Zack Callahan posted a hat trick for Windham/Westbrook on Saturday night, Dec. 12, leading the new co-op team to a 9-1 victory over visiting Gray-New Gloucester/Poland/Oak Hill.

Windham/Westbrook head coach Greg Leclair described the turning point in the bout, which actually came fairly late: “The first five minutes of the third period was what decided the game. It gave us the breathing room, a chance to be OK. We’re not gripping the sticks so tight, not second-guessing our decisions, things like that.”

Windham/Westbrook jumps to 2-0 on the result; the team opened its schedule with a much closer victory, 2-0 over Lake Region/Fryeburg/Oxford Hills.

G-NG/Poland/Oak Hill – also known as the “26ers” – slip to 0-3 in 2015-16.

The score stood quite close through the first two periods of Saturday’s matchup. Though Windham/Westbrook controlled much of the action – they largely kept the puck in G-NG/Poland/Oak Hill’s end – the 26ers’ defense stood strong, and their netminder, Brandon Michaud, turned away the vast majority of a real barrage of shots.

Michaud, who isn’t the team’s regular goalie, repelled 30 of 32 Windham/Westbrook attempts in those first 30 minutes. Only Gage Chenard (assisted by Matt Kelley and Keegan Pock, at 4:20 into the opening period) and Callahan (assisted by Tyler Johnson and Derek Corbett at 8:09) managed to put the puck past Michaud, giving Windham/Westbrook just a 2-0 advantage going into the home stretch.

That’s when they ran away with the W, though. Kelley kicked off a battery of seven third-period tallies for Windham/Westbrook, assisted by Chenard and Pock at 1:24. Three and a half minutes later, Callahan added his second of the night, unassisted. He fed Tyler Johnson for 5-0 just two and a half minutes after that – and then the 26ers finally got on the board themselves.

“We had a quick stomach tonight,” said Leclair of his boys’ play through the first two periods. “We shot at his chest, we shot high; we didn’t give ourselves chances for second-chance shots. Third period, we figured that out. We started shooting at his feet, shooting low, and getting to the net front and banging in rebounds.”

Bailey Drouin from Deryk Belanger at 7:55 chipped G-NG/Poland/Oak Hill’s deficit to 5-1, but Windham/Westbrook had already built a head of steam, and careened through the remainder of the contest piling goals on goals. Pock from Kelley and Chenard made it 6-1 and Johnson from Logan Heckman made it 7-1; Callahan and Devin Sloan notched garbage-time goals 10 seconds apart in the last minute for the 9-1 net result.

“As we wore them down, and their legs started to get tired, that’s when we were finally able to capitalize,” said Leclair. “We were finally getting a little more space to operate, getting better looks, getting to the middle of the ice to get shots off. In the second period, I think we had 14 shots on goal, and 11 were from the outside, the perimeter. If you’re getting that one shot, and you’re not getting a second chance, it’s hard to score goals.”

Windham/Westbrook starting keeper Alex LeBlanc faced just seven shots, and gave up zero goals; his replacement in the third period, freshman backup Sean White relinquished the lone 26ers point. Michaud faced 40 shots total, and saved 31.

Leclair applauded Michaud’s work between the pipes. “That young man that played in net for them is a forward. He’s filling in tonight for them, and he did a fantastic job.”

Windham/Westbrook hosts Bonny Eagle/Massabesic/Old Orchard Beach (the “Mob”) on Saturday the 19th at 4:10 p.m. The 26ers also faced off next against the Mob, a home game on Wednesday the Wednesday the 16th, after Current Publishing’s print deadlines.

Windham’s Tyler Johnson dashes forward on the attack Saturday night.Alec Whalen slides past a 26ers opponent near center ice.Westbrooker Derek Corbett curls the 26ers’ net.26ers keeper Brandon Michaud turned away a huge volume of shots, including this one by Derek Corbett.G-NGer Brandon Pelton pushes up ice for the 26ers in their loss to Windham/Westbrook Saturday night.Westbrooker Jacob Coro rips a low shot against G-NG/Poland/Oak Hill on Saturday night.