Camden Hills holds off Hampden Academy for B North hockey title

ORONO, Maine — The Camden Hills High School Windjammers received four goals and an assist from senior left wing Owen McManus and a game-winning goal with 6:45 left from sophomore left wing Bridger Witbeck to edge Hampden Academy in a thrilling Class B North championship game at Alfond Arena Tuesday night.

It is Camden Hills’ second B North title in three years, and both wins came over Hampden Academy.

It will play the Cheverus-Leavitt winner in Saturday’s state final at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland..

The Windjammers had leads of 4-1 and 5-3, but the Broncos rallied to tie it 5-5 on goals 33 seconds apart in the third period by senior right wing Keith Brooks and senior left wing Matthew Shayne.

It was Shayne’s third of the night.

Just 2:26 after Shayne had scored the equalizer, the Broncos had a sustained forecheck only to have the Windjammers bank a clearing pass off the boards.

Witbeck and McManus were behind the Bronco defense but the puck was a little ahead of Witbeck.

Witbeck tracked it down just before it reached the extended goal line and fired it across toward McManus but the puck hit goalie Aiden Surran and trickled over the goal line.

Camden Hills sophomore goalie Quinn Hoppin preserved the win with 12 seconds left when he extended his left pad to rob Brooks from short-range.

McManus scored a pair of goals in each of the first two periods and set up sophomore center Blake Christie’s goal as the Windjammer took a 5-3 lead after two periods.

Shayne notched a goal in each period and Leland scored midway through the second period to create the 5-3 scoreline.

McManus opened the scoring just 31 seconds into the game when he was parked just outside the crease to the left of Surran and neatly tucked a backhander over Surran’s glove off the rebound of an Emmet Marshall from the right point.

Hampden Academy carried the play for the next 10 minutes and got a deserved equalizer when Keith Brooks shot from the top of the right faceoff circle off a Lucas Dunn pass, hit a stick and rolled across to the far post where Shayne was waiting to swipe it into an empty net.

Most of the play was spent in the Camden Hills zone but the Windjammers scored a pair of late goals during a flurry at the end of the period to take a 3-1 lead.

 McManus made a nifty pass to Christie, who had gotten behind the defense and skated across the crease before tucking the puck inside the post.

McManus made it 3-1 when he skated down the left wing and roofed a short wrist shot into the short side corner.

He made it 4-1 in the second period with a one-timer from the low slot off a feed from behind the net by Christie.

Shayne got one back when he fired home a deflected shot off the stick of Brooks.

McManus made it 5-2 with his 37th goal of the season, a terrific shorthanded effort as he broke down the wing, made a move and snapped a quick shot home.

Tucker Leland closed out the second period with a wrist shot from the high slot.

Brooks cut the lead to 5-4 by one-timing a cross-ice pass to Colin McKay on the power play and Shayne tied it seconds later with a wrist shot from the low slot.

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