Waterville ties Rams late

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BANGOR – Bangor High School hockey coach Dan Kerluke effectively summed up Thursday night’s 2-2 overtime tie with Waterville at Sawyer Arena.

“If both teams could finish [their scoring chances], it probably would have been 6-6,” said Kerluke.

Bangor junior goalie Aaron Buzzell and Panther counterpart sophomore Joe Fonollosa bailed their teams out with some superb saves, but they also benefited from errant shooting.

Nate McLaughlin’s power-play goal just 1:46 into the game supplied Waterville with its only lead.

Always-dangerous Bangor sophomore left wing Nick Payson answered with goals 2:04 apart later in the period, but Panther junior left wing Matt McGowan notched the equalizer 1:27 into the third period.

Waterville had two glorious chances in overtime but failed to convert.

An undetected Jason Fitton ghosted down the middle of the slot and was set up perfectly by McGowan only to sail his 15-foot wrister over the net.

Moments later, Nick Steward swept a rebound through Buzzell’s legs, but it skipped wide of the far post.

“I got lucky a few times,” said Buzzell.

McLaughlin opened the scoring when he tracked down a bouncing puck that had hopped over a Bangor stick and snapped a wrister over Buzzell’s glove from the bottom of the right circle.

Payson tied it when his initial shot rebounded back to him off teammate T.J. Vanidestine. He stickhandled around Fonollosa and slotted a backhander into the half-empty net.

Payson scored again after he stole the puck, cut across the slot, and roofed a 12-foot wrister over Fonollosa’s glove.

Bangor, now 12-5-1, outshot Waterville 12-7 in the first period, but the Panthers held a 19-8 edge over the final two periods and eight-minute overtime.

“We were tentative in the first period but decided to play hockey after that,” said Waterville coach Norm Gagne, whose 8-9-1 Panthers had won six of their previous seven.

McGowan equalized with a terrific rush that resulted in a breakaway when he cleanly beat a Ram defenseman in a one-on-one.

“I put it through his legs and went around him,” said McGowan. “Then I gave the goalie a little move and put it five-hole.”

Fonollosa came up with two gems in the third period as he made a right toe save on Ben Payson’s across-the-grain wrister and flashed out his glove to snare Nick Payson’s challenging wrister from the left circle with 1:33 left in regulation.

RAMS 2, PANTHERS 2 (OT)

Waterville (8-9-1) 1 0 1 0 ? 2

Bangor (12-5-1) 2 0 0 0 ? 2

First period ? 1. Wat, McLaughlin (Cushing), 1:46 (pp); 2. Ban, N. Payson (B. Payson), 6:52; 3. Ban, N. Payson (unassisted), 8:56. Penalties: Ban, McPike, roughing, :44; Wat, D. Labbe, hooking, 7:07; Ban, Vanidestine, interference, 8:33; Ban, B. Payson, interference, 10:19; Wat, Fitton, interference, 13:59

Second period ? No scoring. Penalties: Wat, Saucier, holding, 3:38; Wat, Plaisted, hooking, 6:40; Ban, B. Payson, holding, 6:50; Ban, McPike, holding, 9:26; Wat, Nawfel, interference, 12:21; Ban, B. Payson, tripping, 12:30; Ban, George, hooking, 13:59

Third period ? 4. Wat, McGowan (unassisted), 1:27. Penalties: Ban, George, tripping, 5:36; Wat, Plaisted, interference, 9:22; Ban, B. Payson, roughing, 14:16; Wat, Saucier, holding, 14:42

Overtime ? No scoring. Penalties: none.

Shots on goal: Waterville 7-2-14-3?26; Bangor 12-2-5-1?20

Goaltenders: Waterville, Fonollosa (20 shots-18 saves); Bangor, Buzzell (26-24)

Power-play Opportunities: Waterville 1 of 9, Bangor 0 of 7

Attendance: 125 (est.)