Four area standouts are among nine semifinalists for the fourth annual Becky Schaffer Award, which is given to the state’s top senior girls hockey player.
Gisele Ouellette and Madi Pelletier of St. Dom’s/Gray-New Gloucester/Winthrop, Brie Dube of Lewiston and Caroline Tracey of Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland are the area semifinalists. Joining those four are a trio of Cheverus/Old Orchard Beach players — Trinity Atwater, Emily Factor and Lucia Pompeo — along with Portland Deering’s Caroline Lerch and Cape Elizabeth/South Portland/Waynflete’s Annie Guimond.
Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland’s Manny Guimond won last year’s Schaffer Award. Saint Dominic Academy’s Avery Lutrzykowski received the award in 2019 and Greely/Gray-New Gloucester’s Courtney Sullivan in 2018.
The award is presented by the Maine High School Girls Hockey Association. The announcement of the winner typically coincides with the senior all-star game. That game will not be played this year due to COVID-19 concerns and the scheduling conflict with the start of Maine Principals’ Association-sponsored spring sports season.
However, the Maine High School Girls Hockey Association has selected all-star rosters. Several area players join the Becky Schaffer semifinalists on the North team roster: Madison Conley and Emma Begin of Lewiston; Taryn Cloutier and Maddie Boulet of St. Dom’s/Gray-NG/Winthrop; and Ema Hawkes and Lexie Saxton of Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse.
The other North all-stars are Elena Palmer, Greta White and Hannah Wentworth of Brunswick; Lindsey Bell and Grace Bilodeau of Winslow/Gardiner/Cony; and Lizzie Guertler and Hannah Swift of Yarmouth/Freeport.
The other South all-stars, in addition to the Schaffer finalists: Lily Clough and Ashjan Abdulsalam of Biddeford/Thornton/Wells; Nicoletta Coupe, Koto Yamada and Lydia Murray of Cape Elizabeth/South Portland/Waynflete; Lucy Howe, Margaret Smith, Kim Clifford, Zoe Cheever and Anna Gannon of Portland/Deering; and Paige Spooner, Jesse Martin, Delia Swett and Kathleen Murphy of Scarborough.
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