Ice ’Cats lose in semifinals
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
Last Tuesday, the Presque Isle Wildcats did something they hadn’t done in eight seasons under coach Carl Flynn, and that was beat the Brewer Witches. The hockey team pulled off the feat on the biggest stage, the Eastern Maine Class B quarterfinals at Penobscot Ice Arena in Brewer, by winning in overtime, 7-6.
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
PRESQUE ISLE DEFENSEMAN Colin McKay rushes the net and gets a shot off against John Bapst goalie Jaron Leonard during Saturday’s game in Winslow. The Crusaders won, 5-1. 
The Wildcats, who concluded the regular season at 8-9-1, came in as the sixth seed in the playoffs. They had played a pair of close games against the Witches, 12-6 and ranked third, during the regular season. The scores were 3-1 at Brewer Dec. 22 and 5-4 at Presque Isle Feb. 2.
In the post-season matchup, the ’Cats bolted to a 3-0 lead and held a 4-1 advantage after the first period. Adam Flynn opened the scoring 4:02 into the game off assists by Tyler Seeley and Alex Michaud, and then Michaud scored two times in a 4:13 span later in the period. The first was assisted by Colin McKay and Flynn and the second by Flynn and Seeley.
Brewer got on the board with with 1:41 to play in the first, but PI answered quickly as Seeley converted a Michaud assist with 58 seconds to go.
“Brewer had beaten us in the third period the previous two games, so we wanted to jump out to a big lead,” said coach Flynn. “As expected, they did surge back.”
The Witches scored three times in the second and twice in the third, with PI tallying a single goal in the second by McKay, with assists to Ryder Soucy and Michaud, and one in the third by Andrew Michaud, with Joseph Patenaude and Seeley assisting. The two teams finished regulation tied at six.
In OT, PI got the puck into their defensive zone immediately and Seeley made a pass from behind the net to Alex Michaud, whose slap shot went through the Brewer goalie’s five-hole to end the game 46 seconds in.
“We decided not to play conservative [in overtime] but rather go for it,” Flynn said.
“The win wasn’t just for this year’s team, but for all the PI teams in the past that tried and were unsuccessful,” he added. “I received 42 text messages before I left the rink that night from former players and parents, saying just the same.”
The Wildcats held a 44-31 advantage in shots on goal in the game, with Jillian Flynn handling the goalie chores for PI.
On Saturday in the semifinals, PI’s season came to an end with a 5-1 loss to John Bapst at Sukee Arena in Winslow.
The Crusaders took the lead 4:26 into the first period as Jacob Fletcher gathered a rebound and tucked the puck past Jillian Flynn.
The score remained that way until late in the second period, but Bapst then scored three unanswered goals in a span of 1:41 to move out to the big lead. Fletcher, Nathaniel Reese and Hunter Pate all tallied. The first goal of the period came after Jillian Flynn had stopped eight shots or rebounds. PI took a penalty on the scoring play and the Crusaders went on to score two more quick ones and the Wildcats never recovered.
“They were too big and too fast,” said coach Flynn of John Bapst. “I was hoping they’d run out of gas later in the game, but they didn’t slow down in the second and kept the puck in our zone and my defense was exhausted.”
Jonathan Cheff scored a power-play goal midway through the third period to make it 5-0 before Presque Isle ended the shutout bid as Seeley scored off a rebound of an Adam Flynn shot with 2:42 to play.
Presque Isle was outshot, 34-21.
“Other than Jillian, I don’t think anyone else played up to par,” added the coach.
The Presque Isle Wildcats’ hockey team ended its regular season with a tie and a victory and finished sixth in the Eastern Maine Class B standings.
On Feb. 19, PI took on the Crusaders and despite falling behind 2-0 in the first period, came back to salvage a tie on the road.
Seeley scored a second-period goal off assists by Adam Flynn and Alex Michaud before Flynn scored the equalizer early in the third, with Seeley and Michaud getting the assists.
Jillian Flynn handled the goalie chores for the Wildcats and had 23 saves. PI owned a 33-25 shot advantage in the contest.
Presque Isle downed Old Town, 7-5, in the regular season finale played Feb. 21 at the Forum. McKay had a hat trick, while Adam Flynn, Scott Rhynold, Alex Michaud and Mikey Michaud had single goals for the winners.
Adam Flynn and Seeley had two assists each, with Rhynold, Alex Michaud and Andrew Michaud each picking up one.
Jillian Flynn and Oliver Gerrish split the goaltending duties. PI held a 38-21 advantage in the shots-on-goal department.
The PI squad rebounded from a 1-5 start by going 8-5-1 since the new year.
“We only had two seniors and we had two freshmen goalies,” Flynn said. “After our start, we didn’t think we were going to make the playoffs, let alone beat Brewer and make the semifinals, so overall, we exceeded our expectations.”
