It is no secret that boys’ high school hockey in Maine can be divided into a world of haves and have-nots.

Some schools are situated in hockey-rich areas with feeder programs that provide high-quality players year after year.

Others are challenged every season to fill out a roster.

The difference was evident Saturday when Thornton Academy from Saco played the merged team from Marshwood High and Traip Academy in Saturday’s Western A semifinals (won by Thornton 8-1).

Marshwood, located in South Berwick, actually has only two players from Traip (located in Kittery). The Hawks roster features only 13 skaters and three goalies. There is no junior varsity and no middle school program.

“Some of our guys didn’t know if we were going to have a team; didn’t know if we had enough bodies,” Hawks Coach Eric Royal said.

Royal will lose four seniors and another player who is moving out of state; all of them quality skaters. He knows there are about eight youth hockey players in the area who will be ninth-graders next year.

But there is no guarantee they are attending Marshwood because of the presence of two private schools — Berwick Academy in South Berwick and St. Thomas Aquinas in Dover, N.H.

Meanwhile, Thornton has a large varsity team and a junior varsity program, along with a middle school team in Saco.

“We have 26 guys on our roster, all of whom have seen ice time this year at the varsity level,” Thornton Coach Shawn Rousseau said. “We have big numbers and that’s a blessing.”

Rousseau was impressed with Marshwood/Traip, even after the rout. The Hawks kept up with Thornton, but the Trojans’ depth wore Marshwood/Traip down. Thornton scored four third-period goals.

“I want to give credit to Eric Royal and his staff,” Rousseau said. “Marshwood gave us everything we could handle.

“We had to make three significant adjustments; not because we weren’t executing well, but because Marshwood was forcing us to try something different. They were very intelligent, very poised, very disciplined and, worst of all, very patient.”

Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at:

kthomas@pressherald.com

 

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