Wildcats, Minutemen among top Class B teams

The Brewer High School Witches have won the last two Eastern Maine Class B hockey championships.

But mainstays Ben and Chris Roeder, Matt Enman and Matt Blaine have graduated so Eastern Class B appears to be wide open this season.

Eighth-year Brewer coach Bill Schwarz said he expects Winslow, Hampden, Presque Isle and Stearns to be the top contenders with Messalonskee being another possibility.

As for his 2-1 Witches, Schwarz said, “We’ll be a middle of the road team. We could be in the upper echelon by the end of the year.”

Schwarz’s primary concern is goal scoring. He has one veteran scoring line in Chris O’Donnell between Ben Ellis and Jason Seavey but he will need production from his second and third lines.

“I think we’ll be outstanding in goal with Shawn Murphy and our defense should be another strength,” said Schwarz, whose blue line corps will be anchored by senior Rob Jardine and junior Trevor Watt. “We’re going to have to play low-scoring games.”

Hampden made it to the Eastern semis a year ago in just its second varsity season and third-year coach Paul Henderson has lost only four regulars off that team, including All-Eastern B first team forward Mike Tardif and second team goalie Cory Nicholson.

“We should be able to skate three lines on a regular basis and Ian Dilts is a very good goaltender,” said Henderson. “I expect our defense corps to be improved.”

Henderson can throw three good lines at opponents with Tyler Whitehouse centering Ryan McPike and newcomer Scott Tardif, Mike’s younger brother, on the top line, and Mark McLean centering Jason Dority and Rob King and John VanVranken on the second line.

Veterans Jason Yehle, Mike Cianchette and Matt Economy anchor a seasoned defense corps.

Presque Isle reached the EM final in just its fourth varsity season last winter.

All-EM second team forward Nate Straetz is gone and All-EM second team defenseman Tim Belden will be sidelined until at least Jan. 15 with a broken femur.

But they have plenty of quality returnees back in centers Doug Carlisle and Jason Straetz and RW Owen McMahon. Coach Rod MacIntosh said sophomore wings Joel Duncan and Kyle Folsom have shown dramatic improvement.

Trevor Folsom, Derek Derosier, Derrick Allen and freshman Aaron Madore will head up the defense corps in Belden’s absence.

Senior Dan Namur is considered “one of the best goalies in Class B” by MacIntosh.

“We have two lines who can skate with anybody in the league but we’ll need some production from the third line,” said MacIntosh.

Eastern semifinalist Winslow, 13-1-1 in its last 15 games a year ago, has opened with shutout wins over Cony (6-0) and new Eastern B member Maranacook of Readfield (3-0), a Western B team last year.

“We should be pretty good up front,” said Winslow coach Lee Bureau who possesses three dangerous lines.

The top line consists of the Gunning brothers, Mark and Erik, with Seth Karter. That line is always a threat. Jake Savasak, Chad Dubois and Nick McCann make up a good second line.

Greg Croce and Danny Welch key an experienced defense corps in front of top-notch sophomomre goalie Jon Taylor.

A junior-laden Stearns team is off to a 2-0 start.

“We’re strong in goal with Jeremy Munoz; our defense is greatly improved and we have a lot of firepower up front,” said Stearns coach Rod Daigle.

First team All-EM center Josh Lynch and his linemate, LW Justin Grant, are very dangerous. Center Jesse McEwen and linemate LW Frank Bowley can also find the net.

Josh Perry and Aaron Thibodeau lead a veteran defense corps.

Messalonskee and Maranacook are sleepers.

Messalonskee’s Eagles have a second team All-EM choice in center Nate Ponitz and an honorable mention in defenseman Nick Bragg, who each had over 50 points a year ago according to coach Danny Bolduc. Bolduc said sophomore Ryan Ridky could become one of the best goalies in the state but they are young on defense and center Mike Engert will be out 4-6 weeks with a fractured leg.

Maranacook, according to coach Dean Stockford, returns the top scorer in Class B a year ago in 64-point man Peter Daniel. Daniel’s twin brother, Cedric, headlines an inexperienced defense corps in front of goalie Ryan O’Connor, considered one of the state’s best by Stockford.