ORONO – Youngsters dream of playing for their hometown team.

University of Maine sophomore center-right wing Derek Damon is living that dream.

The Bangor native and former John Bapst High School standout is having a productive first season at Maine. Damon and the Bears will travel to Providence and UMass-Lowell for games this weekend.

Damon, who was academically ineligible a year ago, has contributed three goals and four assists in 15 games and has gone from being a fourth-line grinder to playing right wing on a line with seniors Lucas Lawson and Marty Kariya.

He was also elevated to one of the power play units before the Dec. 15 game against Harvard.

“He has worked very hard and gotten into the best shape of his life. That has helped his speed and his endurance,” said Maine coach Tim Whitehead. “He has great hockey sense. He can make a play and he can shoot the puck.”

The son of Doug and Cherie Damon set the foundation for his success a year ago when he improved his academic standing and his conditioning while practicing with the team.

“I knew if I didn’t use last year as an experience year and get everything under control, I wouldn’t be playing this year. I matured not only as a hockey player, but as a person,” said Damon, who worked out under the guidance of Maine strength and conditioning coach Will Biberstein this past summer.

“I came into training camp in great shape. I wanted to show the guys I wanted to play and I meant business,” said Damon, who left John Bapst after two years to play for St. Dom’s in Lewiston.

“He really worked hard in the off-season and lost a lot of weight. He earned our respect that way. He has been a big help on the ice. We needed our young guys to step up for us and he has done that,” said Maine senior captain and left winger Chris Heisten.

Damon led St. Dom’s to a state championship and was selected the Maine High School Player of the Year in 1999.

He then spent two years playing for the Exeter Snow Devils in the Eastern Junior Hockey League and was a league all-star both years.

“I don’t want to take anything away from high school hockey in Maine, but playing 60-70 games a year in junior hockey gave me the experience I needed to come here and be ready,” said Damon.

Maine high school teams aren’t allowed to play more than 20 regular season games.

Damon said playing at Maine “was always in the back of my mind” although he admits that it was “always a longshot.”

During his first season with Exeter, Maine assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Grant Standbrook watched him “and told me I was a year away. I worked hard in the summer and during my second year at Exeter, Coach Standbrook came and said we want you.”

Whitehead said Damon skated as a defenseman during practice last year and “that helped him become a better two-way player.”

The six-foot, 196-pound Damon also became a more physical player.

“It was something I needed to be to get into the lineup,” said Damon. “Being a big player, I felt I could really lift our team by going out and laying some big hits on guys.”

Damon admits that the first time he walked down the tunnel to the ice for his first game in Alfond Arena, he was “really nervous.

“But it was a great feeling. My family was there and we have such great support from fans in the community. It’s just awesome to play here,” said Damon.

Heisten said Damon is “definitely a power play player” and Damon said it has been a thrill for him.

“Being on the power play fits my game really well. It’s nice to play with four other guys who are unbelievable players. They see the ice so well. It’s a lot of fun,” said Damon who, in addition to his improvement on the ice, pulled a 3.08 grade-point average this past semester.