Robby Dee, whose 49 goals were tops among all schoolboy scorers in Minnesota this past season, has verbally committed to attend the University of Maine on a hockey scholarship beginning in 2006.

Dee, a center and left wing who also had 38 assists in 28 games for the Breck School in Golden Valley, Minn., will spend next season with the Omaha Lancers in the U.S. [Junior] Hockey League.

“He’s very gifted, offensively. He’s one of the most fluid skaters I’ve ever seen. He has breakaway speed. And he can score from anywhere,” said Breck coach Wally Chapman, a 121-point scorer at the University of Minnesota from 1983-86. “I think he can be a great college scorer. He gets his shot off quick and he’s accurate with it.

“This is a great decision for him,” added Chapman. “With the coaching and the opportunity he’s going to get at Maine, he could be a great college hockey player.”

Maine has struggled offensively, particularly in the NCAA tournament where it has produced only four goals in its last four games.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Dee, a native of Plymouth, Minn., said he had been contacted by several schools “but the decision wasn’t that hard.

“You do what you heart tells you to do. Maine is the best fit for me,” said Dee.

“I really liked the coaches at Maine and when I visited, I liked the guys and everything else. I liked the program in general and how well they’ve done in the past. They have a great tradition,” Dee added.

Dee said he intends to “keep working hard” with the Lancers next season and he wants to get “bigger and stronger” so he can make a smooth transition to college hockey.

According to Chapman, Dee will need to work on his defensive play in Omaha and to make sure he plays at a “consistently high level on every shift.”