St. Dom’s and Lewiston take it to the ice Saturday.
LEWISTON – For years, it has been the talk of the town. After the holiday season, fans of local high school hockey mark their calendars almost as soon as they buy them.
The date?
Whichever Saturday has been reserved for the traditional clash of local hockey titans Lewiston and St. Dom’s.
And while this year’s first of two regular-season meetings comes a bit earlier than normal, the fire is still there.
“We normally don’t play for another two weeks or so,” said Lewiston coach Tim Smith. “This is one of those games that you don’t have to stress to your players about how big it is. They all know. People circle it on the schedule as soon as it comes out.”
Saturday’s tilt has the added bonus that both teams are undefeated. Lewiston stands at 5-0 in league play, while St. Dom’s has won its first three games in league competition.
“All of our local teams are very competitive this year,” said St. Dom’s coach Bob Boucher. “Every time we play each other, it’s going to be a good game.”
“I don’t mean this against anyone we’ve played so far,” said Smith, “but neither team has played an Edward Little, an NYA or a Cheverus, yet. They (St. Dom’s) have played Mt. Ararat once, and after that about the same as us.”
Both teams have taken the holiday break as an opportunity to play some out-of-state competition, and both have fared pretty well. St. Dom’s played in New Hampshire last weekend, while Lewiston played in Portland against Berlin, N.H. and Algonquin of North Bay, Ontario, Canada.
“That gave both teams a chance to face some top level competition from out of state,” said Smith. “Berlin is a team that consistently is at about the same level as the top teams in Maine, and that Algonquin team was a very good team.”
“We won one game last week and lost two, but both losses were very good games against very good teams,” said Boucher.
St. Dom’s won its game against St. Thomas Aquinas of Dover, N.H. and dropped games to Concord, N.H. and Archbishop Williams of Massachusetts.
On the ice, Lewiston and St. Dom’s appear to be well-matched. Losing just two players from last season’s semifinal squad, St. Dom’s has three solid lines and can roll all of them in any given situation.
Shawn Longley, a former Lewiston High School player, centers the top line with help from A.J. Babineau and Erik Rousseau. Lewiston’s defense, short one skater due to an injury to senior Tyler Richard, will need to be sharp to keep up with the speed the Saints display on the wing. Scott Geoffroy will shoulder much of the load on the blue line, along with sophomore Colby Dufour and Matt Morgan
“They aren’t like most teams that put the emphasis on the top line,” said Smith. “They go three deep, and they are all capable of scoring.”
On offense, the Blue Devils have benefited from Jason Dube’s return to the lineup, and continue to pile on goals when they need it, at least in league games. Dube, Adam Longchamps, Travis Gauthier, Adam Wilding and Jake Girardin continue to provide solid offensive numbers for Lewiston, which will take on a veteran Saints defensive corps anchored by Pat O’Neil, Mike Carpenter and Ryan Guerin.
“Our defense is going to have to limit Lewiston to an initial shot and then do some clearing out in front,” said Boucher. “We have three shutouts in three league games, but we know we are going to have a work harder against Lewiston.”
Like many previous meetings between the two teams, their records mean nothing when the teams take the ice Saturday night. Both teams have realistic aspirations to reach the state final. Both teams are undefeated and both teams still carry that overwhelming sense of school pride.
“St. Dom’s has been in the final four in each of the last three years,” said Smith. “Lewiston and EL both have been there twice in the last three. It’s nothing new for both teams to meet and be in contention, and this weekend should be just as good a matchup as it has been over the years.”
Comments are no longer available on this story