Hard work, accountability keys in Orono success

ORONO – After skating to a tie in Presque Isle, which left their record at 0-1-1, several Orono High School seniors approached 12th-year head coach Greg Hirsch on the trip home.

“They wanted us to push them beyond their limits [in practice]. It was refreshing,” said Hirsch, who examined everything from their systems to their practice drills.

“So we went back to basics. We harped on the little things and made sure we held them accountable in practice,” said Hirsch.

Since that time, the Riots have gone 11-1, including a couple of memorable wins last week over Bangor (4-1) and Brewer (7-4).

“That was a huge week for us,” said senior left winger Tony Raymond. “I don’t think we’ve ever beaten Bangor or Brewer before.”

The only loss was to Winslow (5-2), which is leading the Eastern Maine Class B Heal Points with Orono in pursuit in second place.

“The guys have really stepped up. They’ve taken on every challenge we’ve given them. The best thing about this team is their attitude,” said Hirsch.

Senior defenseman Jordan Dudley said, “The last two years, [Hirsch] has been getting progressively easier. This year, we wanted it to be different and he has made it a lot more difficult to let us know what it takes to be a winner.”

Raymond said, “When we won Eastern Maine [Class B] my freshman year, we didn’t have the best skills, but we were a hardworking team. We worked hard every day, and we wanted to bring that back.”

Hirsch said this could very well be his best team.

“We’re fairly deep up front. We have two scoring lines that have been producing and a third line that can slow teams down. We had some holes to fill on defense so we moved [forwards] Jordan Dudley and Mark Cloutier back there. It took them a little while to get used to it, but they’re starting to click,” said Hirsch, who has also received solid goaltending from senior Jared Bussell.

His three leading scorers are senior linemates Raymond (17 goals, 31 assists), center Sean Babin (28 & 16), and right wing Chris McConnon (19 & 17).

“It the first time in a long time I’ve had three seniors on one line. They all see the ice real well and they can all finish. They have a maturity. Raymond is the playmaker, Babin is tough down low and McConnon is the scrappy forward who gets in the corners and also gets to rebounds,” said Hirsch.

“We have a lot of chemistry,” said Raymond. “We know where each other is. We grew up together for the most part and we’re clicking right now.”

Babin and Raymond were linemates last year and McConnon and Raymond were linemates as freshmen. Babin said the three of them played together briefly last season.

“Their top line is as good as anybody else’s top line,” said Brewer coach Bill Schwarz. “They’re quick and shifty.”

The second line features sophomore left wing Brandon Paul (12 & 8), junior center Nathan Curtis (7 & 10), and senior right wing Dan Ohno (6 & 6).

“Paul is very dangerous. He’s probably our purest goal scorer,” said Hirsch. “Curtis is big and strong and can put the puck in the net, and Ohno is scrappy and strong on the puck.”

Sophomore Ben Perry (4 & 3) centers the third line between sophomores Eli Williams (1 & 1) and Darren Casey-Covell (1 & 1).

Dudley (1 & 11) and Cloutier (4 & 6) are their top-scoring defensemen. Sophomore Chad Evinger (2 & 1), junior Luke Estes (0 & 2), and freshman Jake Doing (0 & 2) have also capably manned the blue line.

Bussell has a 3.00 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage.

McConnon said this is definitely the best team he has played on.

“We’ve got depth, chemistry, and a great bunch of guys,” said McConnon.