Tuell, Bryant power Red Riots past Minutemen Orono notches second victory

ORONO – The Orono Red Riots squandered a 3-0 lead in a 6-3 loss to rival Winslow Saturday night. And the Stearns Minutemen took the brunt of their wrath Monday night.

Orono scored six first-period goals in a span of 7:28 and cruised to a 16-1 high school hockey victory over the Minutemen at Alfond Arena.

The Minutemen worked hard and played with exemplary restraint and discipline but they were simply no match for the far superior Riots, who were still smarting from their meltdown in Winslow.

“We wanted to make a little statement. We wanted to let people know we’re still here,” said Orono junior defenseman Travis Bryant, who had a goal and three assists.

“We wanted to get on them as quickly as we could and not let up,” said junior center John Tuell, who paced the Riots with four goals and four assists.

Tuell and Bryant combined on the first goal to give the Riots a lead they would never relinquish 5:25 into the game.

Bryant took a quick snap shot from the left point that Stearns goalie Jay Kim kicked out. However, the puck landed right on Tuell’s stick and he roofed the rebound from the middle of the left circle.

Tony Raymond made it 2-0 44 seconds later on the power play as he won a faceoff to Kim’s right, darted to the front of the net and pulled the puck around Kim before depositing a backhander in the empty net.

Derek Smith swooped on a loose puck between the top of the circles and ripped a slap shot over the blocker side to make it 3-0; Jacob Roeder broke in alone and converted for the fourth goal; Mark Cloutier finished off a pretty passing play involving Smith and Bryant with a tap-in at the far post and Sean Babin’s slapper from the high slot capped the six-goal flurry.

Junior defenseman Lance Thibodeau scored the Stearns goal by converting a Jacob Emery pass from the low slot before Tuell answered with a rising short-side wrister off a Dan Ohno pass.

Raymond, Ohno, Jordan Dudley, Tuell, Bryant and Smith added second-period goals before Tuell, Dudley and Ohno finished things off with third-period scores.

Ohno had two goals and three assists for the 2-1 Riots; Smith and Raymond had two goals and two assists each; Dudley had two goals and an assist and Roeder, Cloutier and Babin had a goal and an assist each.

Orono outshot the 0-2 Minutemen 52-8.

“We came out and established ourselves and we stayed focused for three periods,” said Orono coach Greg Hirsch. “It’s hard to stay focused in a game like this. We got to space without the puck which is something we didn’t do against Winslow.”

Stearns coach Don McNeil said, “I think we were a little intimidated by their speed when we were first out there and we didn’t recover. They were real good. They have a lot of good skaters.”

Thibodeau concurred.

“They were quick, they moved the puck well and they seemed to connect,” said Thibodeau.

RED RIOTS 16, MINUTEMEN 1

Stearns (0-2) 1 0 0 – 1

Orono (2-1) 7 6 3 – 16

First period – 1. Orono, Tuell (Bryant), 5:25; 2. Orono, Raymond (una.), 6:09 (pp); 3. Orono, Smith (Bryant), 9:09; 4. Orono, Roeder (Smyth), 9:28; 5. Orono, Cloutier (Smith, Bryant), 12:10; 6. Orono, Babin (Tuell, Ohno), 12:53; 7. Stearns, Thibodeau (Emery), 13:08; 8. Orono, Tuell (Ohno), 14:43. Penalties: Orono, Tuell, boarding, 1:51; Stearns, Parker, high-sticking, 6:08.

Second period – 9. Orono, Raymond (Babin, Tuell), :59; 10. Orono, Ohno (Tuell), 3:29; 11. Orono, Dudley (Roeder), 4:36; 12. Orono, Tuell (Ohno, Raymond), 5:42; 13. Orono, Bryant (Curtis), 10:47 (sh); 14. Orono, Smith (Dudley), 14:54; Penalties: Orono, Benn, contact to the head, 9:17; Orono, Tuell, boarding, 12:50

Third period – 15. Orono, Tuell (unassisted), 1:00; 16. Orono, Dudley (Cloutier, Smith), 4:00; 17. Orono, Ohno (Tuell, Raymond), 5:00. Penalties: Orono, Babin, holding, 12:55; Stearns, Donley, boarding, 14:15

Shots on goal: Orono 27-16-9-52; Stearns 7-1-0-8

Goaltenders: Orono, Buzzell (7 shots-6 saves), Eugley (0:00 of 2nd, 1-1); Stearns, Kim (27-20), Rucci (0:00 of 2nd, 16-10), Kim (0:00 of 3rd, 9-6)

Power plays: Orono 1 of 2, Stearns 0 of 4

Attendance: 100 (est.)