This season, that trophy will be handed out to the Northern Maine regional champion, as the Maine Principals’ Association switched regional designations from East-West to North-South.

Along with the change in name, the Twin Cities’ other hockey team hopes to change recent history and see its name on that regional championship trophy.

The Edward Little Red Eddies think they have “what it takes” to ascend to the ranks of regional finalists, according to senior goalie Devin Dumont.

The Red Eddies put the wheels in motion for that ascension last year, when they began to play a tougher schedule than they had in past seasons.

“Playing better competition, it’s definitely going to help us in the long run,” senior defenseman Ben Steele said. “We’re going to be used to playing that fast-paced game, playing hard to the whistle.”

That experience of playing a tougher schedule will be blended with plenty of returning experience on the Edward Little roster. The Red Eddies have had little roster turnover over the past two seasons, and will have a core of seniors and juniors this year featuring a lot of third- and fourth-year varsity players.

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Steele is a multiple-time all-state selection on the blue line, and Dumont joined him as a first-team all-state selection last year. Classmate Liam Benson was named to the second-team at forward.

“It really depends on them how far they can carry us on their shoulders,” EL head coach Craig Latuscha said. “We got some seniors that have been with us for four years, as well as some juniors as well, that have been pretty key to our program.”

The Red Eddies played last year’s tougher schedule to the tune of a 9-9 regular-season record, and Benson admitted a few more wins “slipped out of our hands.”

Latuscha said the regular-season record doesn’t mean much to him, only making a fifth-straight playoff appearance, and making sure the team is playing its best hockey if it qualifies for the postseason.

“Win or lose doesn’t matter, it’s about getting better as you start from beginning of the season to the end of the season,” Latuscha said. “We tasted success last year against some of the top programs, and our ultimate goal, obviously, is to continue to be successful. When we play top teams all year long, we never know what can happen.”

Those top teams annually include Edward Little’s cross-town rival (St. Dom’s) and cross-river rival (Lewiston). The Red Eddies want to be mentioned in the same breath as their rivals this year.

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“I think that’s one of our biggest goals this year,” Steele said. “I think every year we strive to be among the top teams.”

“I think with the kids we have we’re on that level, but I guess we’ll see what we can do, what we can pull off,” added Dumont.

The team showed last year that it could contend with the top-tier teams enough to make the playoffs. Then, the Red Eddies faced one of their rivals in the playoffs, and saw their season end at the hands of eventual regional champion St. Dom’s. Latuscha said that experience, and the experience the senior class has gained in qualifying for the postseason in each of their first three years, will be key if the team returns to the playoffs this year.

“Any time you play in the playoffs, in the atmosphere like the Colisee, and you draw big crowds, when you play top teams like Lewiston and Falmouth and Scarborough and whatnot, as well as St. Dom’s, the kids get used to that,” Latuscha said. “The more times we play like that, the less nervous they’re going to be when they get into those moments.”

The team enters this season with a lot of confidence. Benson said the team played well during the preseason, and would like to prove that its preseason performance was no fluke when it matches up with its biggest rivals.

His senior teammates agreed.

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“We can’t look past any of the other teams right now, but playing Lewiston December 12, I definitely have that circled on my calendar,” Steele said.

Dumont said of facing St. Dom’s: “It’ll be nice to beat them if we could.”

The Red Eddies will rematch Lewiston at the Colisee January 23. They clash with St. Dom’s twice as well, January 9 and 27.

The road to the Eastern (now Northern) regional trophy continues to run through the Twin Cities. Edward Little hopes that continues this year, with its name being on the same map as its fiercest rivals.

And, lest anyone forget, EL is still the most recent Twin Cities team to win a Class A state title, earning back-to-back crowns in 2003 and 2004, the second at the expense of St. Dom’s.

“We do believe that we could be one of the top teams this year,” Benson said. “We definitely want to be that team that every teams fears coming out on the ice and playing.”

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wkramlich@sunjournal.com

2015-16 Winter Preview

Who to watch in high school sports this season:

Boy’s Hockey: 

Nordic Skiing: Ashley Pratt, Emily Thibodeau look to lead Leavitt

Boys’ Basketball: James Ouellette of Spruce Mountain pushes through injury, tragedy

Swimming: Lewiston’s Matt Charest gets a lift

Indoor Track: Soracco’s back in track for Lewiston High School

Wrestling: Dirigo aims to be class act, again

 Girls’ Hockey: Lewiston sets out on a different path


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