Boys’ team

DAVE ST. PIERRE – Cheverus/Yarmouth hockey

Press Herald file photo

Cheverus/Yarmouth’s co-op boys hockey team did it again.

But it wasn’t easy.

Last year’s state title was a breakthrough for the program, but repeating, after graduating some terrific players and leaders, posed an entirely different challenge.

A challenge that Cheverus/Yarmouth was able to meet and with that repeat crown, Dave St. Pierre also repeats, as our Portland edition Coach of the Year, of a boys’ team.

St. Pierre was also selected as our Northern edition Coach of the Year in 2016.

St. Pierre, an Edward Little graduate, was an assistant at Yarmouth at the turn of the century and was part of a pair of memorable title runs. He returned to the Clippers in 2010 as an assistant, then moved into the head coach role for the 2011-12 campaign. St. Pierre nearly won a title in 2016, but Yarmouth lost an overtime heartbreaker to Waterville in the state final. St. Pierre had the Clippers in the postseason in each of his first nine seasons.

Due to declining numbers, Yarmouth and Cheverus (one-time Class B rivals) formed a co-op team for the 2020-21 season, but its schedule was limited by the pandemic. Cheverus/Yarmouth then reached the Class B South semifinals in 2022 and again in 2023, but on both occasions, lost to the eventual state champion. Last year, the squad broke through and won the title.

This winter, Cheverus/Yarmouth was expected to be a top contender once more, but there were questions about leadership and who would step up in key spots. Suffice it to say, those questions were answered in the affirmative, as the squad won its first 11 games, ultimately went 15-2-1 to earn the top seed, then handled Cape Elizabeth, the Poland/Leavitt/Oak Hill/Gray-New Gloucester co-op squad and Gorham to win the regional title before erupting in the third period to beat John Bapst in the state game, 5-1.

Cheverus/Yarmouth was balanced on offense, slammed the door on defense (allowing just four goals in four postseason games) and had a triumvirate of solid goalies.

“This year is a little more emotional,” said St. Pierre. “Last year’s team set the stage for this year’s team and built the program up. This year’s team didn’t want to step back. They wanted to continue to build an amazing program and I’m really so proud of them.”

The triumph figures to continue for Cheverus/Yarmouth as long as Dave St. Pierre, our Portland edition Winter boys’ team Coach of the Year, is putting the right pieces in the right places.

Previous winners:

* 2023-24 Dave St. Pierre (Cheverus/Yarmouth hockey)
* 2022-23 Joe Russo (Portland basketball)
* 2021-22 Richie Ashley (Cheverus basketball)
* 2020-21 Todd Wing (Deering basketball)
• 2019-20 Marco Giancotti (Cheverus hockey)
• 2018-19 David Elowitch/Tony Napolitano (Portland wrestling)
• 2017-18 Kevin Haley (Cheverus swimming)
• 2016-17 Jeff Beaney (Portland/Deering hockey)
• 2015-16 Joe Russo (Portland basketball)
• 2014-15 Dan Lucas (Cheverus hockey)
• 2013-14 Joe Russo (Portland basketball)
• 2012-13 Rich Henry (Waynflete basketball)
• 2011-12 Dan LeGage (Deering basketball)
• 2010-11 Joe Russo (Portland basketball)
• 2009-10 Bob Brown (Cheverus basketball)
• 2008-09 Kevin Haley (Cheverus swimming)
• 2007-08 Bob Brown (Cheverus basketball)
• 2006-07 Bob Brown (Cheverus basketball)
• 2005-06 Dan LeGage (Deering basketball)
• 2004-05 Jack Lowry (Cheverus hockey)
• 2003-04 Joe Russo (Portland basketball)

Girls’ team

SCOTT ROUSSEAU – Cheverus hockey

Press Herald file photo

It wasn’t supposed to be Cheverus’ year.

After capturing back-to-back titles, this was the season that the Stags were supposed to be vulnerable.

Guess again.

Instead, Cheverus had another dominant season and while it got pushed to the brink in the state final, the Stags tasted glory yet again.

Cheverus coach Scott Rousseau had to tinker with his lineup, including moving his sophomore daughter Caroline Rousseau from defense to offense, but the moves paid off and in a Hollywood-type finish, Caroline Rousseau scored the state championship game-winning goal in overtime.

That kind of drama and triumph doesn’t happen by accident and as a result, The Forecaster is naming Scott Rousseau our Portland edition Winter Coach of the Year, of a girls’ team.

Rousseau also won this award in 2005 and 2023.

Rousseau was a standout player at St. Dom’s, went on to play at West Point and had a long stint as Falmouth’s boys’ coach. Rousseau won 200 games with the then-Yachtsmen and led them to four regional finals, but suffered multiple gutwrenching playoff losses.

“You couldn’t script my first five years,” said Rousseau. “Those losses were just impossible. I think I just wanted it too much.”

After taking several years off, Rousseau resurfaced as the Cheverus girls’ coach in 2016 and by 2018 had the Stags skating with the championship trophy. Cheverus won it again in 2023 and 2024 but after some irreplaceable players graduated, the road figured to be much tougher this winter.

Instead, the Stags stumbled just once (by a goal, to the Portland/South Portland/Cape Elizabeth/Deering Waynflete Beacons), tied one other contest and won every other game as the Caroline Rousseau-, Lucy Johnson-led offense remained prolific, Cheverus was its usual stingy self on defense and goalie Ellie Skolnekovich sparkled.

The Stags had no trouble beating Biddeford in the semifinals or the Beacons in the regional final, but the state game versus Brunswick would be a completely different story.

In fact, Cheverus was down a goal when the third period began, but following the lead of its coach, it remained calm and confident and wouldn’t be denied, forcing overtime on a Johnson goal, then winning it when Caroline Rousseau capped the magical run with the goal that gave her father arguably his most special title of all.

“If you wrote this script, it would have been thrown out,” Scott Rousseau said. “No one would have believed it. I know we’ve won before, but this is just different. This team’s journey was completely different from the others. It’s a very different group.”

Cheverus will face its share of doubters again next season, but bet against the Stags at your own peril. That’s because Scott Rousseau, our Portland edition girls’ team Winter Coach of the Year, has mastered the art of guiding his team to the pinnacle. Overcoming whatever challenges might stand in the way in the process.

Previous winners:

• 2023-24 Sarah Rasmussen (Deering/Portland swimming)
* 2022-23 Scott Rousseau (Cheverus hockey)
* 2021-22 Billy Goodman (Cheverus basketball)
* 2020-21 Billy Goodman (Cheverus basketball)
• 2019-20 Bob Mills (Cape/Waynflete/South Portland hockey)
• 2018-19 George Aponte-Clarke (Portland/Deering/Cheverus skiing)
• 2017-18 Tom Clifford (Portland/Deering hockey)
• 2016-17 Billy Goodman (MGA basketball)
• 2015-16 Kent Hulst (Cheverus hockey)
• 2014-15 Billy Goodman (McAuley basketball)
• 2013-14 Kevin Haley (Cheverus swimming)
• 2012-13 Brandon Salway (Waynflete basketball)
• 2011-12 Brandon Salway (Waynflete basketball)
• 2010-11 Amy Vachon (McAuley basketball)
• 2009-10 J.P. Lavoie (Cheverus hockey)
• 2008-09 Mike Murphy (Deering basketball)
• 2007-08 John Smith (McAuley swimming)
• 2006-07 Jan Veinot (Waynflete basketball)
• 2005-06 Kevin Campbell (Deering track)
• 2004-05 Lindsay Reagan (Waynflete Nordic skiing)
• 2003-04 Mike D’Andrea (Deering basketball)

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.