BREWER, Maine — Junior center Jared Cunningham, who racked up 79 points in leading the Messalonskee High School Eagles to their second straight state Class B championship, was named the player of the year in Eastern Maine Class B at the league’s annual banquet Sunday at Jeff’s Catering.
He follows older brother Chase, who was the Player of the Year last season.
Cunningham notched 32 goals and 47 assists in 20 games to pilot the Eagles to a 20-1 season.
Dennis Martin, who guided Waterville to a 13-4-1 regular season and second place in the final Heal point standings, was named the coach of the year.
Houlton-Hodgdon won the sportsmanship award.
The voting was conducted among the league’s coaches.
Cunningham scored 32 goals and handed out 47 assists as the Eagles of first-year coach Joe Hague won 18 straight games following an early-season loss to Class A semifinalist Bangor.
Cunningham capped the season with a third-period hat trick to key a six-goal rally that erased a 2-1 deficit and gave Messalonskee a 7-2 win over Gorham in the state final.
Cunningham and linemates Brandon Nale (37 and 41) and Jake Dexter (40 and 35) combined for 109 goals and 123 assists.
“He’s a fabulous hockey player,” Martin said. “He does so much. He plays both ends of the ice, he uses his players well and if sees an advantage, he takes it. He is a pure playmaker who is also a goal scorer, and he makes all of the players on his team better.”
Hampden Academy coach Bill Schwarz said Cunningham “sees everything on the ice so well.”
The 5-foot-8, 150-pound Cunningham said he was “honored” by the award.
“It’s one of the best awards you can receive,” said Cunningham who credited his success to hard work, a desire to win and his linemates.
“It’s an honor to play on a line with them. To have two guys on your line who play the same style as you do is amazing,” said Cunningham who has sparked the Eagles to a 41-1 record the past two seasons.
The 44-year-old Martin, who is in his 11th season as the head coach at Waterville, said he didn’t expect to win coach of the year.
“It’s all about the kids. They did all the work,” he said. “We had a lot of young guys who worked hard and got better every week. And we had good leaders who emphasized a work ethic.”
“I was very impressed with the job he did,” Winslow coach Andy Dube said. “He had some good little players who played together very well.”
Schwarz said Martin did a great job with a young team.
“He cares about his kids and about hockey,” he said.
“He is constantly positive with us and he always fires us up. His passion for the game and his Waterville pride keep us going,” said Waterville junior left wing Michael Oliveira.
“He’s a great coach who keeps us calm and teaches us a lot,” Waterville sophomore defenseman Andrew Roderigue added.
Waterville, which closed out its regular season with an eight-game unbeaten streak (7-0-1), had just one senior along with four juniors, 10 sophomores and three freshmen.
Joining Cunningham on the All-EM Class B first team were teammates Nale, a sophomore, junior defenseman Dylan Burton and senior goalie Elija Tuell along with Waterville junior forward Nick Denis and Hampden senior defenseman Riley Eastman.
The second team consisted of Messalonskee senior Dexter, Waterville defensemen Roderigue and Matt Jolicoeur, both sophomores; John Bapst senior forward Hunter Pate, Brewer senior forward Gabe Valley and Presque Isle junior goalie Jillian Flynn.
The third team consisted of Winslow forwards Alex Berard, a senior, and Jacob Trask, a junior, along with senior defenseman Jake Larsen; John Bapst sophomore forward Tyler Wheeler, Old Town-Orono senior defenseman Tyler Byther and Brewer junior goalie Tyler Friel.
The All-Rookie Team was made up of forwards Jacob Dubay of Old Town-Orono, Logan Denis of Winslow and Dustin Brown od Messalonskee; defensemen Drew Gardner of John Bapst and Trey Wood of Brewer, and goalie Cole Benner of Hampden Academy.
The honorable mentions were Presque Isle’s Cooper Madore, Winslow’s Jimmy Fowler, Houlton-Hodgdon’s Cam Clark, Messalonskee’s Sam Bell, Brewer’s Dylan Severance, John Bapst’s Sam Lander, Hampden Academy’s Marc Thibodeau, Waterville’s Oliveira and Old Town-Orono’s Damien Spencer.