BANGOR, Maine — Hampden Academy showcased why it is ranked second in Class B North when the Broncos took to the ice March 3 against No. 10 Presque Isle in a quarterfinal.
Hampden Academy (15-3 overall) skated to a 6-2 victory over the Wildcats to advance to the semifinals. Presque Isle ends its season with a 4-14 record.
With this victory, Hampden Academy goes on to play No. 3 Old Town in the Class B North semifinals on Saturday, March 5.
In Wednesday’s quarterfinal, the first period saw both teams keep a solid balance between offense and defense, but Hampden Academy pulled ahead at 13:19 with a goal from Morgan Tash, with an assist by Lucas Dunn.
Presque Isle was able to prevent any further goals from being scored in the first, but could not put any points on the board. That lone goal gave the Broncos the momentum that would eventually spell the end for the Wildcats.
In the second period, the Broncos took control of the ice. HA scored less than three minutes into the period with a goal from Khaleb Hale at 2:40 with an assist from Maxwell Flemming. For the next 10 minutes, both teams held their ground, but the Broncos pulled further ahead again at 13:25 with a goal from Lucas Dunn assisted by Cameron Henderson.
Just 40 seconds later, Hampden scored again with a second goal by Hale at 14:05, once again assisted by Henderson. Presque Isle couldn’t quite break through Hampdens defenses, ending the period trailing the Broncos, 4-0.
The final period started with another quick goal for Hampden by Tash at 1:31. The Broncos held strong, but the Wildcats eventually saw their chance and took it, with Isaac Staples scoring for PI at 12:15 with an assist from Ethan Carlisle.
The Broncos retaliated, scoring their final goal of the game at 13:12, again by Tash. The Wildcats were able to score the final goal of the game at 14:00 by Caleb Levesque assisted by Jonah Roy.
“I thought the first part of the game was very competitive and close until they scored with about a minute left in the period,” said Presque Isle Hockey Coach Carl Flynn. “In the third period it was a two -two game and we actually outshot them. However they dominated the second period. In a six minute span they scored four goals and pretty much put us away. That was the story of our season, not being able to play a straight 45 minute game without having some downtime and allowing the other team to score several goals. The kids gave their best effort last night and that’s all I can ask of them.”
