Toner sets pace for Red Riots Senior’s hat trick key as Orono defeats Bapst

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ORONO – When a hockey team has only eight skaters, it is difficult enough to hang in with a decent team. Bangor’s John Bapst High School has overachieved in that regard.

But the Orono High School hockey team, despite having only 11 skaters, proved it is significantly better than decent.

Senior left winger Will Toner, who played two seasons at John Bapst, collected a hat trick and added an assist against his old team; senior exchange student and right winger Branislav Srnka had a pair of goals and an assist; and senior center Pat Skall scored twice as the Riots improved to 5-0 with a 7-3 triumph over John Bapst at Alfond Arena Thursday.

“You can never take a team like John Bapst lightly,” said Toner, who scored twice in the first period to help Orono build a 3-0 lead. “They have some great players. We felt it was important to get off to a quick start.”

Orono coach Greg Hirsch instructed his team to take the body against the Crusaders, especially in the first period, to try to wear them down, and it worked.

“They took it to us in the first period,” said first-year Bapst coach Doug Damon. “It was a great tactic. They’re very well-coached. Orono moved the puck, took it deep on us, and made us skate. They capitalized on our weaknesses. They have a great team.”

Senior left wing Zach Means had a pair of goals for the 3-2 Crusaders, senior center John Motta had a goal and an assist, and senior defenseman Taylor Lynn had two assists.

The score wasn’t indicative of the game. Despite Orono’s 12-2 shot margin in its dominant first period, the Crusaders played much better after that.

Srnka sewed up the win with a shorthanded breakaway goal that made it 5-2 with 7:22 remaining.

“I poked the puck away from their defenseman,” said Srnka, a native of Slovakia who cut across the crease from his right to left. “When I came in on the goalie, I saw the right side open and that’s where I put it.”

Toner added a power-play goal 1:05 later.

Skall opened the scoring 50 seconds into the game when he took a Mike Merritt pass and beat goalie Dan Leighton with a 20-foot wrist shot into the upper far corner.

Merritt, who had three assists as the right wing on the Skall-Toner line, fed Toner from the corner for the second goal. Toner’s 8-foot one-timer didn’t have much on it, but it slid inside the far post.

Toner made it 3-0 on the power play with 37 seconds left in the period as he took a long cross-ice pass from Ian Ferguson, sliced in on Leighton, and converted a backhander from in close while being tied up by a Bapst defenseman.

Means got one back with a quick snap shot from the slot off a Motta pass 4:45 into the second period, but Riot freshman goalie Nate Faulstick made the pivotal save of the game a few minutes later by gloving Means’ 16-foot wrister labeled for the top corner.

“He had a nice glove. He made a big save off me [a little later]. Those two saves were key,” said Motta, who felt the Riots wore the Crusaders down in the third period.

Srnka was credited with a goal when his centering pass off a three-on-one glanced in off the skate of Kyle Maynard, who had Orono’s Nick Dwyer tied up in front.

Means cut the lead to 4-2 with a 15-foot wrist shot off a turnover 2:23 into the third period, but that was as close as Bapst would get.

Faulstick finished with 13 saves while Leighton rejected 24 shots.

RED RIOTS 7, CRUSADERS 3

John Bapst (3-2) 0 1 2 ? 3

Orono (5-0) 3 1 3 ? 7

First period ? 1. Orono, Skall (Merritt), :50; 2. Orono, Toner (Merritt), 6:53; 3. Orono, Toner (Ferguson, Merritt), 14:23 (pp). Penalties: Orono, Dwyer, high sticking, 4:11; Orono, James, holding, 9:22; JB, Lynn, holding, 13:42.

Second period ? 4. JB, Means (Motta, Theriault), 4:45; 5. Orono, Srnka (unassisted), 12:22. Penalties: JB, Lynn, elbowing, 1:31; Orono, Skall, roughing, 5:39; Orono, Merritt, high sticking, 13:18; Orono, Dwyer, kneeing, 13:42.

Third period ? 6. JB, Means (Lynn), 2:33 (pp); 7. Orono, Srnka (unassisted), 7:38 (sh); 8. Orono, Toner (Srnka), 8:43 (pp); 9. Orono, Skall (Toner, Ferguson), 12:17 (pp); 10. JB, Motta (Means, Lynn), 14:26 (pp). Penalties: Orono, Caggiano, tripping, 2:07; Orono, Caggiano, tripping, 6:15; JB, Maynard, slashing, 7:55; JB, Lynn, roughing, 10:09; Orono, Merritt, slashing, 10:22; JB, Motta, tripping, 11:08; JB, Means, roughing, 11:38; Orono, Caggiano, slashing, 13:13; JB, Means, charging, 14:49.

Shots on goal: John Bapst 2-8-6?16; Orono 12-8-11?31

Goaltenders: John Bapst, Leighton (31 shots-24 saves); Orono, Faulstick (16-13)

Power-play opportunities: John Bapst 2 of 9; Orono 3 of 7

Attendance: 135 (est.)