Lucy Johnson of Cheverus scored seven goals over the final two games of the season – the South final and the state championship game. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer
At a time when so many high school athletes are specializing in one sport, Lucy Johnson is a throwback. The Cheverus High sophomore is excelling at multiple sports.
Lucy Johnson
Coming off a fall in which she scored 49 goals and earned Varsity Maine Player of the Year honors in field hockey, Johnson was a dominant player on the ice for the Cheverus/Old Orchard Beach/Kennebunk/Windham girls’ hockey team.
A steadying force as the Stags fought through injuries in the regular season, Johnson produced 26 goals and 24 assists to lead the team and was an offensive catalyst in the playoffs. She was clutch in the biggest moments, scoring seven goals combined in the South final and state championship game.
For those performances, Johnson is our choice as the 2023 Varsity Maine Player of the Year in girls’ hockey.
“She thumbs her nose at specialization,” said Scott Rousseau, the Cheverus girls’ hockey coach. “You’re looking at arguably one of the best field hockey players in the country, and she can’t wait to put down her field hockey stick and play ice hockey.”
Johnson, who also plays lacrosse at Cheverus, said field hockey is her main sport and the one she is likely to play in college.
“But I love (ice) hockey, too,” she said.
Johnson said speed is her greatest asset on the ice. It helps her create scoring opportunities, like the natural hat trick she scored in the second period of the state championship game, a 3-2 win over Yarmouth/Freeport. That speed was on display on the goal that completed the hat trick and gave Cheverus a 3-1 lead. Johnson came out of the penalty box, corralled the puck in the neutral zone and raced in for the score.
That was on top of a four-goal effort in the Stags’ 8-1 win over the Gorham co-op team in the regional final.
“When (Johnson) sees the opening, she attacks it. Her first step is pretty fast, and she’s a sniper. She can find the open net,” David Intraversato, Yarmouth/Freeport’s head coach, said following the state final.
Rousseau said Johnson’s biggest asset is mental toughness. She lets herself be coached hard, Rousseau said, and she puts in the work to improve every time she steps on the ice.
“Lucy never cuts any corners,” Rousseau said. “You don’t do what she did in the state game without putting in the hours, day after day.”
The best advice Rousseau has given her is simple, Johnson said. Calm down. Be quick, but don’t rush.
“When he tells me I can do something, I know I can do it. If he corrects me, I try to listen to what he says because I know it’s good advice,” she said.
Johnson cited her on-ice chemistry with linemate Mikayla Talbot as a key to her success. Johnson noted one of her goals in the regional final came when she made a backdoor cut to the net and took a pass from Talbot.
“We always work on that play,” Johnson said. “Me and Mikayla make sure we stay on the same page. We know where each other is going to be.”
Johnson said she will work on her stickhandling skills to continue improving her game. Johnson’s defensive skills had to improve by necessity this season after injuries to her sister, Lily, one of the team’s top defensemen, and goalie Ella Lemieux. Both missed much of the second half of the regular season.
“Whenever we needed her, she’s always there,” Rousseau said of Lucy Johnson. “She has an engine that revs in those big moments. We forget she’s still a sophomore, as accomplished as she is.”
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