Franck, Michaud lead Minutemen to Class C title Skowhegan tops Gardiner in ‘A’

WINTHROP – Holly Franck scored two goals, one unassisted, and assisted on the other while goalie Deanna Michaud came up big with 13 saves on 16 shots to lead the fourth-seeded Stearns Minutemen of Millinocket to a 3-1 upset win Wednesday over top-seeded Winthrop in the Eastern Maine Class C field hockey championship game.

Felicia Achorn scored Stearns’ other goal 11:18 into the second half on Franck’s assist. Hilary Arsenault assisted on Franck’s first goal with 14:17 left in the first half. Michaud kept the Ramblers off the board in the first half despite them having 10 penalty corners and 10 shots. The first two shots she faced were point-blank early in the first half.

The 13-4 Minutemen will take on Western Maine champion Telstar of Bethel – a 3-1 winner over Livermore Falls – for the state championship noon Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.

The victory is a special one indeed for head coach Lori Lincoln, who was a freshman member of Stearns’ first field hockey team in 1976.

“I think it says a lot for the sport of field hockey in Millinocket,” said Lincoln. “We’ve had a good starter program for the last five years and we have a real good group of seniors on this team. They weren’t ready to be done with field hockey today.”

For the 14-1-2 Ramblers, Nicole Emery scored the final goal of the game, unassisted with 6:33 left. Keltie Mullen made three saves on six shots.

Stearns’ girls were given a police car and fire truck escort during a makeshift victory parade as the team returned to Millinocket Wednesday.

“My mother-in-law died this fall and my daughter was hospitalized and I had to miss some games, so this has been a real tough fall, but I’ll tell you, I’ve been smiling all the way home,” Lincoln said. “I hugged the trophy all the way back. I’m just in awe.”

Not that Lincoln or her girls are done yet.

“No. We want one more win. I told them I need a new jacket,” Lincoln said while chuckling, referring to a commemorative state championship team jacket. “So we need to win so I can get one.”

Class A

Skowhegan 3, Gardiner 1

At Skowhegan, Courtney Veinotte scored one goal and assisted on another to help lead the Skowhegan Indians to their fourth straight Eastern Maine championship and 10th in the last 14 seasons.

Whitney Fortier and Katie LePage each scored a goal. Becca Roy assisted on Veinotte’s goal. Carlee Evans was in goal for the 16-1 Indians. The goal was LePage’s 31st this season and the win was Skowhegan head coach Paula Doughty’s 293rd.

The Indians scored all three goals in a six-minute span.

Lynsey Seymour scored the goal for the Tigers and Erica Berry manned the goal.