PORTLAND – Greely tuned up for the Western Class B boys’ hockey tournament by skating to a 4-2 victory against Cape Elizabeth at the Portland Ice Arena on Thursday night.

The top-seeded Rangers will play the winner of Tuesday night’s Yarmouth-Camden Hills quarterfinal, and the game against Cape was a good way to prepare for it.

“It definitely had a playoff-type feeling, a good crowd,” Greely Coach Barry Mothes said.

The Rangers (12-4-2) took a 2-0 lead when Zac Doucette and Ted Hart scored about a minute apart late in the first period.

With 1:15 left, Doucette put in a rising blast from the left point. With 14.8 seconds left, Hart put in a quick shot from the slot.

Kirby Saari, who had 38 saves for Cape (9-6-3), twice made glove saves while lying on his back in the crease.

The Rangers, who skated to a 4-0 win over the Capers in Falmouth less than two weeks ago, appeared on the verge of turning the game into a rout when Kenny Richards put in a right-shot from the top of the slot, but the Capers came to life.

“We had the 3-0 lead and I thought we were going to keep building from there, but I guess I should know better,” Mothes said. “This is hockey.”

Three minutes after Richards’ goal, Jack Drinan picked up the long rebound of a wide shot and rifled in a shot from the middle of the left circle to make it 3-1.

With less than four minutes left in the second period, Cape closed to 3-2 when Nick Breed stuck a rebound inside the right post after freshman goalie Kyle Kramlich stopped a close-in shot from Matt Ross from going into the left side of the goal.

“Greely is a fast-starting team and we’re trying to do that, too,” Cape Elizabeth Coach Bill LeBlond said, “but we told the kids we definitely could come back on them.”

Mitchel Donovan completed the scoring by sending a shot from the neutral zone into an empty net with seven seconds left in the game.

Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:

pbetit@pressherald.com

Twitter: PaulBetitPPH