Bangor High School goalie Jake Hirsch said he was surprised he was named one of four finalists for the Travis Roy Award given to the state’s top senior hockey player.
He is joined by Edward Little High of Auburn’s Jack Keefe, Falmouth’s Charlie Adams and South Portland’s Cullen Adams after the pool was whittled down from eight to four.
The Travis Roy Award will be presented at the Class A hockey all-state banquet at the Hilton Garden Inn-Riverwatch in Auburn on Saturday, March 19 at 3 p.m. It is named after the late Maine native Travis Roy, who crashed headlong into the boards awkwardly on his first shift at Boston University and was paralyzed from the neck down. He went to become a renowned motivational speaker who touched lives everywhere he spoke.
“I worked hard during the off-season because, in the back of my mind, I wanted to become one of the better players in the league,” said the 6-foot-3 Hirsch. “But this is surreal.”
Hirsch posted a 10-2 record during the regular season along with a 1.89 goals-against average and an impressive .950 save percentage to lead the Rams to a 14-3 record and the second seed in the statewide Class A Heal Points standings. He registered four shutouts.
However, the Rams were upset by No. 7 Scarborough 4-2 in the quarterfinals, which Hirsch said the team was still processing. He said the season was “something to be proud of” and credited his teammates with playing a major role in his success.
“Our team was so hard-working and we all meshed together and formed a bond which helped create a good team,” he said.
He said he is in elite company with the other finalists.
Cullen Adams helped South Portland reach the playoff semifinals. He had 14 goals and 10 assists during the regular season as South Portland went 11-6-1 and earned the third seed.
Charlie Adams racked up 10 goals and 22 assists for Falmouth during the regular season as Falmouth earned the fourth seed with a 9-7-1 record. Keefe’s 17 goals and 11 assists helped Edward Little go 16-2 and finish atop the Heal Points standings.
Falmouth and Edward Little lost to Thornton Academy of Saco in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, both by a 2-1 scoreline.