When the final buzzer went off at the end of the game, the Brunswick Dragons girls hockey team (0-1) saw a score that left a lot to be desired as the Yarmouth/Freeport Clippers (1-0) went on to capture a 9-0 victory to kickoff the 2014 season.

“We had heard that Yarmouth/Freeport was very strong and they indeed were,” Dragons head coach AJ Kavanaugh said after the game. “They have some college-worthy players, I feel, especially (Michelle Robichaud) and (Jenny Holmquist). They were very strong out of the gate and our team definitely had the firstgame jitters.”

The first Clippers goal came with 9:58 remaining in the first period when sophomore Katie Clemmer swung around the back of the net, taking a loose puck and slipping it past Dragons goalie Jordan Van Savage for a 1-0 advantage.

Both Holmquist and Robichaud combined for five of the Clippers’ nine goals, including Robichaud’s first goal that came just two minutes later when she received a pass just in front of the blue line. After a few strides toward the boards, she laced a shot through three Brunswick defenders and into the leftcorner pocket to put Yarmouth/Freeport up 2-0.

It appeared as if the Clippers were putting on an offensive clinic for those who were in attendance, but Van Savage’s performance in net kept the game from getting more out of hand. She stopped 30 of the 39 shots she faced.

“Jordan was unbelievable between the pipes for us,” Kavanaugh said of his goaltender. “It could have been a lot worse and if I had a first star it would have been her. The rest of the team, after the overwhelming first period, really picked things up. We worked on things and it’s going to be a progression, but I was happy with it and how they responded. They didn’t quit and I was very happy with their effort.”

Brunswick was only able to manage a few shots on net, including its first quality shot from Tessa Cassidy with 5:58 remaining in the first period when she maneuvered the puck up ice, placing a shot right into the chest of Clippers goalie and Freeport High School athlete Hannah Williams (five saves).

After a four-goal first period and a four-goal second period for Yarmouth/Freeport, the Dragon limited the Clippers’ offensive chances in the third.

After a 10-minute intermission to clean the ice, the Dragons looked to improve upon the struggles that had piled up throughout the game. With 9:02 remaining, Dragons defenseman Maddie Wilkes settled the puck deep in the defensive zone and skated her way up ice. After a few quick moves around the Clippers D-line, Wilkes laced a shot just wide-left of the net, nearly missing the first goal of the game for the black and orange.

“It’s nice to have that intermission, we don’t get two of them in girls hockey, we only get one,” Kavanaugh said. “But it settled them down and we focused on the fundamental stuff that we talked about earlier, and we refocused and had a much better third period.”

With one game in the books for the Dragons, Kavanaugh says improving in the offensive zone will be key moving forward.

“The next step will be working on offense, to shoot the puck and have the chance to compete with these high-scoring teams, ” he said. “We’ll have to work on our forecheck a little bit and hopefully create more scoring opportunities.”

The Dragons’ next game will take place on Friday at Bowdoin College’s Sidney J. Watson Arena at 6:30 p.m. against 1-0 Lewiston.

Yarmouth/Freeport 9,
Brunswick 0

At Travis Roy Arena in Yarmouth
Brunswick— 000—0
Yarmouth/Freeport— 441—9
First period —1, Y/F, Katie Clemmer, 5:02. 2, Y/F,
Michelle Robichaud (Emily Johnson), 6:59. 3, Y/F,
Katie Clemmer (Colleen Sullivan), 11:45. 4, Y/F, Jenny
Holmquist, 14:56. Penalties — None.
Second period — 5, Y/F, Michelle Robichaud (Emily
Johnson), 5:56. 6, Y/F, Michelle Robichaud (Katie
Brown, Emily Johnson), 9:52. 7, Y/F, Sarah Cartmel
(Keeley Arnold), 11:24. 8, Y/F, Jenny Holmquist (Sydney St. Pierre), 12:12. Penalties — Kristine Lajoie,
Brun (tripping), 3:48.
Third period — 9, Y/F, Emily Johnson (Katie Brown),
ppg, 9:50. Penalties — Victoria Stevens, Brun (interference), 8:44.
Shots — Y/F 17-17-5—39. Brun 2-1-2—5.
Power play opportunities — Y/F 1-for-2; Brunswick
0-for-0.
Saves — (B) Jordan Van Savage, 30; (Y/F) Hannah
Williams, 5.
Records — Yarmouth/Freeport 1-0; Brunswick 0-1.
Up next for Brunswick — Home against Lewiston on
Friday, 6:30 p.m.