A 1-10 start to the season was puzzling for the Edward Little boys hockey team and veteran coach Norm Gagne.

Then Gagne and his staff started putting pieces in the right spot, and just like that the Red Eddies started winning. 

Having those pieces be capable of playing in different spots certainly helps. 

The Red Eddies’ move up the standings through a seven-game winning streak to end the regular season has been buoyed in part by moving juniors Marius Morneau and Cam Sturgis from forward back to defense, and Colin Merritt from the blue line up to Edward Little’s third forward line. 

“Coach Norm always puts us in a good spot, in a good position, and he likes to really move things around, so for those guys to be as compatible as I am with the positions, it’s awesome,” said Sturgis, who is a senior captain. “Because going into the year, Colin was supposed to be a defenseman and I was supposed to play forward, and it switched and it’s worked out great. So having other guys like me is definitely very helpful for the team.” 

Edward Little (8-10), the seventh seed, opens the Class A playoffs Tuesday against Biddeford/Massabesic/Old Orchard Beach (4-11-3) at Norway Savings Bank Arena (7:30 p.m.).

Gagne said he knew going into the season that his team’s strength was going to be the defense, but the Red Eddies were going to have to find ways to score. He just didn’t know how difficult it was going to be for them to find the back of the net. 

During the rough start, Edward Little was shut out twice, scored one goal three times, and never scored more than three goals in a game. 

Many of the losses were by one goal, “but when you’re losing one-goal games you got to play exceptional defense,” Gagne said. 

The Red Eddies still haven’t scored more than three goals in a game, though they’ve hit that mark three times in the past seven games while shutting out four opponents after doing that only once in the first 11 games. 

“I think as a whole team we’re just trusting our coaches, trusting the system that we have, and running it the correct way,” said Merritt, who has played forward most of his career. 

Gagne moved Merritt back to defense last year, and started him there this season, but, the coach said, Merritt “was struggling a little bit on defense, and I knew that he felt more comfortable at playing forward.”

A move up to a line alongside seniors Gunnar Winslow and Tanner Holbrook (making for a trio of big bodies) has helped. Gagne said he has always believed in running three lines, and his third line this season gets put out for energy and defense. 

“I decided that I needed size at this point in time, so that physically going in (to the playoffs) it was going to help us,” Gagne said. “And it has. Our third line has played really well for us.” 

“I think he’s very strict on the defensive zone, so staying in that kind of mindset, as a defensive player and knowing where they come from, really helps in that area of the zone,” Merritt said. 

Having Morneau and Sturgis on the blue line with experience at forward has helped the Red Eddies at both ends. Gagne said both are smart hockey players, and their ability to get the puck on net has helped improve the scoring. 

“Just defense, you can see the whole ice and run the game,” Morneau said. 

“It just improved the whole team in the way we move the puck,” Gagne said. “And we started doing little things that we hadn’t been doing in the beginning of the season.” 

Sturgis said it was a tough move for him at first because he enjoys playing center, but seeing the results has helped ease the transition. 

“Sturg was a little reluctant, but he’s a captain, and he said, ‘I’ll do whatever you want me to do, coach,'” Gagne said. “And that’s what you expect from your leader.” 

Morneau just wanted to play, according to Gagne. 

“If they need me there I will play there,” Morneau said. 

Merritt was also OK with getting moved around. 

“I was happy to do anything for the team at the time,” he said, “and, I mean, it’s working out right now so …”

Copy the Story Link