BANGOR – For much of Friday night’s season-opening hockey game between inter-city rivals Bangor and John Bapst, each team did a solid job holding the other’s dangerous first line in check.

But as the game wore on, so did the wear and tear on Bapst as Bangor’s constant physical pressure began to take a slight toll.

So it was that the game-winning goal in Bangor’s 2-1 victory on a frigid night at Sawyer Arena came courtesy of a fortuitous deflection as the Rams managed to bottle up the action near Bapst’s net.

Wing Ben Payson, one of two freshmen on Bangor’s still wet-behind-the-ears second line, netted the game-winning goal with 2:26 left in the game as he flipped a loose puck into the top of the net past Crusaders goaltender Dominic Dinardo.

“One of the defensemen shot it and it was trickling around before someone took it around the net,” said Rams right wing Bobby Leavitt, who scored the game-tying goal in the second period. “Then it came out and had a wraparound and hit off a Bapst player. It bounced out and Ben was just standing there.”

Dinardo had been a one-man, nearly chink-free armor plating around the net for much of the night as he made 30 saves – at least eight of which came from point-blank range. The highlight stop came early in the third period as he stuffed a passing shot by Leavitt on a breakaway.

“He’s an excellent goalie. He blew my mind last year, and evidently I wasn’t the only one because he’s a returning all-stater,” said Crusaders coach Ray Thibodeau. “On the last goal, it looked like we went fishing for the puck instead of playing the body. The goalie was close enough to get it if we could’ve made room for him to get it.”

Dinardo wasn’t the only netminder to enjoy a solid night as Justin Climo justified his coach’s faith in handing the Rams’ senior the starting job this season.

After giving up a goal in the first period with 1:52 left on Chris Todd’s unassisted goal off a center ice faceoff, Climo kept the pipes clear of any unsightly black rubber objects with 24 saves.

“Justin did a great job. He was a little off his angle on that goal they scored, but he came up with some real nice saves for us at key times,” said Bangor coach Bill Schwarz. “He hasn’t played that much, but this is his year to step up.”

With both goalies basically shutting down the offenses and each team’s first lines contained, the difference was Bangor’s second line of freshmen Payson and Kevin Cobb and junior center Kyle Baker, who helped lead Bangor’s offensive charge into the Bapst end in the second and third periods.

Bangor outshot Bapst 16-9 in the second period and 9-8 in the third after watching the Crusaders seize momentum in the first.

“Our biggest worry was getting worn down,” Thibodeau said. “Three weeks into the season, our conditioning still isn’t there yet, and their other guys made the difference.”

Todd put Bapst on top first as he won a faceoff, sped to the left faceoff circle, and slapped a shot into the top left corner of the net for the score.

Leavitt tied it up as he slapped in a deflected puck from five feet away on the left side with 3:30 left in the second. Payson’s score came on assists credited to Cobb and Craig Franck.

After losing big gun center Justin Libbey to a matching roughing penalty, Leavitt then helped keep the puck near Bapst net, foiling a chance for Bapst to pull Dinardo in the last two minutes.

“He did a great job. I think he killed those last 30 seconds all by himself,” said Schwarz.

Rams 2, Crusaders 1

First period – 1. John Bapst, Todd (unassisted) 13:08; Penalties: none

Second period – 2. Bangor, Leavitt (Huhn, Libbey) 11:30; Penalties: JB, Todd, holding, 11:56; Bangor, Schroder, tripping, 11:57; Bangor, Bailey, roughing, 12:13; JB, Lynn, roughing, 12:13; JB, Brown, delay of game, 14:17; Bangor, Franck, holding, 14:32

Third period – 3. Bangor, Payson (Cobb, Franck) 12:34; Penalties: Bangor, Schroder, high-sticking, 3:52; Bangor, Payson, tripping, 7:32; JB, Penley, tripping, 10:30; Bangor, Libbey, roughing, 12:19; JB, Lynn, roughing, 12:19

Shots on goal: John Bapst 8-9-8-8 – 25; Bangor 7-15-10 – 32

Goaltenders: John Bapst, Dinardo (32 shots-30 saves); Bangor, Climo (25-24)

Power-play opportunities: John Bapst 0 of 3; Bangor 0 of 3

Attendance: 400 (est.)