The youth movement has paid huge dividends for the Hampden Academy cooperative hockey team, which captured its first Class B North championship since 2003 on Wednesday night by virtue of its 2-1 triple-overtime victory over Messalonskee High of Oakland at Alfond Arena.
The Broncos’ top line is composed of two freshmen and a sophomore and they are also the team’s leading scorers.
They collaborated on the game-winning goal as freshman center Henry Armell batted a floating puck out of the air over to sophomore left wing Wyatt Allen and Allen tapped it over the goal line. Freshman Aiden MacFarline is the right wing on the line and was also on the ice.
Armell is the Broncos’ leading point-getter, Presque Isle transfer MacFarline is second and Allen is third. All have more than 11 goals and 20 points.
Armell has racked up more than 30 points.
Henry Boudreau, one of two players on the team from Ellsworth High, is a freshman and is the left wing on the second line. His linemates are sophomore Colby Pangburn and Miles Shields, the only senior among the top 10 forwards. And there are no juniors.
Fourth-year head coach Zach Wilson rotates in four players on the third line, freshmen Chase Thornton and Cameron Wharff and sophomores Mathew Donahue and Isaac Furrow.
Wharff is the other Ellsworth player on the roster while Donahue and Furrow are from Nokomis Regional High School in Newport.
Mount Desert Island is the other school represented on the co-op team thanks to forward Charlie Ricardo.
Two freshmen are among the five defensemen who play regularly: Chasen Grant and Presque Isle transfer Reid Dugal.
Senior co-captain Gunnar Weil and juniors Brody Miller and Silas Bryant are the other blue line regulars in front of senior co-captain Aiden Surran, the goaltender who made 32 saves in the title game.
“Our freshmen are special,” said Coach Wilson.
He added that in addition to being talented and having great ice vision, they have also been great teammates.
This team has bonded like a family,” Wilson said.
A happy Surran said after Wednesday night’s regional final win that the freshman “bring so much energy and life” to the Broncos team.
“They make our team so much deeper. Before, we could run only two lines out there but now we have three full lines going,” Surran said. “That top line has been clicking all year beginning from day one. They work so well together. They move the puck well and they finish when it matters.”
Coach Wilson said having a youthful team certainly has its perks.
“Being young, they don’t know what they’re up against so they just go for it,” Wilson said. “They’re out there flying around. They’re fearless.”
Wilson has 11 freshmen and seven sophomores on his 26-player roster.
Armell said being on a regional championship team feels amazing.
“I knew we were going to have a good team, but I never thought we’d be where we are now,” said the elusive and skillful Armell.
Armell and his linemates got a chance to play together this fall for the North Stars, a local team drawing from some of the top players in the Bangor area.
He and Allen have been teammates in youth hockey and MacFarline moved down to the area from Presque Isle this past summer.
“We have a lot of chemistry on our line and our team has had great leadership,” Armell said.
The freshman said that everyone on the team has been cheering them on, especially co-captain Weil.
“The seniors have been huge for our program,” Wilson said.
The other seniors besides Surran, Weil and Shields are forward Harrison Bourassa and backup goalie Wyatt Waloewandja.
The 14-6-1 Broncos have won eight of their last nine games entering Saturday’s 1 p.m. state championship game against 17-4 York at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland. They have held opponents to two goals or less 13 times and to one or fewer 12 times.
They have given up just 13 goals in their last nine games.
“We knew we had a great goalie in Aiden and two really solid defensemen with Gunnar and Brody (Miller),” said Wilson, who added that Bryant has made significant improvement on the blue line and the two freshmen have been good.
That has enabled them to change their defensive zone structure, the coach explained.
“We’re able to be a little more aggressive with stuff because they are able to take care of the puck in the defensive zone,” Wilson said.
He said a Valentine’s Day 4-3 overtime loss to Messalonskee, their last loss, was a turning point in the season.
“It hurt. After that, the kids buckled down and committed to all three zones. It obviously paid off,” Wilson said.
It was Hampden Academy’s fifth appearance in the B North championship game in six years and Surran was elated to finally get over the hump.
“My sophomore year, we lost to Camden Hills 6-5 and I have been devastated ever since,” said Surran. “Ever since, I said when we get back to this game, we’re going to make it count and win.”
And, thanks to his 32 saves and the effort from the youngsters, they did.
