Windham’s Hartwell helps lead CMCC team to championship hockey season

By Matt Pascarella

Windham High 2022 graduate and Central Maine Community College sophomore Aiden Hartwell helped his hockey team win their first Northeast Collegiate Hockey Association (NECHA) Colonial Conference Championship in program history by beating Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 7-1, in Nashua, New Hampshire on Sunday, Feb. 18.

Windham High graduate and Central Maine Community
College sophomore Aiden Hartwell competes in a college 
hockey game against the University of New England at
the Norway Savings Bank Arena in Auburn last fall. He
helped CMCC win their first Northeast Collegiate Hockey
Colonial Conference championship last month.
PHOTO BY RAM MCDONOUGH  

“Aiden Hartwell is a very good teammate to have,” said CMCC captain and junior Cody Ivey. “Aiden works hard with everything he does and knows what he needs to do to help the team win. It felt awesome to be the first team ever at CMCC to win the NECHA championship. It took a lot of hard work and early 6 a.m. practices ... but the best part about winning the championship is having teammates like Aiden Hartwell. We became family in the process and succeeding in doing what you love with people you love is unbeatable. Aiden never stops going 100 percent. He helps our team by simply outworking the other team. He leads by example being a second-year player.”

Hartwell is majoring in business management at CMCC and would like to someday work in sales.

“It has taken a whole group effort people buying into the system we play,” said Hartwell. “Everyone holding each other accountable has taken months of hard work and dedication. It's a crazy feeling to have because we were the first hockey team to win the championship at CMCC. Especially since it’s only a two-year school we don’t have all four years like other schools we compete against.”

The CMCC Mustangs coach, Jordy Knoren, said this win meant so much it was hard to put into words.

“I believe what has made this team achieve so much is believing in a common goal and knowing the history about our hockey program, and the hurdles and hiccups it had to get through,” said Knoren. “I am very honest with the team from day one and CMCC Hockey is not what it used to be, this team bought in and changed the culture of the program moving forward. They are all true competitors so when you have championships to play for the work ethic increases a notch.”

For Hartwell, his time with the Windham/Westbrook/Bonny Eagle Trail Blazers youth hockey program helped him achieve success on the ice at CMCC. Playing for the Trail Blazers helped him grow as a player and having great coaches from Windham who always pushed him as a player and a person to get better. He said he learned how to be a leader on and off the ice and that when you are out there, you are playing for much more than just yourself.

“Aiden brings humor to the locker room and off the ice as well,” said Knoren. “He competes incredibly hard, but he does it with a smile and he is always there for a conversation or a good laugh. I can honestly say in two years I never had a player or coach not like Aiden. In two years, I have seen Aiden grow tremendously physically and mentally. I hope he continues his hockey career, but more importantly I believe he will succeed in life when he continues to work hard and be himself.”

Once the CMCC hockey team became NECHA champions, they were put into a group with four other teams to play three games and the winner would advance to the semifinal. They played the Air Force Academy and lost by a goal, they then suffered a tough loss to the University of Missouri and tied Michigan State, 2-2.

Although this was not the outcome they wanted, the experience gained will only help them excel in future seasons. Knoren said that he gives the team a lot of credit for putting up a fight against such tough schools. <

Trail Blazers’ hockey falls to Lewiston in playoffs

Varsity Trail Blazers senior Aiden Hartwell stays ahead of his
Lewiston opponents during the first round of playoffs on
Wednesday, March 2 at Norway Savings Bank Arena in 
Lewiston. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

By Matt Pascarella

Ninth-seeded Windham/Bonny Eagle/Westbrook Trail Blazers had played eighth-seeded Lewiston earlier in the season and knew what to expect from them during the first round of playoffs on Wednesday, March 2 at the Norway Savings Bank Arena in Lewiston.

The Trail Blazers went hard after the puck, checked their opponents and remained aggressive throughout the contest.

Lewiston scored multiple goals in the second and third periods and defeated the Trail Blazers 6-2; but not before the Trail Blazers left it all on the ice.

“We were hoping to battle against them,” said Bonny Eagle sophomore Lucas Laforest. “We played hard; it just didn’t work out for us in the end.”

Lewiston found the back of the net early into the first period. Trail Blazers goalie, Bonny Eagle junior Porter Krause had multiple saves coupled with Trail Blazers’ defense which held Lewiston to one goal in the first period.

The Trail Blazers came into the second period hungrier than the first. Lewiston still had a bit of force, as they scored goal number two early in the period. 

The Trail Blazers kept up their aggressiveness. Windham senior Aiden Hartwell, assisted by Laforest, went around the net and put the puck behind the goalie. 3-1, Lewiston.

Going into the third period, Trail Blazers Coach Bobby Fothergill told the team this was their last hurrah. They’d come back from a similar deficit against Lewiston earlier in the season.

28 seconds into the third period, Bonny Eagle senior Bobby Fothergill scored, assisted by Hartwell. Now it’s 3-2, Lewiston.

Windham got a power play and things were looking good.

However, Lewiston put two more in the net back-to-back, then scored once more.

“We knew they were a good team, and it was going to be a grind,” said Hartwell. We never held our heads down; we were always positive with each other; we played till the final whistle.”

Bobby Fothergill said they never gave up, there were some low points, but they moved on. They took it shift by shift.

“I’m extremely proud of these guys, said Coach Fothergill. “19 games they played; the effort was there every night.

Coach Fothergill said the team didn’t get down on each other. They win as a team; they lose as a team. He thought they competed well in this game, but the two shorthanded goals in the third period killed them; it’s tough to come back from that.

He’s proud of them and the way they worked. <

Trail Blazers’ hockey turns up defense to tie Knighthawks in OT

Trail Blazers' senior Cole Washburn of Windham High School
is first to the puck at the University of Southern Maine in 
Gorham during an ice hockey game against Marshwood/
Traip/Sanford/Noble on Saturday, Jan. 22.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

By Matt Pascarella

In February 2020, the Windham/Westbrook/Bonny Eagle Trail Blazers faced off against the Marshwood/Noble/Sanford/Traip Knighthawks with the game going scoreless for two periods and ended up with a 1-0 win for the Knighthawks. Flash forward two years and the same two teams faced each other again in yet another hard-fought contest at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham on Jan. 22.

This game was almost identical except for the final result, which ended in a 1-1 tie after three periods and an overtime.

Trail Blazers’ defense, coupled with the quick hands of junior Bonny Eagle goalie Porter Krause who helped keep the Knighthawks scoreless for two periods.

Trail Blazers senior Aiden Hartwell of Windham scored with the clock winding down in the third period.

The Knighthawks answered to tie up the game. After a defensive overtime period where the Trail Blazers worked hard to get the win, this one ended in a tie.

According to Krause, going into overtime, he wanted to hold down the net. If he could keep the Knighthawks from scoring, the Trail Blazers had an advantage. Although the result wasn’t what Krause may have wanted, he said he played like he wanted to in overtime.

The Trail Blazers intensity really picked up in the second period. They passed the puck and pressured the Knighthawks right in front of the net, with several substantial shots at goal early on in the second period. The Trail Blazers kept shots coming at the Knighthawks’ goalie.

Hartwell fired the puck between the posts in the third period. A short time later the Knighthawks answered to send the game into overtime.

Hartwell said their defense was solid and their goalie played phenomenal in overtime. They got pucks out and did what they were supposed to do, holding the Knighthawks back.

Trail Blazers Windham senior Cole Washburn said positivity on the bench was part of what helped hold off the Knighthawks in overtime.

“Marshwood always plays hard, and we struggle to match that,” said Trail Blazers coach Bobby Fothergill. “As the game went on, I thought we matched Knighthawks’ physicality and their intensity a little more. [The Trail Blazers] are a young team; we’re learning and growing. We’re trying to build a program that’s going to be competitive in the next few years.”

Fothergill said the seniors really wanted this game and power play possession was really good. The Trail Blazers got the puck to the middle and got good chances. He added they competed for 53 minutes and did not want to lose this one. Fothergill was proud of how they played. <

Trail Blazers earn 2-1 hockey win over Gorham in overtime, remain undefeated

Trail Blazer and Windham High senior Aiden Hartwell glides
toward Gorham's goalie to take a shot at goal on Wednesday,
Dec. 22 at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham
during the Windham/Westbrook/Bonny Eagle Trail Blazer
hockey game. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA  

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham/Westbrook/Bonny Eagle Trail Blazers had quite a game in their first home game of the season against Gorham. The Trail Blazers tied the game after two scoreless periods. Trail Blazers Bonny Eagle senior Logan Caron scored with 46 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.

The Trail Blazers’ Sacopee Valley sophomore James Ritter fired the winning shot in overtime for the 2-1 win on Wednesday, Dec. 22 at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham.

The Trail Blazers moved the puck early on and were aggressive. Gorham had a few shots on goal, but Trail Blazers’ defense kept the Rams scoreless.

The two teams took roughly equal shots at their opponent’s goals and remained scoreless in the second period.

Windham’s Aiden Hartwell said the Trail Blazers started slow, but once Gorham scored, Trail Blazers gained momentum and knew they needed a goal.

The Trail Blazers turned up the intensity in the third period and matched Gorham’s goal with Caron’s to tie the game 1-1 with less than a minute remaining.

Caron said he was pretty sure he got the pass from Hartwell and saw an opening in the net. He let the puck rip and saw it bounce in the back of the net.

Windham freshman Sam Foley said Gorham was beating the Trail Blazers to a lot of puck battles and the Trail Blazers were not ready in the first two periods. In the third period they won more puck battles which got them more opportunities.

Ritter shot the puck past Gorham’s goalie 4:36 into overtime assisted by Hartwell and Bonny Eagle senior Bobby Fothergill.

“There was a lot of bodies in front, and I knew the goalie couldn’t see much,” said Ritter. “So, I tried to put it low ... and it just went in.”

Ritter said they lifted each other up, whether in the locker room or on the bench and that led to this win. They realized what they had to do, and they did it.

“They came out a little flat; it’s their first home game in two years,” said Trail Blazers coach Bobby Fothergill. “I think it took them a couple periods to settle in. Ultimately, they executed; they dug deep ... they wanted it, they worked it and they willed themselves that win. It’s a good character win – I’m very proud of them.” <

Windham’s Aiden Hartwell and 18U Maine Moose hockey celebrate state title

Windham High senior Aiden Hartwell holds the 18U Maine
Moose state championship banner alongside sister Libby
Hartwell after the Maine Moose won the best of three games
state championship series against the Maine Junior Black Bears
on Sunday, Nov. 7 at the Camden National Bank Ice Vault in
Hallowell. PHOTO BY KIM HARTWELL 

By Matt Pascarella

The Maine Moose ice hockey team is a program geared toward giving its athletes the opportunity to play hockey at a high level with athletes from all around the state.

The Tier 2 18U Maine Moose team, after an incredible season kept their winning streak going and made it to the state championship with Windham High senior Aiden Hartwell a key player on that squad.

The Moose beat the Maine Junior Black Bears two games to none in a best of three-game series played Saturday, Nov. 6 and Sunday, Nov. 7 at Camden National Bank Ice Vault in Hallowell.

Organizers say that the Moose Hockey program wants to give its athletes the opportunity to develop as hockey players and people and that was evident during the team’s success leading up to the title game.

This 18U Maine Moose Hockey team was the No. 1 seed going into the playoffs after they finished their regular season with a record of 20-1-1.

“This group had lots of talent,” said 18U Maine Moose Hockey coach Jeff Ross. “We had great balance in all the lines. With a group like this that comes from different areas and school, sometimes they don't gel very well, but this group was able to come together very quickly and fill any roll that was needed on the team.”  

This was Hartwell’s first year playing on the Maine Moose team. He said playing for them helped him develop his skills, but most importantly taught him how to win in big situations.

“With us being the best team in the league we always had a target on our back,” said Hartwell. “Teams were coming for us knowing that we were the best team; they tried their best to beat us.”

When the 18U Maine Moose Hockey team entered the round robin tournament on Friday Oct. 29 they beat the Maine Junior Black Bears 5-3. After the Moose tied with Casco on Sunday, Oct. 31, they won their game against the Maine Evolution, 4-1, the same day. Maine Moose was ranked as the No. 1 seed as they entered the semifinals.

“Playing for the Maine Moose was really great,” said Gardiner senior Chase Kelley. “We had a really high work ethic as a team on and off the ice ... one of our biggest contributions to our successful season was our coaching, they know the game inside and out and that goes a long way.”

While the team had a slower start in the round robin tourney, once they made it to the semifinals against the No. 4 seed Gladiators, this 18U team had found their game and took advantage of some costly Gladiator penalties, ousting them with a 5-1 win which advanced Maine Moose to the state championship.

In the championship series, which was a best-of-three games event, Game One pitted the Moose against the Maine Junior Black Bears again. With four minutes remaining in the game and the score was tied at 2-2, the Maine Moose came back to win 5-2.

On Sunday, Nov. 7, the Maine Moose shut out the Bears 5-0 to become state champions.

This will be Hartwell’s first time playing for a squad headed to the National Tournament, and he said he is excited to see what the competition is like.

Ross said strong team play and great talent that works together is what led to the 18U team winning the state championship. 

“To win the state championship in my first year with the Moose means a lot to me,” said Hartwell. “To go in with a bunch of new faces and kids I haven't played with before helped me improve as a player.”

The Maine Moose will travel to California in April for the National Championship Tournament. <