Trail Blazers’ hockey turns up defense to tie Knighthawks in OT

Trail Blazers' senior Cole Washburn of Windham High School
is first to the puck at the University of Southern Maine in 
Gorham during an ice hockey game against Marshwood/
Traip/Sanford/Noble on Saturday, Jan. 22.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

By Matt Pascarella

In February 2020, the Windham/Westbrook/Bonny Eagle Trail Blazers faced off against the Marshwood/Noble/Sanford/Traip Knighthawks with the game going scoreless for two periods and ended up with a 1-0 win for the Knighthawks. Flash forward two years and the same two teams faced each other again in yet another hard-fought contest at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham on Jan. 22.

This game was almost identical except for the final result, which ended in a 1-1 tie after three periods and an overtime.

Trail Blazers’ defense, coupled with the quick hands of junior Bonny Eagle goalie Porter Krause who helped keep the Knighthawks scoreless for two periods.

Trail Blazers senior Aiden Hartwell of Windham scored with the clock winding down in the third period.

The Knighthawks answered to tie up the game. After a defensive overtime period where the Trail Blazers worked hard to get the win, this one ended in a tie.

According to Krause, going into overtime, he wanted to hold down the net. If he could keep the Knighthawks from scoring, the Trail Blazers had an advantage. Although the result wasn’t what Krause may have wanted, he said he played like he wanted to in overtime.

The Trail Blazers intensity really picked up in the second period. They passed the puck and pressured the Knighthawks right in front of the net, with several substantial shots at goal early on in the second period. The Trail Blazers kept shots coming at the Knighthawks’ goalie.

Hartwell fired the puck between the posts in the third period. A short time later the Knighthawks answered to send the game into overtime.

Hartwell said their defense was solid and their goalie played phenomenal in overtime. They got pucks out and did what they were supposed to do, holding the Knighthawks back.

Trail Blazers Windham senior Cole Washburn said positivity on the bench was part of what helped hold off the Knighthawks in overtime.

“Marshwood always plays hard, and we struggle to match that,” said Trail Blazers coach Bobby Fothergill. “As the game went on, I thought we matched Knighthawks’ physicality and their intensity a little more. [The Trail Blazers] are a young team; we’re learning and growing. We’re trying to build a program that’s going to be competitive in the next few years.”

Fothergill said the seniors really wanted this game and power play possession was really good. The Trail Blazers got the puck to the middle and got good chances. He added they competed for 53 minutes and did not want to lose this one. Fothergill was proud of how they played. <