Scoreboard B6 Maine Hockey B7 SPORTS Friday, November 20, 2015 Page B5 bangordailynews.com Unbeaten MCI, Oak Hill battle for crown Class ‘D’ title game tonight at Alfond

BY ERNIE CLARK BDN STAFF

ORONO — The annual rotation of high school football state cham- pionship games for Classes B, C and D at the University of Maine is now in its third year. HIGH So far it’s been SCHOOL good for the FOOTBALL northern Maine representative, with Cony of Augusta outlasting Kennebunk in the 2013 Class B final and Winslow overpowering Leavitt of Turner Center in last year’s Class C title game. Now it’s Class D’s first turn to play its final game at Alfond Stadium, and GREG M. COOPER | USA TODAY North champion Maine Central In- left wing Jason Zucker (right) is defended by center Patrice Bergeron during the third period at TD Garden on stitute of Pittsfield is angling for a Thursday night. The Boston Bruins won 4-2. similar result when it faces two-time defending state champion Oak Hill of Wales in a rematch of the unbeatens at 7 p.m. Friday. “Any time we get a chance to Bruins’ defeat Minnesota 4-2 play at the university, we like the opportunity to play up there,” said MCI coach Tom Bertrand, whose team fell to Oak Hill 41-21 in last Right winger Eriksson records hat trick in win over Wild year’s meeting at Fitzpatrick Sta- dium in Portland. “It gives us not necessarily an advantage but an THE SPORTS XCHANGE at 2-2 on its current five-game Beleskey in the closing seconds. stopped center Mikko Koivu’s opportunity to showcase what we homestand and raised the Bruins’ He had to be helped off the ice, shot, but Zucker putting home the have in front of everyone. BOSTON — Right winger Loui home record to 3-6-1. dragging the leg behind him. rebound. “I know the [Pittsfield] commu- Eriksson delivered the third hat Left winger Brad Marchand Minnesota right winger Tomas The Bruins scored the next two nity would travel hundreds if not trick of his NHL scored the Bruins’ first goal and Vanek, who came into the game and both were scored by Eriksson, thousands of miles to see us play, career, leading NHL Krejci assisted on two of Eriks- with 30 goals and 63 points in 57 even though the first one was orig- but we’ll have some more folks the Boston Bru- son’s scores. games against Boston, was kept off inally credited to Connelly, after from around the eastern Maine ins to a 4-2 victory over the Min- Backup Jonas Gus- the score sheet and was in the pen- Eriksson’s centering pass hit off community who might come up nesota Wild on Thursday night. tavsson, making his first home alty box when the Bruins scored a the right skate of Minnesota right and see us play that wouldn’t if we Eriksson, who has arguably start with the Bruins, stopped 24 power-play goal for the 10th time winger Jason Pominville and got were down at Portland.” been the Bruins’ most consistent shots to raise his record to 4-1. in the last 11 games. by Dubnyk. Eriksson then jammed MCI (10-0) has dominated its player through the team’s incon- Minnesota goaltender Devan The Bruins took a 1-0 lead 5 1/2 home a pass from center Patrice LTC competition this year, win- sistent 9-8-1 start, scored two goals Dubnyk, who came in 0-4 with a minutes into the game when Bergeron, with the goal surviving ning both during the regular sea- — one on a power play — in the 5.56 goals-against average and .854 Marchand, who had served an a review at 11:21 of the period. son and regional playoffs by an second period. He then worked a save percentage against the Bru- early penalty, set right winger But the Wild got one back when average margin of 47 points. give-and-go with center David Kre- ins, made 33 saves in the loss. Brett Connolly up in the slot. Dub- Suter wristed one from the left Strong play at the of scrim- jci 4:14 into the third to complete Minnesota (10-5-3) finished a nyk stopped the shot and March- point that beat Gustavsson over mage featuring tackle Curtis his first hat trick as a Bruin with four-game road trip with a 1-2-1 and pounced on the rebound, cir- the right shoulder at 13:37. McLeod and end Dillon Fitts has his team-leading ninth goal of the record and three straight losses. cled the net and beat the goalten- Bruins rookie center Frank Va- anchored a stout defense and an season. Left winger Jordan Zucker and der to the other side. trano left the game in the second explosive offense that has pro- The hat trick was Eriksson’s center Jordan Schroeder scored Both teams scored twice in the period with an apparent shoulder duced nearly 54 points per outing. first since Dec. 31, 2009, when he for the Wild, but Zucker was in- second period. The Wild tied the injury. He was slammed hard into Senior quarterback Greg Vigue was with the . jured by a slash to the back of his score soon after killing off 1:16 of the end boards by Minnesota de- — a 1,000-yard passer — guides the The win evened Boston’s record left leg by Boston left winger Matt five-on-three time — Gustavsson See Bruins, Page B7 offense, while halfback Willie Moss — a 1,000-yard rusher — and fullback Alex Bertrand are the Denver main running threats. Brandon Broncos McKenna, Braden Monteyro and Manning quarterback Josh Buker are the top receivers. Peyton Coach Tom Bertrand says his Manning walks team’s biggest area of improve- off the field ment has been its consistency of meets after throwing effort. four See Crown, Page B8 interceptions and being familiar replaced by quarterback State finals Brock Osweiler in the 29-13 loss marked by QB fate to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at return BY IRA MILLER Sports THE SPORTS XCHANGE Authority Field at Mile engagements Whether you think he should High Stadium have won more Super Bowls or in Denver. saw him as pretty much a one-man BY ERNIE CLARK team much of BDN STAFF his career, COMMENTARY DAVID EULITT | KANSAS CITY STAR | TNS you have to An air of familiarity surrounds feel sad watching Peyton Manning ship in his hometown, or years career arc defies explanation, on Yes, Manning won “only” one this weekend’s high school foot- now. ago, Jim Brown retired at the pace now to set a personal best for Super Bowl. ball state championship games. Whether he can come back and height of his powers. But that’s passing yardage. Need we reflect on how difficult Six of the eight participants also do anything more the rest of this mostly fantasy. With the possibility of a seventh is to win even one? Well, among played in last year is not the point anymore. For every Elway and Bettis and Super Bowl appearance on the ho- Hall of Fame quarterbacks whose year’s games — HIGH Manning is done, his body betray- Brown there’s a Manning, a Joe rizon, Brady clearly is in rarified entire career spanned the Super including all four SCHOOL ing him, his brilliant career stag- Namath or Johnny Unitas in a air, surviving as he has the con- Bowl era, four of them — Dan Ma- 2014 state champi- FOOTBALL gering to the finish line. All that strange uniform, a Willie Mays un- stant turnover on the Patriots’ ros- rino, Jim Kelly, Warren Moon and ons in Class A awaits is the announce- able to catch a routine fly ball in ter while remaining the constant Dan Fouts won zero Super Bowls Thornton Acade- ment. the World Series, a Dan Marino on (with coach Bill Belichick) that among them. Moon and Fouts my of Saco, Class B Marshwood of It’s the saddest sight in sports. the wrong end of a 62-7 playoff keeps the train rumbling down the never even played in one. South Berwick, Class C Winslow This is real reality sports. This is game. tracks. And the sad career ending in a and Class D Oak Hill of Wales. reality. This is life. But while we mourn Manning’s But there will be plenty of time strange uniform, like Manning the Class B Brunswick and Class D Every player wishes he could demise, we should take a moment to assess Brady’s place in history. long-time Indy Colt now in Den- Maine Central Institute of Pitts- end his career by riding off on a to reflect on his bete noire, Tom This is about Manning’s place ver? Joe Montana finished his ca- field also are back, with Class A white horse, the way John Elway Brady, who doesn’t seem to under- in history. And about how the end, reer playing for the Kansas City North champion Portland and ended with back-to-back Super stand that he’s supposed to play sad as we acknowledge, is in fact Chiefs. Franco Harris wound up in Class C South winner Yarmouth Bowl championships or Jerome like a 38-year-old quarterback near the norm. Brady is the outlier Seattle. Emmitt Smith, the all-time the only newcomers. Bettis finished with a champion- the end of his own career. Brady’s here. See Peyton, Page B7 Here’s a look at the three match- ups — Classes A, B and C — that will make up Championship Sat- urday at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Fort Kent driver returning to NASCAR truck series Portland. Class A: No. 1 Portland Bull- dogs (10-0) vs. No. 1 Thornton BY LARRY MAHONEY Rhino Linings 350 on Oct. 3 at Las dric and Ryan Blaney have filled the track into a portion of the Academy Golden Trojans (9-1), BDN STAFF Vegas Motor Speedway. in for Theriault over the last four track that did not have a SAFER 11 a.m.: The Class A North cham- He has been cleared by doctors races while he recuperated from (Steel and Foam Energy Reduc- pions from Portland High School Fort Kent’s Austin Theriault to run in the Ford EcoBoost 200 at his injury. tion) barrier. not only bring an unbeaten record will return to the track on Friday Homestead-Miami Speedway. Theriault was injured when Theriault underwent physical into the game, the Bulldogs get to night in the NASCAR Camping The 21-year-old Theriault had his No. 29 BKR Ford was side- therapy and a workout regimen to play on their home field. World Truck Series finale. He has signed a 13-race deal with Brad swiped by teammate Tyler Red- return to racing. Portland, seeking its first state missed the last four races because Keselowski Racing and had two dick, who lost control of his Team owner Brad Keselowski title since 2002, has relied on a of a 10 percent compression frac- top-five and four top-10 finishes in truck and slid down the track. tweeted: “Been a long time com- stout defense that posted five regu- ture in his lower back, which he eight races. After being tagged by Reddick, ing. Glad he is now cleared and lar-season shutouts and a rushing suffered during a wreck at the Brian Keselowski, Austin Cin- Theriault’s truck careened up feeling great after Vegas.” See Finals, Page B8