Auburn, ME – CMCC Men's Hockey defeated rival Thomas College, 5-3 Saturday night on home ice. The Mustangs finished off a season sweep of the Terriers in their final NECHA Colonial North game of season, finishing with a 6-2 record in the conference division and winning their eighth game in a row overall.
Thomas College may have already been eliminated from postseason play, but had the better start to the game, coming out strong and taking a 1-0 lead midway through the first period on a goal by D.J. Cagnina. Goaltender Matt D'Ortona made 14 saves in the opening 20 minutes to keep the Terriers on top.
It took until just past the midway point of the hockey game for CMCC to draw level. A pokecheck from captain Diego Alonso freed the puck up at center ice and Dylan Blue skated his way into the offensive zone, ripping a shot from the slot past D'Ortona's blocker. That made it 1-1 with 9:53 left in the second.
However, Caleb Micklon put the Terriers back in front less than a minute later. Hunter Coughlin ripped a shot from the point that missed the net. The active end boards at Norway Savings Banks Arena caromed the puck back out in front at the far post, and Micklon shot it over the sprawling pad of Central Maine goalie Sebastian Couturier.
The Mustangs then took the lead for good with three powerplay goals over a five-minute stretch before the second intermission. Colin Hines was called for two cross-checking minors during that time while interference by Micklon and a roughing call on Tyler Gay gave the hosts some momentum.
Michael Belleau scored back-to-back tallies starting with a game-tying goal at the 13:59 mark. Aaron Higgins' one-timer from the left circle was blocked leading to a scramble at the front of the net. Belleau got to the puck first and flipped it past the prone netminder to make it 2-2. It was the ninth goal of the year for the alternate captain and Lewiston, ME native, and his first in five games.
A stretch of five-on-three play gave Central Maine the lead. Couturier dropped the puck off for Heath McLean behind the net, and the defenseman gave Belleau a beautiful long pass to get a step behind the defense. The forward faked a pass across the slot before picking the corner short side with 2:24 left in the frame.
One minute later, Ethan Blue did go across the crease with a pass to pick out Colby Pawson. D'Ortona got a piece of the initial shot, but the Messalonskee High School product knocked it across the goal line on the second attempt for a 4-2 lead and his eighth of the year.
It was not all smooth sailing for CMCC. With 44 seconds left, and both teams having one player in the penalty box, Quinn Hawley showcased his speed by going coast-to-coast through all four Mustangs before sniping a shot over the glove to cut the deficit to one going into the final 20 minutes.
In the third period, chippy play continued between the two longtime ACHA rivals. Zach Jones was whistled for three penalties at once at 4:58, being called for shooting the puck after the whistle, but also receiving a five-minute major and a game misconduct for headbutting a Terriers player. Thomas could not find an equalizing goal despite a full two minutes of five-on-three time, as Couturier stopped all 13 shots he faced in the final frame.
Evan Knowlton put the game to bed with an empty-netter with 1:16 remaining. The other alternate captain from Lewiston scoring his 11th of the year for the 5-3 final scoreline.
Central Maine finished 3-for-7 on the Dirigo Technology power play. Couturier had 31 saves to pick up his 11th win of the campaign while D'Ortona had 50 saves in the loss. CMCC improves to 19-5 overall, adding to its new program record for wins in a single season.
Next up, the Mustangs take on UNH on Friday, February 7th. Puck drop against the Wildcats is scheduled for 7:40 pm.
