WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Lebanon High mounted a spirited third-period comeback but came up short, falling to Brattleboro High, 4-2, in a Philippe H. Bouthillier Holiday Classic game Tuesday at Wendell A. Barwood Arena.
Lebanon, which co-ops with Stevens and Mascoma, trailed 2-0 as the midway point of the third period approached.
With 8:42 remaining, the Raiders finally broke through when sophomore Aidan Campbell scored, assisted by sophomore Emmett Reichert and senior Kalen Clark, to cut the deficit to one.
Lebanon wasn’t finished. About three minutes later, senior CJ Gogan tied the game with 5:35 left in regulation, with assists from freshman Cooper Davis and senior Jayden Montebianchi.
The Bears would respond, however. With about two minutes remaining, senior Carter Mialkowski rang a shot off the post, but the puck found senior Gabe Alexander, who beat senior goaltender Evan Thibodeau to give Brattleboro a 3-2 lead.
Brattleboro added an empty-net goal with 37 seconds remaining to seal the win.
“We started a little slow,” said Raiders coach Nate Dube, a first-year head coach. “But we showed some mental toughness at the end and fought through some adversity. We’re a strong third-period team.”
The teams played a scoreless first period, with Brattleboro outshooting Lebanon 9-2. The Raiders stayed even thanks to several strong saves by Thibodeau.
Brattleboro’s pressure continued in the second period and paid off with 12:13 remaining when freshman Dominic McKay scored to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. Lebanon fans protested, believing an icing should have been called earlier in the sequence.
Lebanon generated some offensive pressure later in the second period but couldn’t convert. McKay struck again with 35 seconds left in the second to make it 2-0 heading into the third.
Despite the late push, Lebanon is still looking for its first win of the season. For Dube, establishing a forecheck earlier in games will be key moving forward.
“Getting our feet moving is the biggest thing — getting our forecheck going,” he said. “Once we do that, we force turnovers and start putting the puck in the net.”
The Raiders (0-5) will face Hartford at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday on the final day of the Bouthillier Holiday Classic.