Lewiston edges Rams for EM title

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PORTLAND – Lewiston High School seniors Adam Wilding and Joe Gauthier have been linemates for three seasons.

And they teamed up for one of the most important goals of their careers Wednesday night.

Gauthier converted Wilding’s pass out from the corner with 9:28 remaining to break a 1-1 tie as the Blue Devils avenged two regular-season losses to Bangor with a 3-2 victory in their Eastern Maine Class A championship game at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Second seed Lewiston improved to 18-5 and will face the winner of the Cheverus-St. Dominic Western Maine final in Saturday’s state championship game in Lewiston.

Lewiston was making its fourth straight EM title-game appearance and the championship was its first since 2002.

Top seed Bangor, making its first appearance in an Eastern Maine final, finished 18-5.

The teams swapped second-period goals 41 seconds apart as Bangor’s Ben Estabrook opened the scoring with a slapper from the top of the right circle that beat Lewiston goalie Brian Nason to the far (blocker) side.

Kyle Beaulieu tied the match on the next shift with a screened slapper from the left point.

“That was a huge goal,” said Wilding, whose Blue Devils dominated the second period and carried that momentum into the third.

On the game-winner, Wilding dug the puck out of the corner to the left of Bangor goalie Aaron Buzzell “and I looked up and saw a blue shirt [in front].”

Gauthier said he curled in front and got inside position on a Ram backchecker.

“I just redirected the pass. I knew Buzzell was down so I knew I had to get the puck up,” said Gauthier, who was well-positioned 10 feet in front of Buzzell..

Buzzell said he nearly made the save.

“I had the low side covered and I almost got my blocker over,” said Buzzell.

Nate Gruz added an insurance empty-netter off a Gauthier clear-out off the boards before Nick Payson, Class A’s leading scorer, scored his 43rd goal with one second left.

Payson had a glittering chance earlier in the period to give the Rams the lead when he cleanly beat a Lewiston defenseman in a one-on-one situation, broke in alone on Nason and took a 16-foot backhander that Nason saved with his right pad.

“Backhanders are tough to read but I knew he’d shoot it low so I kept my pads along the ice,” said Nason.

“I tried to put it five-hole but he closed his pads. He made a great save,” said Payson.

Both teams were tentative in the first period and Bangor had a territorial advantage as well as a 7-4 shots-on-goal edge.

Nason was razor sharp and made a superb stop on T.J. Vanidestine, who accepted a pass from Payson while cruising down the inner half of the left circle. Nason reacted quickly and made a pad save on Vanidestine’s quick wrister.

Lewiston generated some chances on a power play late in the period and that momentum extended into the second period.

Lewiston had nine of the first 10 shots on goal in the middle period before Estabrook took a Mike McPike pass and converted with his slapper that Nason said “I lost in the stands.”

But Beaulieu, set up by Jordan Bourgoin and Jon Roy, answered immediately.

Lewiston used its quickness to get better forecheck pressure and establish a territorial edge in the second and third periods and the Blue Devils also did an excellent job on the high-powered line of Payson (who entered the game with 42 goals and 28 assists), Vanidestine (11 & 36) and Dylan George (23 & 23).

“We weren’t trying to match up lines. We did that too much during the regular season. We just rolled all three lines and four defensemen,” said Lewiston coach Tim Smith, who did have his top line of Wilding, Gauthier and Ricker out there against the Payson line quite a bit of the time.

“We had some chances but we couldn’t capitalize,” said Payson, who added the Blue Devils had men covering his line tightly all night.

Lewiston outshot Bangor 23-19.

BLUE DEVILS 3, RAMS 2

Lewiston (18-5) 0 1 2 – 3

Bangor (18-5) 0 1 1 – 2

First period – No scoring. Penalties: Lew, Lebrun, slashing, 5:57; Ban, Vanidestine, holding, 11:42

Second period – 1. Ban, Estabrook (McPike), 9:27; 2. Lew, Beaulieu (Bourgoin, J. Roy), 10:08. Penalties: Lew, Lebrun, hooking, 11:24

Third period – 3. Lew, Gauthier (Wilding, T. Roy), 5:32; 4. Lew, Gruz (Lebrun, Gauthier), 13:47 (en); 5. Ban, P:ayson (George), 14:59. Penalties: Ban, Eremita, tripping, 10:34; Lew, Beaulieu, cross checking, 10:52

Shots on goal: Lew 4-14-4-23; Ban 7-6-6-19

Goaltenders: Lew, Nason (19 shots-17 saves); Ban, Buzzell (22-20)

Power-play opportunities: Lew 0 of 2, Ban 0 of 3

Attendance: 1,500 (est.)