Orono juniors shine Red Riots top Hampden 5-1

ORONO – The Orono High School Red Riots showed Monday night why they are one of the favorites in Eastern Maine Class B hockey and why they have impressive wins over Class A powers Waterville and Messalonskee of Oakland.

The deep and swift-skating Riots received three goals and four assists from the all-junior line of right wing Sean Babin (2 goals, 1 assist), left wing Tony Raymond (1 & 1) and center Kyle Weiland (2 assists) en route to an impressive 5-1 win over the hard-working Hampden Academy Broncos at Alfond Arena.

Orono improved to 10-2 while Hampden Academy fell to 5-7.

“Some games, one line will do really well but not the others. Tonight, everybody chipped in, did their own part and got the job done,” said Babin, whose Riots outshot HA 42-20, including a 34-15 edge over the final two periods.

Orono coach Greg Hirsch said “our transition game, our counter attack, was excellent. We were making D-to-D [defenseman to defenseman] passes and getting the puck up to the wings and the wings were flying and moving to open space.”

Raymond scored the only goal of the first period before Babin notched his two 3:28 apart in the second period on the power play and on a four-on-four situation.

Standout Bronco senior defenseman Ian Lee scored 36 seconds after Babin’s second goal on a wraparound backhander between the pads but that was the only puck they could put behind Riot junior goalie Jared Buzzell, who turned in a rock-solid 19-save performance.

“He did a good job especially in the second period when it was 1-0,” said Hirsch. “He made some good saves.”

Junior center Chris McConnon cemented the win 2:47 into the third period and sophomore right wing Mark Cloutier added an insurance goal 3:41 later.

McConnon’s clincher was set up by linemates Derek Smith and Brandon Paul.

“The puck got loose in the zone and I sent it down low to Derek Smith,” said McConnon. “He sent it back to Brandon, who was on the low post, and Brandon flipped it across the net to me. I just tapped it in.”

Cloutier scored when a Tom Smyth point shot deflected across the crease and he was able to sweep it inside the right post before sophomore goalie Matt Albert could get across.

Raymond supplied the Riots with a lead they would never relinquish when Babin’s diagonal pass sent him in alone and he made a little fake before pulling the puck around Albert and depositing it into the empty net.

Weiland and Raymond set up Babin’s goal 8:11 into the second period on the power play.

“We were working it around the net. Kyle took a shot on net and it was just laying in the crease and I stuffed it in. It was just a garbage goal,” said Babin.

His next one came on a re-direction of Chad Evinger’s wrist shot from the point. It squeezed between Albert’s pads and trickled across the goal line.

RED RIOTS 5, BRONCOS 1

Hampden (5-7) 0 1 0 – 1

Orono (10-2) 1 2 2 – 5

First period – 1. Orono, Raymond (Babin, Weiland), 4:12. Penalties: Orono, Smyth, holding, 10:47; HA, Mangano, contact to the head-elbowing, 12:14; Orono, Bryant, interference, 13:47

Second period – 2. Orono, Babin (Weiland, Raymond), 8:11 (pp); 3. Orono, Babin (Evinger), 11:39; 4. HA, Lee (unassisted), 12:15. Penalties: Orono, Michaud, interference, :58; HA, Nason, high sticking, 7:52; Orono, Weiland, elbowing, 10:25; HA, Boutin, high sticking, 10:59; Orono, Evinger, hitting from behind and 10-minute misconduct, 12:40

Third period – 5. Orono, McConnon (Paul, Smith), 2:47; 6. Orono, Cloutier (Ohno, Smyth), 6:28. Penalties: HA, Boutin, boarding, :26; Orono, Rafuse, tripping, 7:33; HA, Beal, 10-minute misconduct, 8:09; HA, Nason, contact to the head-high sticking, 11:57; HA, McNutt, hooking, 14:20

Shots on goal: Hampden 5-9-6-20; Orono 8-22-12-42

Power-play opportunities: Hampden 0 of 6; Orono 1 of 7

Goaltenders: Hampden, Albert (42 shots-37 shots), Orono, Buzzell (20-19)

Attendance: 150 (est.)