BANGOR – It had been six years since the Brewer High School hockey team had beaten archrival Bangor.

The Witches finally ended the streak and they couldn’t have done it in a more dramatic fashion Tuesday night.

Junior center Josh Caldwell whacked Will Prescott’s centering pass just over the goal line with five seconds remaining in regulation as the Witches beat the Rams 3-2 at a packed Sawyer Arena.

The Witches won a faceoff in the Bangor zone and the puck squirted back to Tony Lorenz at the right point. Lorenz fanned on his shot but the puck rolled to Prescott in the corner to the left of Bangor goalie Dominic Dinardo.

“One of their guys came at me but his legs were wide open so I fed it through to Josh,” said Prescott.

Three Rams actually went toward Prescott, leaving Caldwell some room at the top of the crease.

“I got my stick on it and chipped it in,” said Caldwell who saw Dinardo get a piece of his shot but not enough as it trickled over the goal line.

Brewer improved to 2-2 with its second straight win while Bangor fell to 0-4. The Rams have scored just four goals in their four losses.

The game featured a goaltending duel between senior Dinardo, who transferred from John Bapst High School, and Brewer senior Rob Elliott.

Dinardo was superb in the first two periods, stopping 21 of 23 shots, including several gems.

But the Rams, clearly outplayed over the first 30 minutes, unleashed a 21-shot barrage at Elliott in the third and the Witch netminder was exceptional.

“He kept us in it in the third,” said Prescott, who assisted on all three Brewer goals.

Elliott kicked out several point-blank attempts and was beaten just once in the third period.

“We didn’t come to play in the first two periods,” said Bangor coach Bill Schwarz who, ironically, coached Brewer to its last win over Bangor six years ago. “We had so many chances in the third period but we couldn’t finish and then we had a defensive breakdown.”

Sophomore James Juilli, called up from the JV team after the two JV teams battled to a 2-2 tie, opened the scoring for Brewer on the power play by positioning himself at the top of the crease and directing Prescott’s centering pass behind Dinardo, who got a piece of his shot.

Bangor senior center Pat Frazier equalized in the second period when a Ben Payson centering pass glanced into the net off his skate.

Brewer’s tenacity paid off with a go-ahead goal later in the middle period when Prescott leaped in the air to keep a puck in the offensive zone and slid it to Caldwell who got it to Jeremiah Richter.

Richter shoveled a 10-foot backhander past Dinardo with 1:10 left in the period.

Frazier tied it up on the power play 4:57 into the final period and again he was set up by linemate Payson.

Elliott stopped Frazier’s initial wrist shot but Frazier batted the rebound behind Elliott.

But Elliott held down the fort after that, including a diving head-first save on a wrist shot by the dangerous Kevin Cobb midway through the period.

“I’m definitely happy with the way I played. I focused on the men in front [waiting to get the pass],” said Elliott. “I’m just glad Coach [Steve Van Dolman] gave me the start. I had never beaten Bangor.”

WITCHES 3, RAMS 2

Brewer (2-2) 1 1 1 – 3

Bangor (0-4) 0 1 1 – 2

First period – 1. Brewer, Juilli (Prescott), 7:00 (pp). Penalties: Brewer, Kochis, elbowing, 3:31; Bangor, Huhn, elbowing, 5:24; Brewer, Tardiff, roughing, 10:15.

Second period – 2. Bangor, Frazier (Payson), 11:23; 3. Brewer, Je. Richter (Prescott, Caldwell), 13:50. Penalties: Bangor, Dinardo, slashing, 2:09; Bangor, too many men on the ice, 4:21; Brewer, Caldwell, high-sticking, 4:36; Bangor, Dinardo, removing helmet before leaving the ice, 15:00.

Third period – 4. Bangor, Frazier (Payson), 4:57 (pp); 5. Brewer, Caldwell (Prescott, Lorenz), 14:55; Penalties: Brewer, Grimes, hooking, 3:32; Brewer, Caldwell, interference, 4:57; Bangor, Lever, interference, 7:19; Brewer, R. Hayes, roughing, 7:19; Bangor, Huhn, roughing and slashing, 9:15; Brewer, Pooler, roughing, 9:15; Brewer, too many men on the ice, 10:52.

Shots on goal: Brewer 10-13-5-28; Bangor 7-7-21-35

Goaltenders: Brewer, Elliott (35 shots-33 saves); Bangor, Dinardo (28-25)

Power-play opportunities: Brewer 1 of 5; Bangor 1 of 6

Attendance: 250 (est.)