LEWISTON – Lewiston High School girls’ hockey coach Ron Dumont ran into a bit of a problem during the preseason.

The team lost its starting goaltender, and Dumont didn’t have a natural backup.

“It was like, uh oh, what next?” Dumont said.

No problem, he though. Lacrosse, hockey, it’s all the same, right?

Well not quite. But his train of thought was spot on. He approached lacrosse keeper Stephanie Belanger, a senior forward on the team, and asked her to switch positions.

“The fact that she was a lacrosse goalie certainly helped in deciding who we might approach,” Dumont said. “She played out, never played goalie, and for a kid to even attempt that it’s rare. And she said, ‘Nope, no problem, I’ll give it a try.'”

“At first, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” Belanger admitted. “I stepped onto the ice and I was really unsure of myself. But as the weeks went on, it got a bit easier.”

Dumont went to work on a backup next.

“All varsity programs should have two goalies,” Dumont said. “It just makes sense.”

Dumont found Sarah Turner. A sophomore, Turner had experience defending the cage in field hockey.

“It’s different than I thought it would be,” Turner said. “I thought it would be a bit harder to pick up than it was.”

Of course, Turner had already played in goal in field hockey.

“That certainly helped as far as hand-eye coordination,” Turner said.

Solid up front, but green in goal, Dumont’s squad pushed forward. Little did he know how far these two fresh keepers could take the Devils.

“You want to go in with a positive attitude, but you want to go in realistic, too,” Dumont said. “That’s a lot of pressure to put on any young goalie, especially one that’s never played. But (Belanger) was a quick study, she works had, she’s a quick learner, and she has a solid team in front of her.”

Solid, to the tune of a 9-0 start to the season for the Blue Devils. They’ve allowed just eight goals in nine games, and have recorded four shutouts – three from Belanger and one from Turner.

“With new goaltenders, you can’t expect to win as many as we have,” Belanger said. “Our record’s a lot better than I thought it would be. I’m proud of these girls.”

Of course, playing the game, apparently, is the easy part. Both girls had a hard time adjusting to their new position.

“In the beginning, it was wearing the equipment, learning how to skate in it, and the butterfly position,” Belanger said. “In lacrosse, you don’t really go down to stop the ball.”

“In field hockey, it’s bad to go down and you can’t cover the ball,” Turner added. “And you’ll still see me kick the puck every once in a while. It’s a habit.”

Habit or not, things are working well for the pair. They even get along with each other, which, according to Dumont, is half the battle.

“Sarah’s a competitor, she works hard, but she also knows, we talk about roles on the team,” Dumont said. “Stephanie’s our starting goalie. You can have problems sometimes, with two girls coming in at the same level when one is picked as a starter. But Sarah’s a great kid. When I ask her to play she’s ready, and when she’s not playing, she’s there cheering everyone else on. I don’t think you can have a better situation.”

Belanger has been on board from the beginning, and she’s even started to think about playing between the pipes as she moves on to college.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to help my team make it to a championship now,” Belanger said. I think right now, I’ve found my destination here in goal.”

Turner, meanwhile, has another couple of years ahead of her at Lewiston. Next year, she will start the year as the incumbent goaltender.

“Learning where the puck generally comes from, and getting to the right places, that’s what I’m getting help with now, and I plan on doing things this summer to get better for next year,” Turner said.

Good news for Lewiston, not so good for the rest of the league.