At Lewiston High School, one such competition involves the goaltending position and the three goalies competing to be “the guy” in between the pipes on a nightly basis. 

Senior Nick Hawk, junior Sam Zashut and sophomore Jacob Strout have all seen time in net this season. Strout and Zashut have started two games each, while Hawk has seen one game’s worth of action. All three have at least one win. 

“Competition’s always good,” Lewiston coach Jamie Belleau said. “It’s healthy for them. My impression is they all have a great relationship. They’re all working hard. They’re all trying to do what’s best for themselves and the hockey team. Having an opportunity to compete for a spot weekly is a good opportunity for them and I think it always drives people to do the best they possibly can. I don’t think they need that competition, I think all three of them are working hard trying to be the guy we look to, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.” 

Through five games this season, Belleau and his coaching staff have rotated goalies every game. Strout heads that rotation, followed by Zashut and Hawk. Belleau said he’s unsure whether he will continue that rotation down the stretch. Deciding who gets the starting nod is part instinctive and part evaluation. Yet, the decision is never easy. 

“When you’ve got three goalies that have similar skill sets you try to give them as much opportunity as you can to succeed and prove themselves as you can and that’s what I’ve been trying to do — give them ample opportunities to show us what they can do,” Belleau said. “They’ve all had pretty high-profile games, so they’ve been in similar circumstances and our job is to see how they respond to those circumstances, take that information and make some decisions based on it.”

Strout is the lone Lewiston goaltender who’s had to bounce back following a loss. The sophomore was in net when Cheverus’ Cam Dube beat him in overtime for the game-winning goal in Portland in the season opener. Strout made 15 saves that night. 

Despite only being a sophomore, high-pressure games are nothing new for Strout.

“Last year as a freshman I played a couple games,” Strout said. “I started the KVAC championship and then I came in against St. Dom’s in the playoffs, so I was kind of ready for the start. I was used to it by now. I think I played pretty well (against Cheverus). The team played really well in front of me.”

Strout’s second assignment wasn’t any easier than the first as he drew Lawrence-Skowhegan on Dec. 20. He finished with a season-high 20 saves — most by a Lewiston goalie this year — in a game that featured three ties.

Zashut faced his share of adversity in his first start against crosstown rival Edward Little. EL’s Cade Chapman scored two first-period goals against the junior before Zashut held the Red Eddies to one marker the rest of the way. He made a series of key stops down the stretch with Lewiston nursing a one-goal lead to help the Blue Devils knock of the Red Eddies.

“I didn’t play like I should have played, but I definitely have confidence in the team in front of me,” Zashut said. “We’re a younger team and we still have a lot to work on.”

His second stint in net was much lighter, facing just seven shots in a 9-2 win over Cony.

Hawk went the longest of the three goaltenders without surrendering a goal. It took Yarmouth 35:29 to solve the senior goalie and that goal was all it could muster during Lewiston’s 6-1 victory. Hawk finished with 13 saves in his only appearance of the season to date. 

“Competition is tight this year,” Hawk said. “We have two other goalies that are right up there with me. You always have to battle hard every day. Every practice you have to go out there and you have to try your hardest no matter what. It’s been fun. It’s a pleasure to play for the team.”

Hawk is one of just four seniors on the team. The Blue Devils have six freshmen and six sophomores to go along with seven juniors. Compared to most years, Lewiston is a young team. Therefore, there is added pressure on the goaltending position being the last line of defense as teammates become familiar with one another and start to establish chemistry. 

“We all know our team,” Belleau said. “We like our team. The fact that we’re young is something we acknowledge, but not something we’re going to use as an excuse. We want to continue to get better. We have a lot of confidence in the players we dress every game. We understand they’re all going to learn. We expect them to learn. We think if we face some adversity and respond in the right way, ultimately the goaltending will pick up their responsibilities and from the back end out the defense will slowly get better as the year goes on and the forwards will get better. There’s always added pressure on the goalies because they’re the last line of defense.” 

The Blue Devils haven’t played since Dec. 23, but that doesn’t mean Belleau hasn’t been evaluating his three netminders during the holiday break. With defending Eastern Maine champion St. Dominic Academy next on the schedule, all three goalies will be ready to go regardless of who gets the call. 

“You always have to be ready to go in,” Strout said. “Coach Belleau always tells us to be ready. We want the other goalies to do well to. It’s a team sport.”