LEWISTON — Vastly underrated as an authority on Maine high school hockey, the English poet Alexander Pope nonetheless had a prescient take some 300 years ago on the upcoming Class A state championship clash between Thornton Academy and Lewiston.

Or so believes Thornton coach Shawn Rousseau who cited the Pope’s famed quote, “Act thy part well, therein lies the glory” in setting out the task that faces the Golden Trojans on Saturday (6 p.m.) at the Colisee in Lewiston.

“That really is the success of our group, right now,” said Rousseau, who holds a  Master’s Degree in Shakespeare Studies. “No matter what we’re asking them to do, systems-wise, the kids recognize that they have a job to do. And they’re just very happy to fill the role. Right to the last man.”

That thought evokes a line from Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”, which if you read into the Bard of Avon’s thinking would have said, “All the world is a rink, and we just skate our lanes.”

Which is what every coach who has ever tooted a whistle, including Rousseau, has attempted to drum into the heads of their players in preparation for their biggest challenges.

Keep it simple and avoid mistakes against the powerful Blue Devils, which is what it will likely take for the Golden Trojans to bring home their first-ever hockey title.

“If we can continue to do that, identify what’s going to be best, I believe that the kids will produce,” Rousseau said.

And down the stretch, the Trojans have produced handsomely, winning their last eight games, five of them by shutouts authored by senior goalie Jay Finch.

This run of success began well after Thornton’s two early season meetings with Lewiston, both of which ended in losses for the Trojans.

Lewiston coach Jamie Belleau doesn’t buy the notion that beating the same team three times in one year is next to impossible.

“That’s the old conventional wisdom,” said Belleau, whose team has gone 17-1-2. “We just beat St. Dom’s three times. Look, the reality is that we can draw upon the fact that we’ve had some success against Thornton Academy. But those games don’t mean anything now. It’s a one game series.

“The team that comes ready to play on Saturday, executes and plays the best, is the team that has the chance to win. Because they’re both evenly matched. It gives us a little bit of comfort knowing we can beat them. But that’s about it. We’ve got to come ready to play. They haven’t lost a game in a long time.”

The Lewiston attack is led by forward Colt Steele, who popped in 28 goals during the regular season after returning to Lewiston High from junior hockey.

“That’s why I came back,” said Steele. “To win a championship.”

Steele is very well acquainted with many of the Trojans, having played with or faced off against many of them along the way.

“I know most of them and played in festivals with a lot of them,” said Steele. “I played with (forward) C.J. Maksut on the Seacoast Spartans. He’s very shifty. Finchy’s a great goalie. But once you’re on the ice, you don’t have any friends. You’re going for that ring.”

One would need both hands and both feet to display rings for all the championships won by the Blue Devils.

Twenty of them in all, with the last of those coming in 2002.

Rousseau, who grew up in Lewiston, was part of two of those title teams, in 1992 and 93.

However, he has no desire to see the Blue Devils add one more line to the championship banner that hangs in the Colisee.

“They have ”˜Tradition’, and I was part of that.” said Rousseau, invoking the Lewiston team motto,  “Now we’re trying to break it.”

If all goes well for Thornton, they will.

And if not, well, Pope had a line for that, too.

“To err is human, to forgive is divine.”

The guy sure did know his hockey.

— Contact Dan Hickling at dhickling@journaltribune.com, or follow on Twitter @DanHickling.