She was a standout in front of the goal for four years, yet Devan Kane never said it was about her. Maybe that’s why she looked both exuberant and relieved after her Scarborough High girls’ hockey team won the state championships this past winter.

“I was just in utter shock,” Kane said.

“I knew coming into this year that we were capable … But when it actually happened and all the pieces came together, I think I was just so excited and so proud of the team.”

Kane had a dynamic group of teammates in front of her.

Scarborough became the first team since Cheverus in 2010 to finish the year unbeaten. And like Cheverus then, this year’s Red Storm team has four players on the All-State team.

“When she is playing behind a strong offensive team, as she was this season, she is unbeatable,” Greely Coach Nate Guerin said.

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That she was, an unbeatable goalie on an unbeaten team. For her effort, Kane is the Maine Sunday Telegram girls’ hockey Player of the Year.

“Devan is a great choice,” Guerin said, offering his own scouting report.

“Physically, she is big in the net and plays a strong positional game. She’s going to stop pretty much every shot that she can see clearly.

“Mentally, she is always one of the hardest competitors on the ice. She gives her teammates a boost of confidence and energy when she is in goal. She ramps up her intensity as the play gets closer to her net, and it’s very difficult to get pucks past her.”

Kane recorded a 0.36 goals-against average with a .976 save percentage. In her 18 wins, she posted 11 shutouts.

For her career, Kane was 56-8-4 with 31 shutouts, a .970 save percentage and a 0.55 goals-against average.

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In other words, if Scarborough scored one goal, it was usually good enough.

Kane, an All-State selection since she was picked as a freshman, has improved her game, especially the last two years under the tutoring of Scarborough goalie coach Jill Doherty.

“As the years went on I got better at being able to see through screens, and definitely rebound control,” Kane said.

But it’s the mental aspect that has make Kane shine, from her intensity to being able to “turn the page” after allowing a goal.

“I think that’s just my personality that sometimes things are out of your control and goals go in,” Kane said. “You can’t stop them all.”

She stops most, especially in crucial times.

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In Scarborough’s 3-1 win over Lewiston for the state championship, Elizabeth Gross scored three goals, but it was Kane who kept the Red Storm in it early, making clutch saves on breakaways and stopping the rebounds.

“She’s a proven, top-notch goalie,” Lewiston Coach Ron Dumont said after the game.

Now Kane will take her game to college, having accepted a scholarship to Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. The Pioneers are getting a leader.

“She loves the game,” Scarborough Coach Caitlin Cashman said, “and it inspires her teammates to work hard and work toward bettering themselves as hockey players.”

Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or at:

kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: KevinThomasPPH


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