BIDDEFORD – With a double-fist pump and a yell, the Bangor boys’ hockey team shook off two periods of uninspired play and earned a 3-1 win over Biddeford on Saturday at Biddeford Ice Arena.

The Rams (6-1) were downright lethargic in the first two periods as they took just 11 shots. But they had 11 shots in the first 10 minutes of the third period to charge past Biddeford (3-4-1).

“In the beginning, we weren’t really in it,” Bangor’s Parker Sanderson said. “It was bus legs.”

Sanderson better not use that excuse around his coach, Dennis Collins, who wasn’t blaming the 150-mile trip for anything.

“I’m a no-excuses guy,” Collins said. “I joked yesterday when my son’s team lost after a 10-minute ride to the rink that it was bus legs.

“We just wanted it more in the third period. We felt like Biddeford was a beatable team and didn’t want to let it slide.”

Bangor goalie Chris Howatt stopped 29 shots and kept things close until his teammates got their act together. Biddeford’s Alex Ruck beat Howatt with 5:34 remaining in the first period, but Howatt allowed nothing else.

Early in the third period, he finally got a little help.

Bangor’s Connor Griffin led a three-on-two rush and put a shot on Biddeford goalie Jon Fields, who made 21 saves. Carl Farnham picked up the rebound and flipped it over the sprawled goalie to tie the game 49 seconds into the third period.

Five minutes later, Cam Dickson slid a pretty cross-ice pass to Sanderson, who blasted a shot into the left side of the net. Sanderson pumped both fists and shouted to his teammates, but he wasn’t taking all the glory for the goal.

“Make sure Cam gets all the credit for that,” Sanderson said. “He made it happen.”

Sanderson made his own luck on the insurance goal. He picked off a sloppy Biddeford pass, drove through the neutral zone in front of the benches and shot into an empty net from the blue line with 35.1 seconds left.