Much like the Travis Roy Award, which is given to the top senior Class A boys hockey player in Maine, goes beyond just stats, so too does the Becky Schaffer Award, which is in its fourth year of being bestowed to the most outstanding senior girls hockey player in the state.
The fourth winner of the award will be announced Wednesday night on WGME’s 6 p.m. newscast. All four finalists were selected in part because they reflect the spirit of the award, which was “created in honor of this amazing woman who was an incredible student, a leader both on and off the ice, and a forward thinker who always strived to make the game, classroom and world a better place one smile at a time,” according to a press release by the Maine High School Girls Hockey Association.
Schaffer was a 2006 graduate of Yarmouth High School, where she played for the girls club team and the boys varsity team. She helped pave the way for girls hockey to become a sanctioned sport by the Maine Principals’ Association a few years later. Schaffer died in a tragic hiking accident in 2011 at the age of 23.
Lewiston defender Brie Dube submitted photo
This year’s quartet of finalists — Lewiston defender Brie Dube, St. Dominic/Winthrop/Gray-New Gloucester defender Gisele Ouellette, Portland/Deering forward Caroline Lerch and Cheverus forward Lucia Pompeo — have all accumulated accolades on and off the ice during their careers.
Dube started her Blue Devils career as a high-scoring freshman forward, putting up 32 points (15 goals, 17 assists). She was named a team captain as a sophomore, and moved to defense her junior year, when Lewiston won the state title. She amassed 13 points in 12 games as a senior after totaling 10 in her first year at defense as a junior. She was named an all-state player each of the last two seasons.
St. Dominic/Winthrop/Gray-New Gloucester defender Gisele Ouellette submitted photo
Ouellette has received end-of-season recognition every year of her career, landing on the All-North team as a freshman and sophomore and garnering all-state honors as a junior and senior. She was a captain for the Saints each of the last two years. She had 14 points (nine goals, five assists) from the blue line this season. She is also ranked second in her senior class at St. Dominic Academy, with a 4.5 GPA.
Portland/Deering forward Caroline Lerch submitted photo
Lerch finished her career with 117 goals, but started it by trying not to let any in. She started three games in goal as a freshman, filling in for Portland/Deering’s injured goalie, and backstopped the team to wins in all three contests. She was named All-South that year and her sophomore year, and All-State each of the past two years. She scored 51 goals her junior year and ended her career with 172 points. She is in the top ten in her class at Portland High School.
Cheverus forward Lucia Pompeo submitted photo
Pompeo finished her Stags career among the program’s leaders in goals (second, with 60) and points (third, with 80), and it could have been more if not for missing most of the regular season her sophomore year. She returned for the regular-season finale, scored the double-overtime winner in the regional semifinals, and helped the Stags win the state title that year. She then helped keep the program afloat the following year when the team started the season with just eight skaters. She was a team captain as a junior and senior, and was named All-State after both seasons. Her athletic career will continue with a field hockey scholarship to Division-I Quinnipiac University.
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