LEWISTON — For the second straight playoff game, top-seeded Cheverus/Kennebunk/Old Orchard Beach found itself in overtime Thursday night.
And the Stags were grateful.
To reach overtime, Cheverus had to overcome a two-goal deficit, then kill off part of a major penalty.
In overtime, Sarah Noyes intercepted a pass in the right circle and fired in the winner at 2:53, giving Cheverus a 3-2 win over second-seeded Scarborough at the Colisee in the South girls’ hockey final.
Cheverus (17-2-1) advanced to the state championship game at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Colisee against Lewiston, which beat St. Dominic in the North final.
Scarborough (14-5-1), which failed to score in two close losses to the Stags in the regular season, took a 2-0 lead after two periods.
“We’re in the locker room. No one was panicking,” said Abby Lamontagne of Cheverus. “We said what we needed to say. We stayed calm. We knew we needed to start with one goal.”
Cheverus began the third period with 1:11 left on a power play. The Stags needed only 23 seconds before Lamontagne scored from the slot, with sisters Sophia and Lucia Pompeo assisting.
“Executed beautifully,” Coach Scott Rousseau said.
Scarborough was soon back in the penalty box and Zoe Mazur’s slap shot at 1:57 made it 2-2.
“We know going into the third period that we couldn’t let up but … penalties,” Scarborough Coach Caitlin Jordan said. “It came down to power plays and penalty kills. That’s what got us.”
Cheverus was whistled for a five-minute hitting-from-behind major with 1:58 left in regulation. The Stags held on and prepared for another overtime after beating Cape Elizabeth in double-overtime in the semifinals.
“I know the record’s the same but we have not dominated like we did last year,” Rousseau said. “We’ve had a lot of hard, close games. In the long run we’re more battle-tested.”
Scarborough still had three minutes left on the power play in overtime, but Lamontagne was a short-handed threat with her ability to create rushes. She drew a hooking penalty at 2:24.
With the teams skating four-on-four, the Stags pressured. Scarborough tried to clear the puck but Noyes got it and fired.
“I just got in between that pass, bobbled it a little bit, then shot it as hard as I possibly could,” said Noyes.
In the Red Storm locker room, Jordan spoke to her teary-eyed players.
“They can hold their heads high because they played incredibly,” Jordan said.
Atop the list was freshman goalie Ariella Swett, who kept Scarborough in it with 27 saves.
The Red Storm took a 1-0 lead at 5:34 of the second period. Evelyn Boardman raced around the net. Her shot was blocked but Calynn Gendreau was there for the rebound.
The Red Storm made it 2-0 at 11:25. On a power play, Maya Sellinger fired in a shot that Ashlyn Libby redirected.
“They’re an amazing team,” Rousseau said. “The law of averages said they’re going to score against us. We’re down 2-0 and had to figure it out.”
While the Stags were looking for offense, they got their usual defensive effort from Mazur, Noyes and third defenseman Abby Enck. Goalie Trinity Atwater made 14 saves.
The Stags are in the final for the third time. They won in 2010 and lost to Greely last year.
Cheverus played both Lewison and St. Dominic twice this season, losing twice to Lewiston and going 1-0-1 against the Saints.