BIDDEFORD — Reality proved better than Seth Dube’s imagination Thursday as the freshman goalie turned in a shutout for the Thornton Academy boys’ hockey team against Biddeford in a packed Biddeford Ice Arena.

“It was the best feeling I’ve ever experienced,” said Dube. “I’ve dreamed of doing this ever since I was a kid. It’s much better than I ever thought it would be.”

Dube’s 22 saves helped the Trojans skate past the Tigers, 4-0. Thornton avenged losing both games against Biddeford a season ago.

“To play these guys – a very good, competitive team that’s going to be at the top of our class – the way we did, I thought was very impressive,” said Thornton Coach Jamie Gagnon. “They have guys up and down that lineup that can score and can move, and to defend them is a challenge. To see (Dube) play as well as he did, it’s something we’re all very proud of.”

Added Dube: “I’m just excited that we beat Biddeford and that I got a shutout, too. I don’t think I could have done it without the defense in front of me. Our defense, they were strong, they were good on passing, they knew where each other was. It was just good positioning and they held strong through the whole game.”

Luke Chessie scored for the Trojans (4-2) just over four minutes into the second period, from Logan Picard and Dayton Wintle.

Chessie added a second goal in the first minute of the third period, from Picard and Tanner McFarren.

“Another freshman stepping into the rivalry for the first time, and he proved to be fearless and poised,” Gagnon said of Chessie. “We preach the composure of staying within yourself and not letting the game outside of the glass get in your head, and he did a really good job of that and provided some offensive punch for us.”

Chandler Bilodeau added an unassisted second-period goal for the Trojans against the Tigers (3-4), and Reagan Wintle made it 4-0 in the final minute after coming out of a scrum with the puck.

“The goals definitely let me relax a little bit, but I knew I had to stay on my toes because we know Biddeford can score,” said Dube.

Added Gagnon: “With a team like this, as fast as they are and how quickly they can put goals on the board, I don’t think any lead is comfortable. The shutout wasn’t the goal, it was really just to try and keep them out of the offensive end and keep them off the board as much as we could. Ultimately we did a pretty good job of playing team defense, and our goaltender came up big a few times to keep the game in our favor.”

Copy the Story Link