BREWER – Senior center Andy Caldwell enabled the Hampden Academy hockey fans and his teammates to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Despite holding a 35-9 shots-on-goal margin, the top-seeded Broncos were about to end the second period with just a 2-1 lead over eighth seed Stearns High of Millinocket.

But Caldwell’s second goal of the game with just 6.4 seconds left in the period regained the two-goal bulge and the relieved Broncos added four more goals in the third period to beat the Minutemen 7-1 in their Eastern Maine Class B quarterfinal at T.J. Ryan Center Wednesday.

The 18-3 Broncos will now face fifth seed Gardiner, a 4-3 winner over Winslow, in Saturday’s semifinals at Winslow’s Sukee Arena. Gardiner is 13-8.

No. 2 Presque Isle, 16-3, and No. 3 Houlton-Hodgdon, 14-7, will meet in the other semi.

The Minutemen finished at 7-13.

“Andy’s goal was huge,” said Bronco senior center Greg Taylor, who had a pair of goals including his second just 20 seconds into the third period.

Caldwell’s goal came about when the Minutemen were unable to clear the puck out of the zone.

It went to Kevin Dunham at the right point and he one-timed a low blast through traffic that required Stearns goalie Nick Simon to make a desperation left pad save.

Chris Bearor and Caldwell were on the doorstep and Caldwell backhanded it home.

“I had a chance to cover it but I didn’t make the play,” said Simon.

“I think we would have had a little more spark in the third period if they hadn’t scored. But our guys played well,” said Stearns coach Don McNeil.

Taylor made it 4-1 in the third period after Simon made a nice stick save on his blast from the midpoint.

“Luckily, I didn’t follow my shot that time because the puck squirted back to me,” said Taylor, who blasted a rising 35-foot slap shot over Simon’s blocker.

Later in the period, Dunham tipped in a Chris Standley point shot; Steve Boutin swept home a Taylor rebound and Bearor finished off a precise pass from Chris Pease.

Hampden Academy appeared on its way to an easy win when Taylor scored 56 seconds into the game, taking an Adam Stanley pass and roofing a 10-foot backhander.

Caldwell made it 2-0 off a face-off play. Bearor got the puck to Dunham for a shot from the point and Caldwell swatted home the rebound.

But Stearns senior left wing Drew Somers scored with 4:47 left in the first period when he followed up a race for a rolling puck between teammate Josh Harmon and Bronco goalie Garrett Macgowan.

Macgowan beat Harmon but swept the puck onto Somers’ stick and Somers wristed it past the stranded goalie.

The goal gave the Minutemen some life and the line of Harmon, Somers and Shawn McVey line produced a few promising chances.

Hampden continued to carry the play by a significant margin in the second period but Simon was immense and his mates worked hard in front of their net.

But Caldwell’s goal took the wind out of their sails.

BRONCOS 7, MINUTEMEN 1

Stearns (7-13) 1 0 0 ? 1

Hampden Acad. (18-3) 2 1 4 ? 7

First period ? 1. HA, Taylor 23 (A. Standley), :56; 2. HA, Caldwell 6 (Dunham, Bearor), 7:55; 3. Stearns, Somers 15 (Harmon), 10:13. Penalties: Stearns, McVey, interference, 4:54; HA, A. Standley, tripping, 12:02.

Second period ? 4. HA, Caldwell 7 (Bearor, Dunham), 14:54. Penalties: HA, C. Standley, tripping, 1:25; Stearns, R. Bouchard, tripping, 11:58.

Third period ? 5. HA, Taylor 24 (unassisted), :20; 6. HA, Dunham 1 (C. Standley), 7:57; 7. HA, Boutin 10 (Taylor, A. Standley), 10:25 (pp); 8. HA, Bearor 12 (Pease), 14:26 (pp). Penalties: HA, Pease, elbowing, 1:52; Stearns, McVey, unsportsmanlike conduct, 5:43; Stearns, Somers, interference, 10:12; HA, Mangano, roughing, 11:33; Stearns, too many men on the ice (served by K. Bouchard), 13:15.

Shots on goal: Stearns 2-7-4?13; Hampden Academy 17-19-23 ?59

Goaltenders: Stearns, Simon (59 shots-52 saves); Hampden Academy, Magowan (13-12)

Power-play Opportunities: Stearns 0 of 4; Hampden Academy 2 of 5

Attendance: 352