Special teams in ice hockey often mean the difference between a win or a loss.

So, when the Mt. Ararat/Lisbon hockey team was whistled for eight penalties, the Eagles were playing with fire against rival Brunswick in an Eastern A high school contest at Sidney J. Watson Arena on Thursday.

The Dragons burned the Eagles, scoring all three of their goals on the power play in a 3-2 victory.

Brunswick extended its unbeaten streak to three games ( 2- 0- 1), while Mt. Ararat/ Lisbon dropped its third straight contest to fall to 1-3. The Dragons are slated to play at Kents Hill in Readfield on Monday against Maranacook/ Hall-Dale/Winthrop at 8 p.m., while Mt. Ararat/Lisbon returns to action on Monday at home against Edward Little at 5:15 p.m.

“I thought a lot of emotions came out, and we told them not to take penalties but they’re kids and that happens, and unfortunately that did kill us today,” said Mt. Ararat/ Lisbon coach Mike Bishop. “ Brunswick has a good team, with some real good defensemen who move the puck well.”

The Dragons scored their third power play goal just 14 seconds into the third period when Matt Brooks picked up a loose puck and stuffed it under the pads of Mt. Ararat/ Lisbon goaltender Zach O’Connor for a 3-1 lead.

“It’s always a tough game with Mt. Ararat, and it was especially important to convert our chances on the power play,” said Brooks, who picked up two assists in the first period for a three-point game. “Coach wanted us to go out and put it away, and that turned out to be a big goal, being up by two.”

Strong first

Brunswick was the aggressor in the first period, holding a 13- 4 shot advantage and leading 2-0.

Tyler Niven’s slap shot slipped through traffic in front of O’Connor at 10:42 for the first goal, and, while on a 5-on-3 power play, Blake Bodwell’s one- timer off a pass from Brooks gave the Dragons a two-goal edge.

“We’ve been getting some shots on the power play and have shown a little more composure behind a more aggressive style,” said Brunswick coach Mike Routhier. “The kids are buying into the rotations and they are working hard.”

Mt. Ararat/Lisbon battled back in the second period. Jeremy Williams nearly scored after stick-handling around two Brunswick defenders, but Dragon netminder Jason Blier made one of his 18 saves to keep his team up by two.

However, Williams finished his second opportunity. Ian Pinette stepped out of the penalty box and fed Williams, who shoveled the puck over Blier’s shoulder to get his team to 2-1.

“ We left our first period momentum in the locker room for the second period,” said Routhier.

Down 3-1 after Brooks’ goal, the Eagles began taking chances. With Brunswick defensemen Bodwell and Niven in the penalty box, Mt. Ararat/Lisbon took advantage off a turnover. Williams stole the puck and fed Eric Stuckey on a 2-on-1 break to get the Eagles to 3-2 with 5:01 remaining in regulation.

Mt. Ararat/Lisbon held an 11-10 shot advantage in the third period after firing just nine shots in the first 30 minutes. The Eagles pulled O’Connor for an extra skater with 25 seconds remaining, but the Brunswick defense cleared the puck to preserve the win.

“We’ve been a good third period team all year, and seem to come out better. In the first, from the goaltender out, we just don’t seem ready at times,” said Bishop. “Maybe it was desperation, being down 3-1. We just keep coming out on the short end in these close games.”

O’Connor had 28 saves for the Eagles, while Dylan Towle picked up two assists for Brunswick.

Brunswick 3,
Mt. Ararat/Lisbon 2

At Sidney J. Watson Arena
Eagles— 011—2
Dragons—201—3
First period — 1. (B) Tyler Niven (Dylan
Towle, Matt Brooks), pp, 10:42; 2. (B)
Blake Bodwell (Matt Brooks, Dylan Towle),
pp, 13:29.
Second period — 3. ( MA) Jeremy
Williams (Ian Pinette), 11:51.
Third period — 4. (B) Matt Brooks, pp,
: 14; 5. ( MA) Eric Stuckey ( Jeremy
Williams), pp, 9:59.
Shots on goal — (MA) 4-5-11 — 20; (B)
13-8-10 — 31.
Saves — (MA) Zach O’Connor 28; (B)
Jason Blier 18.
Power play — Mt. Ararat/Lisbon 1-5;
Brunswick 3-8.
Records — Brunswick 2-2-1, Mt. Ararat
1-3.
Next — The Eagles host Edward Little
Monday at 5:15 p.m., while the Dragons
face Maranacook/Hall-Dale/Winthrop on
Monday at 8 p.m. at Kents Hill in Readfield.