Meet the new champs.

Same as last year’s champs.

Cheverus’ girls’ hockey team has worn the bullseye all season, but ultimately wore it well, defeating Gorham and Yarmouth/Freeport last week to win its second consecutive state title.

“This accomplishment is unique to them,” said Stags coach Scott Rousseau, of his players. “It’s the best Cheverus team that ever played and was one of the best ever. It’s pretty special.”

Steady climb

The Stags went 15-1 in the regular season, losing only at Yarmouth/Freeport by a goal in January.

Cheverus finished with the top seed in the South Region and earned a bye into the semifinals, where it handled No. 4 Falmouth/Scarborough, 8-2.

Last Wednesday at Troubh Ice Arena in Portland, the Stags got tested by No. 2 Gorham, but wouldn’t be denied, advancing with a 6-2 victory.

Cheverus enjoyed a 7-4 edge in shots on goal in the first 15 minutes, but had nothing to show for it.

“When you’re supposed to win and it’s 0-0 after one, there’s pressure,” Rousseau said.

Senior standout Mikayla Talbot then put Cheverus on top to stay at 3:42 of the second period.

“(Gorham) definitely came out with a lot of fire and we just had to get the puck moving and get in the groove,” Talbot said. “In practice this week, we worked on crashing the net.”

“We weren’t going to get through in transition, so we had to get pucks on goal,” Rousseau said. “We had to get to the net. Ugly goals count, too.”

Junior goal scoring machine Lucy Johnson then doubled the lead at 9:24.

“We couldn’t rush,” said Johnson. “All the credit goes to my teammates because they worked hard to create pressure.”

The Rams, who fought hard throughout, then made things interesting when they scored on the power play at 10:58, but just over two minutes later, Johnson restored a two-goal lead and it was 3-1 heading to the third period.

There, the Stags put it away, as freshman Caroline Rousseau and Talbot scored three minutes apart and after Gorham answered, Johnson completed her hat trick to slam the door on a 6-2 victory.

“It’s a great feeling,” Johnson said. “I was a little nervous before this game. It’s been tough this year, but we took it one game at a time. It was good to have some close games.”

“It feels awesome,” said senior captain and defensive standout Lily Johnson. “We practiced really well all week and that really prepared us.

“It was a battle,” Talbot said. “We’ve had a lot of big games. We get everyone’s best game, but in the long run that makes us better.”

Cheverus finished with a 26-20 advantage in shots, went one-for-two on the power play and got 18 saves from senior goalie extraordinaire Ella Lemieux.

“We did a really good job defensively today as a unit,” Lily Johnson said.

“The defense is amazing and Ella is the best goalie in the state,” said Lucy Johnson.

The last step

Saturday evening at the Norway Savings Bank Arena in Auburn, the Stags took the final step against Yarmouth/Freeport in the state game.

Cheverus broke a scoreless tie just 1:04 into the second period when Talbot put in the rebound of a Caroline Rousseau shot.

“It’s important to jump on the rebounds, especially against this team,” said Talbot. “They’re really good at defense. Jumping on those loose pucks and getting on the board first was definitely a good start for us.”

The Stags pushed their lead to 2-0 at 11:07 on a two-on-one rush. Lucy Johnson made a pass from the left circle to Talbot, who fired a hard, high shot into the net.

“We talked about a couple different things and going high was definitely one of them,” Talbot said. “We executed that pretty well. That pass from Lucy, she put it in the perfect spot. Being on her line is really good.”

“We believe we’re the best second-period team in the state,” Scott Rousseau said. “We practiced really hard with the shorter change, getting out, possessing the puck. We played a really good first period. We felt it was going to break our way.”

Lucy Johnson’s power-play goal 49 seconds into the third period extended the lead to 3-0. The Stags capped the scoring at 3:26 when Caroline Rousseau scored with an assist from Talbot, who factored into all four goals.

“For the most part, we’ve had the same group of girls both years, so winning it back-to-back was really special, especially for the seniors,” said Talbot, who scored two goals and assisted on two others.

“We played about as good a championship game as we could have against a good team,” Scott Rousseau said. “The kids responded. They did an amazing job.”

Lemieux dazzled as usual, stopping 14 shots, including multiple breakaways.

“I was ready to get a shot, but my team did such a good job keeping it in our offensive zone,” Lemieux said.

“Every time we have ever needed Ella Lemieux, she does Ella Lemieux things,” Scott Rousseau said. “How is that humble, quiet, soft-spoken girl maybe the best player in the state? She gives us a lot of confidence.”

Cheverus finished 18-1 and won the fourth championship in program history (joining last year and the 2010 and 2019 squads), its first in consecutive seasons.

“It was harder this year,” Scott Rousseau said. “We talked about staying in the moment. We didn’t talk about winning a championship, just playing our best and being successful that particular night. The kids embraced doing what they loved most with the people they love most. I loved coaching them.”

Scott Rousseau said that winning with his daughter was the cherry on top of this championship run.

“Caroline and I have shared a unique bond since the moment she was born,” Scott Rousseau said. “She grew up around the program. For her to have this experience was pretty special. I’m proud of her as a coach and a father.”

The Stags lose Becky Schaffer Award finalists Lemieux and Brynn McKenney, semifinalists Talbot and Lily Johnson, as well as captain Charlotte Miller and Jaylee Coleman and Maddie Doherty.

“I was emotional after our final practice and several times Saturday knowing I wouldn’t skate with the seniors again,” Scott Rousseau said. “They’re special people. I don’t know what I’ve done to be so lucky to have them in my life.”

A bevy of talented underclassmen will lace up their skates again in 2024-25 and look to lead Cheverus to the pinnacle once more.

“We’ll be very good in goal with Ellie (Skolnekovich),” Scott Rousseau said. “It will be her time to lead the team. Zoey Radford is a third-year defender with a championship pedigree. We’ll likely move Briella Doherty to defense. Then you have Lucy and Caroline as a 1-2 punch on offense. We have a good JV team and good freshman coming in. No one will feel sorry for us, but I think we’ll be dangerous at the end.”

Portland Press Herald staff writer Travis Lazarczyk contributed to this story.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. For game updates and links to game stories, follow him on Threads: @foresports2023

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