LEWISTON — Theo Hembre was a confident player from one end of the ice to the other, and that confidence was still there Sunday while giving a speech as one of four finalists for the Travis Roy Award.

What he wasn’t sure about was whether or not he would win the award.

As it turned out, the Falmouth High forward was chosen over three defensemen as the 23rd winner of the award, presented by the Maine Class A High School Hockey Coaches Association and given to the top Class A senior boys’ hockey player.

The other finalists were Ryan Bossie of Lewiston, Mike Hatch of Cheverus and Cam King of Portland/Deering.

“I know all three guys were amazing hockey players,” Hembre said. “We all had an equal chance to get it, and I was just thrilled to get it.”

Hembre led Class A with 46 points during the regular season – 27 goals and 19 assists – and added an assist in Falmouth’s lone playoff game. He said during his speech that a public speaking class earlier this school year gave him confidence as he stood in front of the banquet attendees at the Ramada Inn. He certainly stood out from the crowd during his career.

“I think it was a tough pick. The vote was probably the tightest it’s been since I’ve been here,” Falmouth Coach Deron Barton said. “(There were) lot of other really, really deserving, good hockey players. Theo, I think he’s a prolific player, he’s a prolific scorer. And I think a lot of it has to do with, too, he performed his best against the best competition. He performed his best against the toughest teams. So I think that’s probably one of the things that just set him apart, maybe, if anything, was that.”

Hembre is the third winner from Falmouth, following Peter Gustavson in 2005 and Isac Nordstrom in 2015. Hembre was a freshman when Nordstrom won the award.

“I just learned that he was a hard worker, he was a good captain. I was only there for a year when he was there, so I just was able to see what he was doing,” Hembre said.

Barton said Hembre might have learned the commitment to playing in the defensive end – a key part of Falmouth’s system – from Nordstrom.

“We have a saying that, ‘We don’t know why, but the better you play in your own end the more scoring opportunities you get,’ and I think he benefited from that the most,” Barton said.

Hembre said the key to succeeding against players like Bossie, Hatch and King was to avoid them whenever possible. That often meant good things for the Yachtsmen, who went 5-1 against the other finalists’ teams, with Hembre amassing 17 points (nine goals, eight assists).

In one of the lighter moments of Hembre’s speech, he said to his dad, “I’m sorry for all the broken sticks.” But Hembre said with the metal and wood trophy in his hands, that they were definitely worth it.

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