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Jason Smith skated toward the Camden Hills goal during a recent game with a couple of options running through his mind.
Shoot to score, and perhaps reach an individual milestone in the process, or drop a pass back to a charging teammate for an even better shot, with an Old Town hockey victory as the goal.
Smith chose the latter, and soon after he was rewarded with the former anyway.
While that particular bid was thwarted by a big save, Smith scored the game-winner in overtime, not only to give the Coyotes a 3-2 victory but also to become just the second player in Old Town’s 30-year high school hockey history to reach 100 career points.
“We as coaches talked after the game about how that play told the whole story about Jason Smith,” said Old Town coach Brett Hale. “So many kids in that situation would have wanted to score that goal.”
Entering this week’s play, Smith has 53 goals and 47 assists in 71 career games, numbers that suggest not only the ability to score but the foresight to create.
“Jason has really good speed, and he sees the whole ice,” said Hale of Smith, who joined Corey Thibodeau as the only members of Old Town’s 100-point club. Thibodeau finished with more than 100 career goals.
“A lot of players have talent, but [Jason Smith is] a goal scorer. He just has a knack for putting the puck in the net, but he’s also quick to find the open teammate,” Hale added.
Hale credits much of Smith’s success to his experience in travel hockey leagues and his comfort on the ice with longtime Old Town teammate Josh Hesseltine.
“He’s played against the best in the state,” said Hale. “And with Josh, they know each other inside and out and play so well together.”
Smith, a 5-foot-9, 165-pound senior forward, has drawn interest from both the University of Southern Maine in Gorham and Colby College of Waterville to continue his hockey career.
Daniels returns to Easton varsity
Easton High School junior forward Sean Daniels has made additional basketball progress in his recovery from a potato-harvesting accident last fall that resulted in the loss of his left hand and forearm.
Daniels, who has been playing on the Bears’ junior varsity team since returning to the court in December, saw his first varsity action Saturday in a game against Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook.
“It’s a small step, but everything seems to be going in the right direction,” said Easton coach Travis Carter.
Daniels got into the game late in the fourth quarter of Easton’s 68-43 victory and scored a basket in the final seconds on a short hook shot.
“When he went into the game, the place went absolutely bananas for him,” Carter said.
He saw spot duty again Monday night when the Bears dropped a 63-57 overtime decision to Ashland.
“He’s gotten into a couple of games,” said Carter. “He’s played a little bit, and he’s adjusting to the intensity level.”
Daniels, who still plays on the junior varsity, has struggled a bit recently, but Carter is optimistic he will regain his basketball rhythm.
“So many people are pulling for Sean,” Carter said. “People are expecting him to score 10 or 12 points a game, so there’s a lot of pressure, but that’s something he’ll have to work through.”
Easton, which next plays Friday at Washburn, is off to one of its best starts in years. The Bears are 11-2 and ranked third in the latest Eastern Maine Class D Heal Point ratings behind Deer Isle-Stonington and Central Aroostook of Mars Hill.
Daniels has an appointment at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield, Mass., in mid-March that he hopes will begin the process of procuring a prosthetic arm.
Lowell back in Schenck lineup
Senior Mike Lowell returned to the Schenck boys basketball lineup Thursday after being suspended for six games. Schenck athletic director John Montgomery confirmed Lowell’s suspension but could not state the reason due to the school’s policy on student confidentiality laws.
Lowell, a 6-foot-2 guard, was a member of the BDN All-Tourney team last season when he helped lead the Wolverines of East Millinocket to a berth in the Eastern Maine Class D final where they were beaten by Deer Isle-Stonington.
Lancisi leaves FA baseball post
Business is picking up for Paul Lancisi, so baseball will have to take a back seat.
Lancisi has resigned as the varsity baseball coach at Foxcroft Academy, citing the demands of his growing family business. Lancisi is the owner of Dovetail Furniture in Bradford, a company that specializes in custom cabinetry, and he recently opened Designed Living Custom Kitchen and Home Center in Greenville.
He coached the Ponies to a 30-23 record in three seasons, including two trips to the Eastern Maine Class B quarterfinals and a third appearance in a regional prelim.
Last spring Foxcroft finished with a 9-9 record, winning a prelim game before dropping an 8-7 quarterfinal decision to eventual Eastern B champion Winslow.
Lancisi’s son, Nick, was a star catcher on that Foxcroft team and this spring will seek to continue his playing career at the University of Massachusetts.
eclark@bangordailynews.net
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