EL, Lewiston, St. Dom’s hockey teams look potent
LEWISTON – Five high school teams took to the ice Saturday night at the renovated Central Maine Civic Center, the first time any other hockey teams have competed against another since the Maineiacs drove into town this summer.
Lewiston, Edward Little, St. Dom’s, Falmouth and Trinity of Manchester, N.H., skated in the annual round robin tournament as a precursor to the regular season, which starts next weekend.
“The round robin gives us the opportunity to work on a couple of systems,” said EL coach Jamie Belleau. “We get to see the players skate in game situations and in a competitive atmosphere.”
The atmosphere in recent years hasn’t necessarily been as competitive as this year’s. For the first time in recent memory, all three local Class A teams, Lewiston, EL and St. Dom’s, start the year with the state championship game not only in mind but in realistic reach.
“You always want to beat your rivals,” said Lewiston coach Tim Smith. “The fact that we all play in this round robin makes it that much more interesting, and the fact that we’re all solid teams this year is a testament, I think, to the local youth organizations.”
Defending champion Edward Little features a tough senior class. Colby Gilbert and Kyle Smith are two of the top forwards in the state and have the potential to be a lethal combination. Goaltender Kris Bennett returns after helping lead his team to a state title as a sophomore.
On the other side of Auburn, the Saints are loaded after graduating only two players. There are eight seniors on the St. Dom’s roster.
Lewiston may have appeared to lose some power, but there is a chance that the Blue Devils again will be sniffing EL’s heels as the Easterm Class A playoffs approach thanks to some solid forward lines that include Jake Girardin, Jason Dube, Adam Wilding and transfer student Adam Longchamps.
“It’s a challenge from year to year, trying to figure out what you have after graduation,” said St. Dom’s coach Bob Boucher. “You look at all three local teams this year, we’re all pretty well balanced.”
All three teams looked solid to start the round robin, with St. Dom’s and Edward Little meeting early, a 1-0 Saints winm while Lewiston met Edward Little and St. Dom’s at the end of the night, bringing to a close the traditional start of the season for most of the teams involved.
Each mini-game was 12 minutes.
Another topic on the coaches’ minds on Saturday night was the presence of the Maineiacs. With the team in town, the local high school teams already have started to reap the benefits.
“First of all, we’re happy that they’re here because of the improvements to the facility,” said Smith. “You look around, and the place was already a nice venue for high school hockey, and now look at it. There’s a new surface, new glass, new everything.”
Even though EL has its own rink and the days of it sharing the building with St. Dom’s and Lewiston have passed, the Red Eddies are also excited to have the renovations done at the rink.
“I may not get to be on this ice at all until, and if, we make it to the state championship game,” said Belleau. “But it looks good, the ice is solid, and it makes a difference for all of us.”
The coaches also hope that the Maineiacs will have a long-term effect on the quality of play in the area.
“If more kids play because of the Maineiacs being here, then the programs will grow again,” said Smith. “It’s still too early to tell on that one, though.”
On Saturday, for at least one night, the Maineiacs weren’t the story at the Central Maine Civic Center.
There will be several more nights this season that will feature high school games, and Saturday’s games didn’t officially count in any scorebooks or standings, but for the players and the coaches, it signaled the start of something much bigger.
“After this week, everything counts,” said Smith. “We start our season next Saturday against Skowhegan, and tournaments like this help us figure out who is going to play where.”
jpelletier@sunjournal.com
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