BIDDEFORD — The No. 2 seed Thornton Academy hockey team swept the ghosts out of the Biddeford Ice Arena, Tuesday, wth a strong 7-0 thumping of No. 7 seed Deering, in a Western Maine Class A quarterfinal clash.

Jon Pate and Alex Howard each scored twice, and Rick Hebb turned away 19 Rams’ shots, to lift Thornton to a semifinal date with No. 3 Falmouth.

That tilt will be played Saturday night (time TBA) at the Androscogging Bank Colisee in Lewiston, and will be Thornton’s first-ever Class A semifinal appearance.

One could say it’s been a long time in coming, especially after the Trojans’ unceremonial first round playoff exits at the hands of much lower seeds the past two years.

Still sticking in the collective craw was their ousting in quadruple overtime by No. 10 seed Kennebunk.

“Last year was a pretty bad feeling,” said Hebb. “So we thought we’d come out and change that this year.”

It took the Trojans just 45 seconds to make good on their intentions, when Pate scored on the first shot of the game. Unloading from the right circle, Pate, who racked up five points for

the night (2g, 3a), threw in a shot over the shoulder of Deering goalie Connor Igo.

Howard and Brett Levasseur both followed with goals to give the Trojans a 3-0 lead before the period ran out.

“(Last year) was an experience we certainly didn’t want to repeat this

year,” said Shawn Rousseau, Thornton’s second year coach. “So we came in with a lot of intensity. We knew that we couldn’t take our foot off the pedal. We wanted to drive hard, and I think we did.”

There was no let up in the second period.

The Trojans scored three more times, making it 6-0. Hebb, who had long stretches between shots to handle, found ways to keep himself alert.

“It’s gets a little hard,” said Hebb, who recorded his third straight shutout, and hasn’t allowed a goal in his last 148:37 of work. “You’ve got to skate the boards and come back. Prepare yourself for each play

because that one shot could amount to anything. So you’ve got to be ready.”

The issue had long been settled when Pate capped the scoring with his second goal of the game, at 2:05 of the third, while the Trojans enjoyed a 5-on-3 man advantage.

By that time, the spectres had beaten a hasty retreat.

“I think it goes beyond last year,” said Rousseau. “I think our kids were playing as much for (those who came before) as for (themselves).

“I think we have a club that could really do something, and it was important to exorcise those ghosts for sure.”

— Contact Staff Writer Dan Hickling at dhickling@journaltribune.com.