Northern Maine Pioneers ● Home »
The boys hit the road last weekend for a pair of matchups in Woodstock and St. Stephen County, continuing a stretch of intense late-season play.
Saturday night in Woodstock brought another chapter in a heated rivalry with the Slammers. Both teams came out ready, and the energy was high from the opening puck drop. Midway through the first period, the Slammers struck first to take a 1–0 lead into the break.
The Pioneers responded with resilience in the second. After a hard-fought period of back-and-forth play, #23 Schaentzler found #3 Raskin, who made a smooth play behind the net and set up #27 Leverett for a clean finish. Leverett buried the chance, tying the game 1–1 heading into the second intermission.
That momentum carried into the third. With 12:02 remaining, #20 Strandberg connected with #9 Heron, who quickly moved the puck to #21 Fiore. Using his speed and skill, Fiore netted the go-ahead goal to give the Pioneers a 2–1 lead. The boys battled hard to hold it, but with just 1:58 left, the Slammers found the equalizer, sending the game to overtime tied 2–2.
Overtime showcased the Pioneers’ strength in 3-on-3 play, but neither side could find the winner, forcing a shootout.
#1 Murat Shiyanov stood tall in net, locking in for the high-pressure moments. #13 Ward led things off for the Pioneers, followed by a clutch stop from Shiyanov to keep it scoreless. #21 Fiore stepped up next and delivered, putting the Pioneers ahead 1–0 in the shootout. Shiyanov continued to dominate between the pipes, shutting down the Slammers’ chances.
With the game on the line, #27 Leverett took the final shot and delivered. Sliding the puck past the goalie, he sealed a 2–0 shootout win and a 3–2 victory for the Pioneers. Shiyanov was a force all night, stopping 38 of 40 shots.
On Sunday, the team traveled to St. Stephen County to face the Moose. The Moose came out strong, scoring once in the first period and adding three more in the second to take a 4–0 lead.
After a goalie change from #35 Kolari to #1 Shiyanov, the Pioneers regrouped and came out with renewed energy in the third. With 13:57 left, #24 Hughes found #13 Ward, who set up #10 McCarron for a well-earned goal. Despite the push, the Moose added two empty-net goals to secure a 6–1 win.
Kolari made 26 saves on 30 shots through the first and part of the second period, while Shiyanov stopped all 9 shots he faced in relief.
The Pioneers now look ahead to a busy week, facing the New England Wolves on Tuesday and Wednesday, before heading back to Woodstock on Friday and Saturday, and closing out the weekend in St. Stephen once again.