw the whole right (glove) side of the net wide open, I took a wrist shot and put ‘er in.”

Carlisle scored on a partial breakaway as he skated down the left wing and tried to cut across the middle past an Indian defenseman.

“Their defenseman did a great job getting back,” said Carlisle. “He hit me (as I was cutting across) back the other way and I slid it in the short side. It was a good play by their defenseman and a lucky play by me.”

Belden’s rising 50-foot slap shot made it 5-1 48 seconds into the third period and Elliott scored from in close at 9:34 before Field set up King to conclude the scoring.

“At the beginning of the year, we were holding the puck too long,” said Schmidt. “But we’ve started getting our passing game going and forwards have been going to the net (hard) better.”

Wildcats 6, Indians 2 Presque Isle (3-3) 2 2 2 – 6 Old Town (4-2) 0 1 1 – 2

First period – 1. PI, Carlisle (McMahon), 7:52; 2. PI, Schmidt (unassisted), 8:59. Penalties – PI, Gregg, holding, 1:29.

Second period – 3. OT, Field (A. King), 2:19; 4. PI, N. Straetz (Belden), 5:11; 5. PI, Carlisle (unassisted), 5:49 Penalties – OT, Small, interference, :49; OT, Kosnow, elbowing, 3:49; PI, Allen, hitting from behind, 4:46; OT, Duque, tripping, 8:21; OT, Ayotte, five-minute major for spearing and game disqualification, 12:37.

Third period – 6. PI, Belden (Carlisle), :48; 7. PI, Elliott (Dean), 9:34; 8. OT, A. King (Field), 10:55. Penalties – PI, Gallagher, hitting after the whistle, 6:48; OT, Ware, hitting after the whistle, 6:48; OT, C. King, hitting after the whistle, 7:11; OT, Field, high sticking, 11:16.

Shots on goal: PI 12-10-5 – 27; OT 4-3-7 – 14

Goaltenders – PI, Dan Namur; OT, Jeremy Smith, Adam Martell