The Forum in Presque Isle was scheduled to host the Class B North hockey semifinals for the first time on Saturday.
But fourth seed Presque Isle got upset by fifth seed Camden Hills of Rockport 7-4 on Tuesday and the other Aroostook County school, Houlton-Hodgdon-Katahdin, failed to qualify for the quarterfinals so the Maine Principals Association has moved the semifinals to Colby College’s Jack Kelley Rink in Waterville.
Camden Hills, sporting a 13-6 record, will take on eighth seed Old Town-Orono , 6-12-1, in Saturday night’s 5:30 semi final with second seed Cony/Monmouth/Erskine Academy/Mt. Blue/Richmond, 14-5, facing off against third seed Hampden Academy, 11-6-2, in the second game at approximately 7:30 p.m.
In a press release, MPA executive director Mike Burnham said the move was made to “eliminate unnecessary travel for the teams involved.”
The four teams would have traveled a combined total of 764 miles one way to get to Presque Isle as compared to 188 miles for the trip to Waterville.
Cony has reduced its travel from 233 miles one way to 21 and Camden Hills has gone from a 214-mile trip to a 50-mile drive.
Hampden Academy coach Zach Wilson and Old Town-Orono coach Chris Thurlow welcomed the change in venue.
“It would have been a long day for us (going to Presque Isle),” said Wilson, whose team will save 112 miles (53 instead of 165).
“It makes a lot more sense. It brings to question why they were going to put it up there in the first place,” posed Thurlow, whose team will have to go 64 miles instead of 152. “If you want to have fans, you’re better off playing in a central location.”
However, he noted that it may have been an advantage for his team if the game was in Presque Isle because Camden Hills would have had to make the trip to Presque Isle twice in five days.
But he also said once they drop the puck, it doesn’t matter where you’re playing.
The statewide Class A quarterfinals will get underway Friday and Saturday at the home rinks of the higher seeds.
Third seed Bangor, 12-5-1, will entertain sixth seed Marshwood/Noble/Traip/Sanford, 11-7, on Friday at 5:30 at Sawyer Arena. MNTS brings a five-game winning streak into the game.
The teams did not play during the regular season.
Also on Friday night in Class A, No. 4 Falmouth, 11-6-1, will host fifth seed and defending state champ Thornton Academy of Saco, 12-6, at 6 p.m. and eighth seed Windham/Westbrook/Bonny Eagle, 11-7, will travel to top seed Lewiston, 14-4. That is also a 6 p.m. puck drop.
The final A quarterfinal will be on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. when No. 2 St. Dom’s of Auburn, 13-3-2, entertains No. 7 Portland/South Portland/Deering/Waynflete, 9-8-1.
Also on Saturday will be the Class B South semifinals at the Troubh Ice Arena in Portland with top seed Cheverus/Yarmouth, 15-2-2, taking on fourth seed Greely of Cumberland Center, 13-6, at 4:30 and No. 2 Leavitt/Gray-New Gloucester/Oak Hill/Poland, 16-3, facing off against No. 3 York, 14-3-2.
Old Town-0rono reached the semifinals by stunning top seed Messalonskee of Oakland 3-1 on Tuesday.
Goalie Brock Parks made 37 saves and senior center Dylan Davis scored all three goals.
Old Town-Orono entered the game with a six-game losing streak and one win in its previous nine games.
One of those losses was a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of Messalonskee on Feb. 10.
“We have been quietly getting better even though the results don’t show it,” said Thurlow, whose team had been doing a better job establishing the forecheck and breaking the puck out of the defensive zone.
“That was the best game I’ve seen Brock play in his two years as a starter,” added Thurlow.
Davis, meanwhile, raised his goal total to 27 on the season with his hat trick.
He also has a team-high 17 assists.
Alex McCannell (8 goals, 6 assists) and Ridge Mitchell (9 & 3) provide supplemental scoring and Thurlow said his team has a good veteran defense corps featuring seniors Avery Redding (4 & 4), Jackson Lizzotte (3 & 4) and Owen Rand (0 & 3) along with junior Nate Baker (1 & 4).
Old Town-Orono lost its only meeting against Camden Hills, 5-2, on Feb. 19.
The Windjammers were led during the regular season by Owen McManus (29 & 24), Billy Kurzius (14 & 11), Blake Christie (8 & 15) and Bennett Gardner (10 & 8) along with goaltenders Ollie Sawitsky (7-2-0 record, 1.73 goals-against average) and Quinn Hoppin (4-4, 3.36).
Cony and Hampden Academy will enter their contest on unbeaten streaks.
Hampden Academy, a 2-1 winner over John Bapst of Bangor in the quarterfinals, has gone seven games without a loss (6-0-1) while Cony has won six in a row.
“Our guys are late bloomers. They really buckle down at the end. They made a nice run last year,” said Wilson, whose team won a pair of playoff games a year ago before losing to Messalonskee in the B North title game.
The regular season scoring leaders were Keith Brooks (16 & 25), Lucas Dunn (14 & 15), Matt Shayne (17 & 11) and Boston Merrow (8 & 9). Brooks and Shayne scored against John Bapst. Sophomore Aiden Surran had a 2.90 goals-against average during the regular season and came up with a stellar 19-save performance in the quarterfinal win over the Crusaders.
Cony, which beat Hampden Academy 4-0 on Jan. 13, features Cooper Clark (16 & 9), Zack Waddell (13 & 9), Owen Lyons (7 & 14) and Ben Platt (12 & 8) along with goalie Landon Foster (12-5 record, 2.75 ERA). Waddell and Alex Leet each had two goals in Cony’s 8-2 quarterfinal win over Brewer-Lawrence-Skowhegan.
In Class A, Bangor will take on a Knighthawks team it didn’t face during the regular season.
The Rams have five players with seven or more goals in Miles Randall (7 & 13), Michael Moscone (8 & 10), Marc-Andre Perron (10 & 8), Ty Walker (9 & 6) and Chase Caron (8 & 6). Sophomore Cody McCue (8-2, 1.52 goals-against average, .919 save percentage) and freshman Cole Fernald (4-3-1, 2.25, .894) have shared the goaltending.
Ayden Lockard has sparked the Knighthawks with 23 goals and nine assists. Daniel Fuller (8 & 11), Bradley Wentworth (7 & 12) and Zachary Camp (8 & 4) have complemented him and Benjamin Ott (8-4, 2.30, .893) has given them solid goaltending.
