ORONO – The Foxcroft Academy hockey team had some extra motivation when it faced the Orono High School Red Riots on Thursday afternoon: their three schoolmates (Azure Dillon, Daniel Doore and RaeAnne Coleman) who died in a car accident on Saturday.

“That was definitely a tragic thing that happened. We all have stickers on the backs of our helmets with their initials on it,” said freshman center Adam Conway, who scored the game-winner off a two-on-one with 1:27 remaining as the Ponies triumphed 6-5 at Alfond Arena.

Foxcroft is now 1-2 while Orono, which had just 11 players, fell to 2-4. It was the first ever win for FA’s seniors over the Riots.

“It feels good bouncing back from that tragic happening,” agreed senior defenseman and co-captain Josh Sands, who set up Conway’s game-winner.

“They will always be in our hearts but we had to keep going, keep pushing,” said senior defenseman and co-captain Seth Gabarro.

The Riots had rallied from 4-1 and 5-2 deficits to tie the game on third-period power play goals 22 seconds apart by Joe Fullwood and Dylan Huckestein.

But the Ponies worked a break-out play to perfection and Conway capitalized.

“I was supposed to draw the puck back to the defenseman and he was going to flip it up over everybody else. Coach [John McNulty] told me to skate as hard as I could and hope for an odd-man rush,” said Conway.

Sands lifted it off the glass and Conway broke in down the left wing on a two-on-one with Bill Moriarty.

“I looked over and I thought Billy wanted the puck. But their defenseman started to slip so I just kept it and shot it,” said Conway, whose perfectly-placed 16-foot wrist shot sailed over the glove of Orono goalie Anthony Hegstrom.

Both teams had a Derek Smith and Orono’s Derek opened the scoring by converting a breakaway off a Huckestein pass.

But FA scored three times in a span of 2:18 later in the period as Ryan McNulty one-timed an errant clearing attempt over Hegstrom’s glove shoulder; Dan Speed’s screened snap shot from the right point found the upper short side corner and Moriarty tucked the rebound of a Conway shot inside the near post.

FA’s Derek Smith swept home a Conway rebound early in the second period but Huckestein answered when his 25-foot slap shot glanced in off Pony goalie Jon Catell’s glove.

Smith made it 5-2 by scoring off a scramble but Travis Bryant retaliated by pushing in a rolling puck off an Evan James point shot.

In the third period, Fullwood converted a Huckestein rebound off a three-on-oh and Huckestein tied it off a Tom Smyth face-off win as he cut from right to left across the slot and beat Catell with a rising 20-foot wrist shot to the glove side.

Conway and Moriarty had two assists to go with their goals and Smith had his two goals while Orono received two goals and two assists from Huckestein and four assists from Smyth.

FA outshot Orono 34-32.

Orono coach Greg Hirsch said his Riots came out ?flat,? but played better in the second and third periods.

He also praised the Ponies, saying, ?This is one of the best Foxcroft teams I?ve seen in recent years. And you could tell they were playing with emotion [from the tragedy]. You?ve got to give them credit.?

PONIES 6, RIOTS 5

Foxcroft (1-2) 3 2 1 ? 6

Orono (2-4) 1 2 2 ? 5

First period ? 1. Orono, Smith (Huckestein), 6:27; 2. FA, McNulty (unassisted), 10:29; 3. FA, Speed (Moriarty), 11:11; 4. FA, Moriarty (Conway, Gabarro), 12:47. Penalties: FA, Sands, boarding, 3:51; Orono, J. Smyth, high sticking, 9:31; FA, Freese, high sticking, 9:31.

Second period ? 5. FA, Smith (Conway, Moriarty), 1:22; 6. Orono, Huckestein (T. Smyth, Bryant), 3:07; 7. FA, Smith (McNulty, Speed), 7:08 (pp); 8. Orono, Bryant (James, T. Smyth), 11:22 (pp). Penalties: FA, Sands, elbowing, 4:45; Orono, Fullwood, hooking, 5:55; FA, Annis, tripping, 9:41.

Third period ? 9. Orono, Fullwood (T. Smyth, Huckestein), 4:59 (pp); 10. Orono, Huckestein (T. Smyth), 11. FA, Conway (Sands), 13:33. Penalties: FA, Speed, charging, 3:48; FA, Freese, boarding, 5:16; FA, Gabarro, roughing, 7:46; Orono, Bryant, unsportsmanlike conduct, 7:46.

Shots on goal: Foxcroft 14-8-12?34; Orono 6-11-15? 32

Goaltenders: Foxcroft, Catell (32 shots-27 saves); Orono, Hegstrom (34-28)

Power-play opportunities: Foxcroft 1 of 1, Orono 2 of 5

Attendance: 150 (est.)