Hampden Academy Hockey Beats Presque Isle 6-1 in Class B Quarterfinals
Thanks to our special hockey correspondent, Adrian Ellingwood for the recap!
On Wednesday, February 25, the Class B hockey playoffs began for the Hampden Academy Broncos and the Presque Isle Wildcats at Sawyer Arena. After winning both regular-season matchups, the Broncos picked up another win against the Wildcats, advancing to the regional semi-final.
A quick start by Hampden kept Presque Isle in their defensive zone for nearly the first four minutes before getting a stoppage. After numerous chances in the first 10 minutes, the Broncos were able to open the scoring with 4:50 to go in the period. Wyatt Allen scored Hampden’s first goal of the playoffs, assisted by Henry Armell and former Wildcat Aiden MacFarline.
Less than 2 minutes after the opening goal, MacFarline picked up a loose puck in front of the net, and scored his second career goal against his former school. That goal came with 2:53 left in the period, with an assist from Henry Armell. The Broncos would remain in front for the rest of the period.
Under a minute and a half into the second frame, Armell dished the puck off to a wide-open Brody Miller, who fired a shot to the top-left corner for a 3-0 lead. Later in the period, Armell scored an unassisted goal to extend the lead to 4. The score would remain 4-0 heading into the second intermission, as the Broncos faced no real threats in the defensive zone.
In the final stanza, a pair of Hampden penalties gave Presque Isle a brief 5-on-3 power play, but they couldn’t cash in. Just 24 seconds after returning to even strength, the Broncos made the Wildcats pay once again. Miles Shields sent a shot on net after gaining the blue line, and it was enough to give his team a 5-0 lead. Colby Pangburn was given an assist with 5:09 to go in the game.
With under five minutes to go, Presque Isle got a goal back, but it wasn’t enough. Logan Caron received a pass from Gavin LeTourneau in front of the net, one-timing the puck for a goal. However, the Broncos quickly retook the five-goal advantage. Another former Wildcat, Reid Dugal, scored his first varsity goal with 3:03 remaining in the game. He picked up the puck off of a rebound, and fired the puck to the near side to give Hampden a 6-1 lead. The Broncos would hold on to clinch a spot in the regional semi-final.
The Wildcats’ season came to an end with a record of 7-12, marking the end of the road for their eight seniors. The Broncos improve their overall record to 12-6-1, and will advance to the Class B North semi-final at Colby College. That game will be on Friday, February 27th at 7:30 pm against the Cony co-op Rams.
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