Edward Little’s Campbell Cassidy takes the puck up the ice during a Feb. 8 game in Auburn against Falmouth. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
Campbell Cassidy was a dominant force for the Edward Little boys hockey team this season, putting up 22 goals and 29 assists.
His 51 points were third in all of Class A, and the senior forward was a Travis Roy finalist and named Class A Coaches Association First Team All-State.
Now add Sun Journal All-Region Player of the Year to that list of accolades.
Cassidy said the most memorable thing he will remember from his senior season is being around everybody associated with the Red Eddies hockey program.
“I will remember the team, coaches, it was a team effort, and it was fun going to practice every day with my friends,” Cassidy said.
Edward Little went 15-4 this season and lost in the Class A quarterfinals to Bangor. Coming into the season, Cassidy knew he had to be a leader among the forward group.
“With losing key forwards like Aiden (Gonzalez), Jack (Keefe, the 2021-22 Sun Journal Player of the Year), and Wesley (Clements), I knew I had to bring it a little bit,” Cassidy said. “Still, we had a lot of guys step up and take their place pretty well.”
Cassidy centered a line with Peyton Dyer and Andrew Clements. Both wingers reaped the rewards of Cassidy dishing out the puck to them.
Coach Norm Gagne remembers one game in particular, against Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse on Feb. 13 — a 9-1 win.
Campbell Cassidy of Edward Little High School reacts following his first-period goal against Cheverus/Yarmouth at Norway Savings Bank Arena in Auburn on Feb. 15. Cassidy’s goal put the Red Eddies up 1-0. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
“In one game, I think he had eight assists and I don’t think he even scored,” Gagne said. “He made the kids around him better.”
Cassidy is happy both of his linemates found the back of the net three times each in that particular game.
“I think both of my linemates had a hat trick — they were open so (I gave) it to them,” Cassidy said. “They had a better chance shooting than me, so, might as well give it up.”
While Cassidy’s main goal this season was to make the players around him better, he also wanted to be on the ice more often than he did in his junior season.
It had nothing to do with getting more playing time with the graduating seniors, but with staying out of the penalty box.
“I had a lot of penalties last year, and I wanted to eliminate that,” Cassidy said. “I had a lot of retaliation penalties and I worked on that. I think I only had three penalties all year. That was a big plus, staying out of the box and helping my team. I can’t help my team in the box.”
Cassidy said there were times this season he wanted to retaliate against a player but decided against it.
“Definitely, there were times I wanted to whack someone’s legs, but I held back,” Cassidy chuckled.
Gagne said Cassidy, Jack Keefe and Will Cassidy — Campbell’s older brother — helped bring the Red Eddies back to prominence. They were all Travis Roy finalists as well.
“We have had some good kids that have elevated their game and they have deserved to be (Travis Roy) finalists,” Gagne said. “It’s because of their good character, their leadership with the younger kids on the team. They helped me turn this program around.”
Gagne’s lasting memory of Campbell Cassidy on the ice is when he had a backhand pass to Will Cassidy in a 2020 quarterfinal win against the defending state champions, rival St. Dominic Academy.
“That was a big goal and I saw the highlight and I said, ‘Oh my god, I didn’t realize he back passed it,'” Gagne said. “It was unbelievable.”
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