The Houlton-Hodgdon Black Hawks picked up two wins over the weekend, as they defeated Lawrence 3-1 on Saturday and overpowered Old Town Monday 7-0.
The game Saturday saw the locals come out determined to turn their season around and make a push for the playoffs. Senior Brandon Ward gave the Black Hawks a 1-0 lead in the first period scoring at the 2:11 mark, with assists going to Brandon Malone and Cam Clark.
The Black Hawks took advantage of an undermanned Bulldog team and skated hard throughout the game wearing down their opponents. Ward struck for two more goals, including an empty netter, with 12 seconds left to seal the victory and pick up his second hat trick of the season. Assists on the second goal went to Malone and Lucas Grant and the clincher was set up by a clearing pass by Cole McLaughlin.
Net minder Payton Porter was strong in the net facing 24 shots and making several grade A saves. The Black Hawks were rewarded for their hard work with 37 shots on the beleaguered Lawrence goallie.
The Black Hawks came out just two days later against Old Town determined to build on Saturday’s game. After and even start the locals struck for three goals in the last 4:34 of the first period. Clark was set up with a beautiful feed from Malone to pot the first Black Hawk goal. Twenty-eight seconds later, Grant gave the locals a 2-0 lead with an unassisted goal. Malone finished the first period scoring assisted by Jimmy Fitzpatrick.
The second period saw Houlton-Hodgdon score three more goals as Ward picked up two with assists going to Grant and Fitzpatrick. McLaughlin netted his first of the year to round out the second period scoring and give the Black Hawks a 6-0 lead after two periods of play. The assist went to Fitzpatrick.
In the third, the locals skated four lines and three sets of defensemen. They played solid defense in front of Porter to give him his first varsity shutout. Fitzpatrick scored on a blistering slap shot to round out a three-point game for him. Porter faced 31 shots to gain the shutout and the Black Hawks put 34 shots on the Coyote net minder.
“The games over the weekend saw the team build on their solid effort last week in Presque Isle,” explained coach Joel Trickey. “The kids seem to have gained the confidence and energy that is needed to win at this level and this bodes well for the rest of the season.
“We are still well within striking distance of the playoffs and have been playing somewhat shorthanded over the past month. With everyone back on the ice this coming week the team is looking forward to a winning second half that will take us into the postseason. With the balance in the league this season it’s going to be a dogfight to see who ends up as Eastern Maine champs and we feel that if we play hard and play with passion, the kids have as good a chance as anyone to go deep into the playoffs.”
The Black Hawks dropped two more games with a 5-4 overtime loss to Presque Isle on Jan. 15 at the Forum in Presque Isle, and a 6-2 loss to Winslow at Sukee Arena on Jan. 12.
In the Winslow game, the Black Hawks struck first as Alex Donovan picked up a loose puck and deposited it behind the Black Raider netminder at the 10:42 mark of the first period. Winslow evened the score just over a minute later.
The second period saw the Black Raiders take a 3-1 lead in the first five minutes of play before the Black Hawks pulled within one on a tally by Ward, with assists going to Malone and Alaina Stewart.
The third period was all Winslow as they scored three more goals for the final score 6-2.
The Black Hawks’ goalie Porter had 29 saves, while the Black Hawks put 28 shots on the Winslow net minder.
“The game against Winslow saw the team lose their focus in the third and take some undisciplined penalties that cost us our chance at getting back into the game,” explained Trickey.
The game in Presque Isle was the Black Hawks’ best effort of the season, said Trickey, as they once again found themselves tied after one period 1-1. Grant scored the first of his two goals on the night with a one-timer from the slot, with assists going to Alex Casillas and McLaughlin.
The second period saw the Wildcats take a 2-1 lead into the locker room setting up one of the most exciting periods of the season. The Black Hawks tied the game at the 4:47 mark on Grant’s second goal of the game, assisted by Clark.
Presque Isle went ahead just seconds later, but the Black Hawks once again tied the score on Casillas’ first goal of the season just a minute-and-a-half later, with the assists on the goal to Grant and Ward. Houlton-Hodgdon took the lead at the 10:03 mark with a Malone marker assisted by Ward. The Wildcats tied the score, 4-all. There were several scoring chances for both teams in the final five minutes.
The game went into overtime, lasting only 59 seconds as a screened Porter never had a look at the shot that ended the game. Porter finished with 26 saves and the Black Hawks put 24 shots on the Presque Isle net minder.
“We came out against Presque Isle with a focus and drive we’ve not seen yet this season,” said Trickey. “The kids turned up their intensity and the results showed in a well-played and hard-fought game. Unfortunately, we were not rewarded with a victory, but hopefully the new-found drive will result in a good run of games in the homestretch of the season.”
The Black Hawks have gotten off to a rough start going 1-4 in their first five games of the season.
After their opening loss to Orono on the road, the team dropped contests to John Bapst, Brewer and Messalonskee, while picking up a win against Old Town.
The second contest of the year saw the Black Hawks host John Bapst and come out on the short end of a 4-2 score. Bapst scored an empty net goal with the Black Hawks pressing to tie the game in the last minute. The Black Hawks tied the game early in the third period on a goal by Fitzpatrick, assisted by Ethan Nickerson. Ward had scored in the second period, assisted by Clark.
John Bapst scored with just 1:29 left in the game and added an empty netter, as the locals were trying to scored the tying goal with a six-man attack in the final minute.
The Black Hawks won their next contest as they traveled to Orono to take on Old Town. The Black Hawks scored 39 seconds into the game and never looked back. Fitzpatrick scored on an end-to-end rush to start the flurry and Malone scored twice and Ward added a goal in the opening salvo. Clark finished the first period scoring with his first Black Hawk goal. Assists in the period went to Fitz with two, Clark with two, Malone and Ward. The rest of the Black hawk scoring saw Ward adding three more tallies and DJ McGary potting his first of the year. Donovan picked up an assist and Clark finished with two more for a four-assist night.
The Black Hawks dropped two more games after that victory with a 4-1 loss to Brewer and a 6-1 loss to undefeated Messalonskee. Ward scored in the Brewer game, assisted by Malone; and Malone scored the Black Hawk goal against Messalonskee, assisted by Grant.
“We’ve had an extremely tough opening month schedule and it shows on our won-loss record,” said Trickey. “But the team has been competitive and we hope to turn our record around.”
