AUBURN — Quickly, which school has the best boys’ hockey team in Western Class B?

A fair number of people faced with that question will answer York, the defending Class B state champion. Other schools’ names that roll off the tongues of those connected with the hockey community include Cape Elizabeth, Yarmouth and Greely.

And why not? Those four schools account for nearly every Western Class B state finals appearance for the past 10 years.

But at Ingersoll Arena, there’s a familiar refrain echoing in the cavernous, metal structure.

“Things change,” new Leavitt Area High School coach Dave Boucher said, a familiar grin crossing his face.

He would know.

Once the longtime head coach of the Edward Little boys’ team, Boucher helped mold that squad into what eventually became a two-time state championship-winning team under head coach Jamie Belleau.

A subsequent move to Brunswick brought similar success, and the Dragons came within a ninth overtime of advancing to the regional final against a loaded Lewiston team.

“Coach Boucher wants to strive as high as we can,” Leavitt senior defenseman Ian Durgin said. “In year’s past, playoffs has been the goal. This year, it’s about proving ourselves and making it as far as we can, be as successful as possible.”

Boucher’s return to the head coaching ranks has come at a necessary time for the Hornets, who are now on their third coach in as many seasons. But even with the changes in recent years, the end result has been hauntingly familiar.

“We’ve come so close to making playoffs every year,” Durgin said. “This time, we want to put more effort into it. It used to be like a joke, to come out, play around. But now, with a new coach, it’s like there’s a new attitude around here. I think when we play some games, and start beating some teams, people will start talking a lot more.”

One of the things about Leavitt that enamored Boucher to the job was the team’s sportsmanship award last season. He hopes to build on that from the beginning of this year’s campaign.

“These kids are very, very coachable, and they enjoy the game,” Boucher said. “They want to get better, and that means a lot to a coach, to have kids with the right attitude.”

And with that attitude comes talent, particularly on defense, where an exchange student and four returning skaters form one of the deeper blue lines in Western B.

“We know defense wins championships, everyone always says that, but it’s particularly important for us,” Durgin said. “We know if our defense plays well, makes good passes and shoots the puck when we need to, it will make it that much easier on the offense.”

Also helping, in Durgin’s estimation, is the steady number of players out for the team this season, and the quality of those players.

“We have a lot of guys for a certain number of spots, and everyone is always trying their hardest,” Durgin said. “That’s a big help, too. There’s a higher intensity than in any other year.”

“For our division, we’re deep, we’re not going to rely on one or two kids,” Boucher said. “We’ve been rolling three lines in our exhibition games, and we scored seven goals in each game. And defensively, we can roll five ‘D.’ We’ve got depth.”

Boucher’s message is beginning to resonate with the Hornets’ skaters, who are now only three days away from opening what they hope will be their most successful campaign in a while.

“We just feel like we have more confidence, like we’re more of a team,” senior forward Elijah Lamothe said. “We can’t just keep looking at the past. We have to believe in ourselves more.”

“I haven’t gotten into the history of the team, really, but I’ve told them they’re going to learn how good they really are this season,” Boucher said. “I told them (Monday), we’re not just trying to get into the playoffs. We’re trying to compete with the best teams, and I think we have the ability and the attitude to do it.”