As a freshman last year, goalie Keith Hedrick was transformed into a forward. He had to be. His Orono High School hockey team had only 13 players.

Thanks to an infusion of talent and depth produced by a seven-member freshman class, the sophomore Hedrick has been able to return to the nets, and his Riots are one win away from their first-ever state Class B hockey championship.

Orono, which won only six games a year ago, will take on surprising Fryeburg Academy in today’s 1 p.m. showdown at the Colisee in Lewiston.

Eastern champ champ Edward Little, 22-1, and Western winner St. Dom’s, 18-4, will square off in a battle of Auburn-based schools for the “A” crown at 6 p.m. at the Colisee.

Fred Apt’s Fryeburg Academy Raiders are in their third varsity season. They went 4-14 a year ago.

The fifth-seeded Raiders, 17-5, upset Maranacook of Readfield 3-2 in two overtimes, Cape Elizabeth 2-1, and Greely of Cumberland Center 5-4 behind the goaltending of junior Joe Mango. He has stopped 109 of 116 shots he has seen in the playoffs for a save percentage of .940.

The line of Jordan DeLong (2 goals, 5 assists), Bo Apt (4 & 2), and Chris Charlong (3 & 2) along with defenseman Nick Lawrence (1 & 3) have produced all of the offense in the post-season. They produced virtually all of it during the regular season as well.

The tireless Lawrence, a transfer from New Brunswick, has scored more than 30 goals and garners a ton of ice time. He was moved from forward to defense during the season.

Orono, the top seed in Eastern Maine Class B, has been paced by the line of sophomore John Tuell between freshmen Tony Raymond and Chris McConnon; an efficient and steady defense corps anchored by sophomore Travis Bryant and junior Joey Fullwood, and the goaltending of Hedrick, who shut out Gardiner 4-0 in the EM B final Wednesday with a 17-save performance.

Coach Greg Hirsch said his upstart Riots are “a pretty confident bunch” despite their youth, but they aren’t overconfident.

“We aren’t taking anything for granted. Fryeburg has overcome a lot to get here. We understand that. By the same token, we’ve got a job at hand we want to accomplish,” said Hirsch, who will be leading the Riots into their first state final since 1999.

Fryeburg managed to win the semifinal and WM championship games despite being outshot 91-29.

Hirsch knows his team has a decided edge in the depth department and hopes to exploit it.

“We want to establish our presence right off the bat. We want to come out and play the body on them. And we’d like to put the puck behind the kid [Mango] early. He’s hot right now and we want to establish our presence,” said Hirsch.

The 31-year-old former University of Maine goalie said his team has matured dramatically over the course of the season.

“The difference is night and day,” said Hirsch. “The kids are playing like veterans now. Their confidence level is up.”

The Raymond-Tuell-McConnon line has produced all nine postseason goals for the Riots with Tuell notching three goals and four assists, Raymond collecting three goals and three assists, and McConnon checking in with three goals and two assists. Hedrick has stopped 48 of 49 shots.

“Their instincts are unbelievable. They know where each other is going to be. They move well without the puck,” said Hirsch.