There are no more practices and no more drills. No more skull sessions, either.
Just one more game remaining the 2011-12 season, but there is no bigger one to be played.
And if Thornton Academy (19-1-1) should happen to come out the victor in tonight’s Class A state title tilt against St. Dominic, they’ll take their second consecutive championship back to Saco.
Face off tonight is set for 6 p.m. at the Colisee in Lewiston, which as it was in last year’s championship game against Lewiston, will be filled to the rafters with an outpouring hockey passion from the expected capacity crowd of 3,500 (give or take a few).
The Saints in black and white on the home side. A wall of Thornton maroon and gold on the other.
“It’s a loud building,” said St. Dom’s coach Steve Ouellette. Great atmosphere. You can’t beat it.”
Both teams come into the contest at the peak of their game.
Thornton has averaged just over seven goals per game over the last 11 starts, including a raucous 8-4 food fight with Falmouth in the Western region championship game.
Two of those wins came over St. Dom’s (15-6), 8-1 and 6-1.
Thornton’s cumbustive offense is led by senior winger C.J Maksut, who is the school’s all time leading scorer.
Meanwhile, the Saints, who have won a record 24 titles but none since 2000, passed two extremely close playoff tests with one goal wins over Bangor (in overtime) and Lewiston (with Kyle Holtet pocketing the game’s only goal, shorthanded.)
Jamie Gagnon, Thornton’s first year coach who also directed Biddeford to state titles in 2007 and 2008, said he has plenty of respect for the Saints.
“This is a well coached team,” said Gagnon, “a team that can skate. Both matchups we had were closer than the scores indicated. I think think it’s going to be a tough match up. We’re going to have to be willing to skate, to match their legs.”
Gagnon said is impressed with the skill and savvy displayed by St. Dom’s forward corps.
“They do a pretty job of finding a spot (near) the net,” he said. “Leaking into the slot and finding holes in your defensive coverage. It think this is going to be one of those defensive zone awareness things. We have to make sure we know where they’re at. Because they are pretty quick.”
Senior center Andrew Carignan said he expects the Saints to put up a struggle, and that no one in the Golden Trojans’ dressing room is likely to take them for granted.
“I think it’s going to be a close game,” said Carignan. “Look at how they played Lewiston (in the Eastern final). They played a physical game and they can match up well against us. (Top scorer) Spencer Martin is pretty fast. Kyle Holtet has a great set of hands on him. And Cam Hainey is a great puck moving defenseman. They’ve got a pretty good set of kids there.”
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