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Have you heard the old adage “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog?”
Meet Jake Richter.
The rugged Brewer High School senior defenseman stands just 5-foot-9 and weighs only 155 pounds.
But when he hits people, they feel every pound of his muscular frame.
“It’s like hitting a rock. He’s the toughest guy I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s fearless,” said Brewer senior right wing Matt Grimes
“Even though he’s not big, he doesn’t care. He just throws his body around,” said Bangor High School senior goalie Aaron Buzzell, a longtime teammate of Richter’s on Penobscot Valley Hockey Conference travel squads. “He makes his presence known on the ice. It’s like ‘I’m here and you’d better watch out.’ He’ll go up against the tallest and biggest guys. It doesn’t matter.”
Brewer senior left wing Eamon Harding added, “When he comes around the net, you don’t want to get in his way. He’s ripped.”
Richter, who was a middle linebacker on the Brewer football team, said hitting has “always come natural to me. I’ve always been able to hit. I love hitting. I’ve always been able to take people down who are a lot bigger than me. You can take anybody person down [if you hit them] at the right angle, no matter what size they are.”
He says his ability to deliver forceful body checks has a lot to do with “my legs.
“I don’t know. I guess I just have a natural pop when I hit people. It’s all in your technique,” said Richter, who is a clean hitter with only a handful of penalty minutes.
“He gets really low and he can put a whipping on you, basically,” said Bangor senior center Brandon Prescott.
Richter recognizes the importance of a jarring hit.
“I always joke around with coach [Steve Van Dolman]. I tell him I’d rather make a good hit than score a good goal, any day,” he grinned. “Just because a good hit fires the team up. That’s my pride and joy. And I love the emotion from the crowd.”
Grimes said Richter “gets you right into the game with big hits. He gets you pumped up and ready to play.”
But Richter is much more than just a physical presence.
A former forward, he has evolved into a topnotch defenseman who uses his speed to skate away from forecheckers.
“My skating has definitely gotten a lot better. But my puck control could use a little work. I tend to skate by the puck every once in a while,” grinned Richter, who has guided the Witches to a 10-4 record.
“He’s a solid defenseman,” said Van Dolman. “He can skate the puck from end to end. He’s a two-year captain and brings a lot of leadership to the team. He’s very quiet but when he needs to get his message across, he definitely gets it across.”
“Any team would love to have a kid like that,” said Bangor coach Dan Kerluke. “He’s a solid player. He’s good in the corners. He’s tough to play against.”
He doesn’t have any goals yet this season but he has around 10 assists, according to Van Dolman.
Richter has followed in older brother Jeremiah’s footsteps at Brewer.
When the family moved from Aroostook County to Lamoine, they went from an area where they played a lot of youth hockey, including a healthy portion in Canada, to an area without it.
But the Richters made the commute to the Bangor area where they played for the Penobscot Valley Hockey Conference travel teams.
Lamoine residents go to Ellsworth High School but Ellsworth doesn’t have football or hockey so the Richter brothers came to Brewer.
He said he won’t miss the commute when he graduates but said it has all been “well worth it.
“I’ve been able to play football and hockey and Brewer is a good school with good teachers,” said Richter.
In addition to his sports and academic careers, Richter has another challenge ahead of him soon after his graduation.
Richter will head to Parris Island (S.C.) on June 27 for basic training in the United States Marine Corps. He currently trains with other future Marines at the recruiting office in Bangor every Saturday.
He has done so since July.
“I’ve known I wanted to go into the military since eighth grade,” said Richter. “I’m excited to go. The closer it gets to boot camp, the more antsy I get about doing it. I’m excited.”
He knows he could well find himself fighting in the war in Iraq. But he’s ready for it.
“I realize all the possibilities and outcomes. Still, it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while. Serve my country,” said Richter.
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