Bonny Eagle/Massabesic/Old Orchard Beach standout Tanner McClure hashed a pair of goals to lead his team back from a 2-0 deficit against South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete on Monday night, Jan. 18. The Riots started strong, but left their momentum behind in the middle of the second, giving up three unanswered points and the W.

“They’ve been battling back, the last couple games,” said MOB head coach Loren Blair proudly. “Coming ready to play, playing strong.”

Blair, who used to coach alongside Riots maestro Joe Robinson, knew the two teams were in roughly the same place, coming into the bout:

“We’re pretty much at the same par; we’re young, building. He’s been with his program, I’m trying to build this program, develop these players. So I knew what he had; I’ve watched quite a few of his games this season. We were ready.”

The Riots opened the first with heavy offensive pressure, though MOBster Brandon Caron also earned a beautiful breakaway opportunity, a backhander at full-tilt he flipped just high of Riots netminder Joe Grant.

But Caron also gave the Riots the chance they needed to jump ahead, a chance they capitalized on. Caron earned himself a major penalty for boarding roughly four minutes into the action; 53 clock ticks later, the Riots’ Caleb Rowland fed to teammate Cam Gillies at the left MOB point and Gillies threaded a wrister through traffic to beat MOB goalie Kyle McKay. 1-0.

“Letting in a powerplay goal like that, being down five minutes in the first period for a major,” Blair said, “that was a struggle, just to get out of that hole right there.”

The Riots inched further ahead at the beginning of the second when Max Winson swiped the puck on a MOB defensive bobble in the neutral zone. Winson scooted into MOB territory and pulled the trigger on a successful low wrister that passed McKay on the right.

But apparently being down two-zip fired the MOB up, because they brought more heat after Winson’s notch. McClure clanged a shot off Grant’s post at 10:20, and 11 seconds later – out of the same scramble – Caron shoveled home the first MOB point, assisted by Jacob Picard and Dylan Tozier.

Blair was quick to praise Picard: “Jacob had an excellent game, probably his best game all season. He forechecked very well today.”

Riot Atticus Patrick pulled two minutes for holding at 9:36, giving the MOB their own powerplay with which to work. They needed little time to convert: McClure evened the tally at 2-2 on a highlight-reel wraparound at 8:43.

About 45 seconds later, Caron and McClure almost gave their squad the lead; that would have to wait a few minutes, however – until McClure, flying left between the Riots’ faceoff dots, whipped a crazed shot back right, beating Grant for 3-2.

3-2 is how the game would close, too. The Riots played more aggressively in the home stretch, and pulled Grant in the final minute, but just couldn’t get another puck behind McKay.

“My defense played smart, played tough tonight,” Blair said. “We had one of our upperclassmen [leave with a sprain], so he was out for the whole third period, and we only skated four D. They worked hard.”

Blair is happy with his boys’ progress.

“We’re headed in the right direction,” he said. “We’re young, still trying to incorporate some new things – every day, trying to do something different. There’s quite a wide variety of talent on our team.”

South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete slipped to 3-7-1 on the home loss. The Riots visit Camden Hills on Saturday the 23rd.

The visiting MOB, meanwhile, improved to 5-5. The team next travels to Noble/Wells; that bout is also scheduled for Saturday.

South Portland defender Mitch Adams muckles onto MOB attacker Tanner McClure as McClure circles round for a shot at Riots netminder Joe Grant.MOBster Wyatt Blanchette chases a loose puck in his team’s 3-2, come-from-behind victory over the Riots on Monday.The MOB’s Spencer Shields skirts a Riots defender on Monday.

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