After leading Lewiston to a long-awaited Class A boys’ hockey state title as a junior, there was only thing left for Jeromey Rancourt to accomplish during his senior season.

Rancourt won the Travis Roy Award, given to the top senior player in Class A, and along the way tied for the team lead in points and captained the Blue Devils to another state championship.

The goal for the season was “just basically to win the state championship,” Rancourt said. “Always go out on a good note, and make the best of any opportunity I’ve gotten with this team.”

Rancourt is leaving the Lewiston program on top, with a pair of state championships and an individual honor to go along with the two titles. He tied with junior captain Joe Bisson — one of his linemates — with 44 points. Rancourt led the Blue Devils with 26 assists and also scored 18 goals.

“They got open,” Rancourt said. “We have a system when we go into the zone, and you know, it typically works, and them just being in the right place at the right time, their communication with me, everything all plays in a factor. But more importantly, the guys got to get the puck to me first, and then I’m just dishing it to somebody else, whose fortunate enough to put in the net.”

“A lot of that ability to see the ice and move the ice, you can talk about it all you want, but a lot of that is just natural,” Lewiston coach Jamie Belleau said. “Jeromey obviously has good vision on the ice, sees the ice well, understands the importance of utilizing his teammates.”

Besides getting in better shape, Belleau said Rancourt’s biggest improvement came away from the opponent’s net, where he was already prolific.

“As strong as our team was offensively and in every facet of the game, we would take a lot of pride in kids being able to play on the defensive side of things. And Jeromey’s really contributed, like a lot of our other players, on the defensive side of things just as much as he did offensively,” Belleau said. “He’s taken really huge steps to round out his game. He’s always been a really skilled player, and I really saw a huge difference in his ability to play in every facet of the game.”

Rancourt also improved his maturity, according to Belleau, and the whole team learned that lesson as well. The Blue Devils’ lone loss was at home to Falmouth, and the penalty box doors constantly were swinging open. Lewiston got revenge just days later on the road, but the game was still played to Falmouth’s physical style.

“I think playing Falmouth at home and losing was a big hit to us, came in and gave us a wake-up call,” Rancourt said.

When the two teams met again in the state final, the Blue Devils played their own game, leading to a 6-2 victory — in which Rancourt assisted on two goals before capping off Lewiston’s scoring with one of his own.

“It would have been easy for us to fall into a trap, get in the penalty box, and make it difficult for us to win that game,” Belleau said. “Everybody’s got to do their job in terms of maintaining their adversity. And leadership starts from the top. That was important for Jeromey to recognize that responsibility, along with the other kids on this team.”

Lewiston was loaded with talented players this year, but Rancourt still found a way to shine once again. It was easy to play at a high level with those teammates, according to Rancourt.

“I just really wanted to have a lot of fun this year with high school hockey, and I could do that with the group of guys that I was with,” he said.

wkramlich@sunjournal.com

First team

Pos. Name School Class

F Jeromey Rancourt Lewiston Sr.

F Noah Toussaint St. Dom’s Sr.

F Joe Bisson Lewiston Jr.

D Cole Ouellette Lewiston Sr.

D Ryley Austin Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse Sr.

G Kyle Welsh St. Dom’s Sr.

Second team

Pos. Name School Class

F Cam Wilson Cony/Hall-Dale/Monmouth Sr.

F Alex Rivet Lewiston Jr.

F Alex Robert Lewiston Soph.

D Nick Bisson Lewiston Soph.

D Nate Foye Cony/Hall-Dale/Monmouth Sr.

G Jacob Strout Lewiston Sr.

Third team

Pos. Name School Class

F Avery Pomerleau Cony/Hall-Dale/Monmouth Jr.

F Sam Frechette Lewiston Soph.

F Noah Austin Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse Soph.

D Ryan Bossie Lewiston Jr.

D Dylan Campbell St. Dom’s Fr.

G Dalton Bowie Cony/Hall-Dale/Monmouth Jr.

Honorable mention

Pos. Name School Class

F Cody Doyon Lewiston Sr.

F Mack Pelletier St. Dom’s Jr.

F Colby Bilodeau Edward Little Sr.

F Drake Goupil Poland/Gray-NG/Oak Hill/Leavitt Sr.

F Mark Abreu Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse Sr.

D Matt Ingram Maranacook/Winthrop Sr.

D Lucas Perry Poland/Gray-NG/Oak Hill/Leavitt Sr.

D Tyler Halls Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse Sr.