LEWISTON — Lewiston High School senior Brandon Tiner is in elite company.

The Blue Devils’ defenseman, a captain for this year’s Eastern Class A regional runner-up entry, has been named one of four finalists for the prestigious Travis Roy Award, given each year by the Maine Class A Coaches’ Association to the top senior hockey player in Class A.

Joining Tiner as finalists are Bangor goalie Chris Howat, Thornton Academy forward C.J. Maksut and Biddeford defender Taylor Reuillard.

Tiner battled through injuries this season as he led a stalwart defensive group into a regional final one season after the team graduated 14 seniors from a state finalist.

“I started off the year, ready to go, as a senior,” Tiner said. “I got a concussion, pretty much right away, and that slowed things down a bit, but I knew I needed to go out and play a strong defensive game for the team. Then I had a groin injury and then a partially-torn AC joint. But when it came down to it, I knew I needed to suck it up. The team needed a leader.”

“The fact that he’s a finalist for this award is a testament to how he plays the game,” Lewiston coach Jamie Belleau said. “We knew what he brought to the table, and how he played, and the fact that he’s a finalist for the award shows that, despite his injuries and missed games, the coaches from around the state realized that, too.”

Tiner was one of the top returning players from a team that lost in double overtime to Thornton in the 2011 game. Fourteen seniors graduated that club, leaving with Lewiston with plenty of older players, but not many with viable varsity experience.

“That’s the attitude I had to come in with,” Tiner said. “I knew this was going to be a younger team. I had to keep up the confidence and the morale of the team as a leader, and I think with the other captains, we were able to do that.”

“He’s exactly the kind of player we needed this season,” Belleau said. “He’s a leader for this hockey team, not only on the ice, but in the locker room and off the ice, and for him to be able to do that this year while battling through a variety of injuries, that’s a testament to him and the kind of player, the kind of person he is.”

The Travis Roy Award rewards players who not only have a solid season on the ice in terms of goal-scoring numbers and good defensive statistics, but also have a solid record of academics and social service. To that end, Tiner is an honor roll student at Lewiston High School, a member of the National Technical Honor Society and in 2011 he received the David Payne Award for his achievements in the LHS Law Enforcement program. He is also a four-year letterman in golf.

And his numbers weren’t bad, either, particularly for a shutdown defender. His six goals from the blue line were the most for a defender on the team, and was third overall on the squad. His 12 points placed him fifth on the team in overall scoring, only four points back of the leader. And he did that in 13 games.

“Despite the fact that he’s a defenseman, he had pretty good numbers, and he probably would have had even better numbers if he hadn’t missed the games he did,” Belleau said.

The Class A Coaches’ Association will hold its annual banquet in Lewiston on Sunday, March 18, where it will unveil the all-region teams, as well as the winner of the Travis Roy Award.