Monsey, NY - The Central Maine Community College hockey team wrapped up their ACHA schedule with a thrilling 3-2 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas College at Sport-O-Rama Ice Rinks on Saturday evening in the first-ever meeting between the two clubs. A pair of goals from Cam Bourassa set the the stage for a third period winner from Sam Alexander as the Mustangs concluded their ACHA schedule at 6-10-1.
Central Maine looked hungry to respond to an 8-3 demolishing at the hands of Columbia University a night prior, with the Mustangs peppering Spartans goalkeeper Carl Lorenz in the opening 20 minutes before Bourassa broke the scoreless deadlock at the 9:48 mark. Bourassa, who had also netted for the Mustangs in the Columbia defeat, took a Zac Brown feed and darted down the left wing, firing a perfectly placed wrist shot over Lorenz's shoulder for his 3rd goal of the year. Dylan Demers added his second assist in as many nights on the play.
"It was a perfect start as far as I'm concerned," said Mustangs head coach Matt Buotte. "We knew we had to respond to the Columbia loss. We came out hard and really established how we wanted to play early."
The Spartans would waste no time leveling the score as the second period began, albeit with some controversy. With River Yearwood serving a carryover tripping minor, Doug Harrison would poked in a Shawn Benson dump-in that bounced awkwardly off the end boards into the slot, catching Central Maine goalkeeper Jacob Strout out of position. The whistled appeared to have blown previously to the puck going in but the goal would eventually stand.
"It was a weird play," said Buotte of the tying goal. "It was tough to see exactly what happened. I was just proud that we dug back in and kept going without letting it detract from the task at hand."
Just over five minutes later the visitors found themselves back on top, with Bourassa again providing the spark. After a grinding shift with new linemates Brown and Sean Coleman, who would both notch assists on the goal, Bourassa would poke a loose puck past Lorenz with 14:02 remaining for his third goal of the weekend.
"It was Cam's trip," said Buotte of Bourassa, who joined the club midway through the first semester. "We shook the lines up a bit hoping to generate a little more and I think playing with Zac and Sean really suits Cam's game. It was nice to see him on the scoresheet."
St. Thomas Aquinas, who entered the game in 15th in the ACHA's Atlantic Region and 7-3-0 in ACHA play, would not go quietly. After Central Maine failed to convert on sustained zone time on a 4-on-3 power play the Spartans would draw level, with Drew Lorenz tapping in a perfect backdoor feed from Luke Broderick out of the right corner, leaving Strout helpless. Carter Thomas also received an assist on the play.
From there, the Mustangs would turn the tides and establish their forecheck early in the third period as they desperately searched for a go ahead goal. The breakthrough would come just 4:47 into the third, with Alexander collecting a loose puck and firing it through Lorenz to give Central Maine a 3-2 edge with his 3rd goal since joining the team at the start of the semester. Austin Taylor picked up his 11th assist of the season on the play, making him one of only two Mustangs to crack the 20 point mark on the season.
The teams would trade chances throughout the third but Central Maine would put the clamps down defensively, lead by a brilliant 34 save performance from Strout.
"I don't think I'm exaggerating by saying that might have been the best game of Jacob's career," said Buotte. "He was excellent all night. He slowed the game down when we needed him to and he made some huge, timely saves. He has been a lot of fun to watch this year and this may have been his best yet."
St. Thomas Aquinas would call a timeout with just over a minute remaining but were unable to generate any sustained pressure in the final minutes, with several Mustangs making key blocks to wind the clock down. Isaiah Dubois powered a faceoff to the corner with just over six seconds to play, running out the clock on a complete Central Maine performance.
Central Maine outshot the Spartans 40-36 in the victory, going 0-for-5 on the power play. St. Thomas Aquinas went 1-for-3 with the man advantage. Central Maine will now play a handful of exciting non-league contests to wind down their second semester, with the next scheduled contest coming next Monday, February 17th, when they take on Bridgton Academy.
"What a response," said Buotte of his team's performance. "It capped off a great trip. It was a great experience for our guys to get down to the New York City Area and see some new opponents. It was a great weekend and I'm glad to we could bring a big win back to Maine and repay the school for the opportunity. Now we have a few more games left to try to grab a few more wins and end a great season on a high."
