BREWER – It won’t go down as the most beautiful game of hockey ever witnessed at T.J. Ryan Center but it will go down as a Brewer win.

The third-seeded Witches received a pair of goals apiece from Robbie Hayes and Ben Caldwell and knocked off sixth-seeded Cony of Augusta 5-1 Tuesday night in an Eastern Maine Class A quarterfinal.

Brewer improved to 17-4 and will travel to Lewiston Saturday to take on second-seeded Edward Little. The Eddies were a 7-1 winner over Brunswick Tuesday night. Cony ended the season at 8-12-1.

In a rough and tumble affair that included 52 penalty minutes, it was fitting that five of the six goals came on the power play.

Brewer’s power play sizzled.

Hayes scored the first goal of the game at 7:23 with the man advantage on a beautiful tic-tac-toe series of passes. The play started when sophomore Jake Richter pushed the puck to the right side to senior Wally Tardiff who quickly sent a pass through the crease to Hayes. The junior one-timed the puck past Cony goalie Casey Tuttle.

The second Brewer goal was an almost identical play. It came at 4:14 of the second period. This time it was Tardiff who started the play with a pass, again to the right side, to senior Jeremiah Richter. Richter made a pass through the goal mouth and again Hayes was there to one-time it to give the Witches a 2-0 lead.

For Hayes it was just a matter of working himself into a good position.

“I just kinda snuck in behind the defensemen. Jeremiah and Jake Richter were looking for me each time at the far post. Tuttle is a great goalie but you can’t stretch that far, that fast,” Hayes said.

Tardiff got a goal 31/2 minutes later, again on the power play. Senior Josh Kochis picked up the assist when Tardiff’s shot from near the right face-off circle glanced off Tuttle’s right pad and inside the left post.

Caldwell’s second goal also came on the power play when Kochis flicked the puck to the front of the net and Caldwell redirected it past Tuttle.

The Witches scored on four power play attempts and finished the night 4-7.

“It’s huge. We’ve been trying get something going on the power play. Maybe this will give us some momentum,” Hayes said.

Caldwell’s first goal was Brewer’s only goal during the run of play. He scored the goal at 7:54 of the second period when he circled to the front of the goal and stuffed the puck past Tuttle.

Ryan Danforth scored the Rams’ goal on a blast from the point during one of four Cony power plays at 13:21 of the second.

But Brewer’s defense was solid, particularly their penalty killers. During a 5-on-3 Cony advantage during the third period, the Witches limited the Rams to just one shot and that came with only 10 seconds remaining on the power play.

“[Brewer was] able to clear the puck out from in front of their net. They move the puck really well. Three times they hit the guy on the far post wide open. They were able to hit them and bury it,” Cony coach Chad Foye said.

The game was marred by chippy play. The people handling the doors to both penalty boxes were kept busy. And it was a bruising, hard hitting game.

“You always expect something like that out of a playoff game. One team’s season is on the line. Everybody’s going to come out hard with a lot of intensity,” Hayes said.

WITCHES 5, RAMS 1

Cony (8-12-1) 0 1 0 ? 1

Brewer (17-4) 1 3 1 ? 4

First period ? 1. B, Hayes (Tardiff, Ja. Richter) 7:23 (pp). Penalties: B, Cocklin, hooking, 1:19; C, Ja. Richter, tripping, 7:56; B, Kochis, hooking, 10:25.

Second period ? 2. B, Hayes (Tardiff, Je. Richter), 4:14 (pp); 3. B, Tardiff (Kochis), 7:43 (pp); 4. B, Caldwell, unassisted, 7:54, 5. C, Danforth (Vashon), 13:21 (pp). Penalties: C, Barber, interference, 4:07; C, Barber, tripping, 7:09; B, Patterson, roughing, 8:16; C, Davis, roughing, 10 minute misconduct, 8:16; B, Ja. Richter, elbowing, 12:42; B, Tardiff, high sticking, 14:45; B, Ja. Richter, high sticking, 14:45; B, Ja. Richter, roughing, 15:00; C, Gay, hitting after the whistle, 15:00.

Third period ? 6. Caldwell (Kochis), 4:23. Penalties: C, Danforth, tripping, 3:03; B, Tardiff, tripping, 9:02; B, Prescott, 9:02, interference; B, Kochis, tripping,12:59; C, Vashon, roughing, 12:59, C, Danforth, holding, 13:12; B, Ja. Richter, elbowing, 13:17; C, Barber, interference, 13:36; C, Fecteau, tripping, 13:43.

Shots on goal: Cony 9-4-6?19; Brewer 4-9-8?21

Goaltenders: Cony, Tuttle (21 shots-16 saves); Brewer, Dunbar (19 shots-18 saves)

Power-play Opportunities: Cony 1-4; Brewer 4-7

Attendance: 250 (est.)