Lewiston High School girls’ hockey goaltender coach Jim Theiss has been working with netminders since the program was formed nine years ago. 

In those nine years, Theiss said he hasn’t seen a better goaltender come through the program than senior Paige Fontaine, who will play her final game between the pipes for the Blue Devils in the state title game against Falmouth this afternoon.

“She’s made it easy for me,” Theiss said. “I just keep her company for an hour. She has all the skills. I know she plays a lot of hockey with the boys’ teams. As far as skill-wise, she’s probably one of the best goalies, if not the best goalie, in the state. She’s one of the best goalies I’ve seen in girls’ hockey.” 

For the second straight season, Fontaine has helped guide the Blue Devils to the championship game. Lewiston has advanced to the state quarterfinals each year Fontaine has been with the program. 

Fontaine wasn’t always a goalie. She began her career in the fifth grade as a forward before eventually making a switch to defenseman. Fontaine later discovered that goaltending was the job for her. 

“I can’t breathe well when I skate,” Fontaine said. “I lose my wind easy. I was amazed at how goalies move really quick. I was amazed by their agility skills.” 

That decision has paid off for Fontaine and the Blue Devils as they are 45 minutes away from potentially winning their second state title in program history. 

Fontaine is at her best when the lights shine the brightest. In five career playoff games, Fontaine has allowed six goals and pitched three shutouts. She’s made 47 saves through two games this postseason. In a 2-1 double-overtime victory against Leavitt/Edward Little/Poland in the regional final, Fontaine made five of her 26 saves in the extra session to keep the Blue Devils’ hopes of an undefeated season alive.

During the regular season, the Blue Devils won each game by an average margin of 4.7 goals. Of their 18 regular-season games, the Blue Devils played four games decided by two goals or less. There were times where Fontaine would see fewer than 10 shots a game, but she prepared the same way for every start. 

“The past two years she’s just had razor focus coming into the playoffs,” Lewiston coach Ron Dumont said. “She’s just done a great job focusing, coming in here preparing for every game. Some of those games are difficult because there’s not a lot of shots. Some games weren’t as competitive as others, but when a competitive one comes you have to turn that switch. Of everyone on the team, she had the hardest job of staying focused and being prepared for games down the road and she’s done amazing.” 

All the pressure that comes with being a goalie has only amplified as the season’s continued. As the wins continued to pile up, the pressure of being undefeated did as well. Fontaine feels the pressure, but it doesn’t bother her. 

“We want to keep that undefeated title, and that makes me want to work harder and my teammates as well,” Fontaine said. “We’ve been dealing with pressure all season.” 

Theiss said a good goaltender has to be not just sound physically, but mentally as well. 

“You have to have a short memory,” Theiss said. “By the time that puck comes out of the net when you’re scored on you have to forget about it and move on to the next one. She’s done that a lot. Her expectations are to be the best she can be whether she wins a game 9-1 or 9-8. She gives a lot of credit to the girls in front of her and Coach Ron as well.” 

The Blue Devils know how fortunate they are to have Fontaine because they played a year without her. Following her freshman season, Fontaine opted to attend prep school at St. Mark’s in Southborough, Mass. She went there with the hope of gaining experience at a higher level and, while she did just that, she never made it onto the ice during games. 

“Girls’ hockey was so advanced there compared to high school,” Fontaine said. “I had to adjust again. I had to keep up. I worked my butt off every single practice trying to get playing time.” 

After a year, Fontaine decided to move back to Lewiston, a decision that was well-received among her teammates. 

“We welcomed her back with open arms, of course,” Dumont said. “Not just because she’s a good goalie, but she’s a good kid, a great kid. She’s always in a good mood. She comes in, she works hard and we couldn’t ask for anything else.”

According to Theiss, Fontaine has balanced her senior season on the ice between being a goaltender and a coach. With the addition of freshman netminder Meagan Gosselin to the roster, Fontaine’s been working with her future replacement during practice. 

“Usually there’s always that competition level and that conflict when you have two goalies because one gets the start,” Theiss said. “Meagan’s been great. Meagan knows her role and Paige is like having another coach out there. She gives her equal time and gives her a lot of pointers, tells her what to expect and Meagan accepts that. She’s a great coach. To say she’s passing the torch, that’s what she does.” 

Today will serve as Fontaine’s final hockey game. She plans on attending Unity College in the fall to study Conservation Law Enforcement to begin her career as a game warden. 

Copy the Story Link