Flynn confident ’Cats will contend
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
PRESQUE ISLE — Coach Carl Flynn is attempting to lead the Wildcat hockey team to its eighth consecutive playoff berth.
WILDCAT HOCKEY — Members of the Presque Isle Wildcats’ hockey team are, 
in front from left, manager Shea Brown, Jillian Flynn, Cooper Madore, assistant coach Darren Carlisle, coach Carl Flynn, Ryder Soucy, Oliver Gerrish and manager Clarissa Buck. Back row, Jeremy Gingrich, Trevor Levesque, Colin McKay, Mikey Michaud, Scott Rhynold, Adam Flynn, Tyler Seeley, Andrew Michaud, Reece McDougall, Daniel Boucher and Alex Michaud. Absent when photo was taken was Joseph Patenaude.
It won’t be easy. Gone is the high-scoring duo of Isaac LaJoie and Connor Shaw and their 270 career points. The team won 12 regular season games in 2011-12 and made it into the Eastern Maine Class B semifinals, only to lose to eventual regional champ Messalonskee. Four other players also graduated, including starting goalie Nic Davis.
Flynn is still confident his team will be in the playoff picture. Despite having only two seniors on the roster in Adam Flynn and Scott Rhynold, he says the ’Cats are “big on talent.”
“We are much deeper than people are expecting,” coach Flynn said. “We need our younger players to perform above their school age, and I expect they will.”
Adam Flynn and junior Tyler Seeley are wings on the team’s top line, with sophomore Alex Michaud centering them. Flynn had 12 goals and seven assists last season, while Seeley posted 15 goals and 17 assists and Michaud five goals and 12 assists. The three are the top returning scorers from last year and coach Flynn said all three have the potential to reach 100 points in their career if they stay healthy.
The second line includes sophomore Joseph Patenaude (three goals and seven assists) centering Rhynold and junior Ryder Soucy.
“Joseph is hard-nosed and has a lot of scoring potential,” coach Flynn said. “Scott has a phenomenal shot and Ryder has developed size, speed and finesse.”
The team’s third line, which consists of defensive specialists and penalty killers, has sophomore Dan Boucher centering junior Trevor Levesque and freshman Cooper Madore.
Colin McKay is a brilliant two-way player who leads the defensemen. McKay, a sophomore, scored 15 points a year ago and is off to a fast start with five goals in the team’s opener against Winslow and a single goal against Lawrence.
“He could be the first defensive player in school history to join the 100-point club,” predicted coach Flynn. Junior Andrew Michaud, currently out with a broken foot, and classmate Mikey Michaud are the other veteran defensemen and are joined by freshman Reece McDougall and sophomore Jeremy Gingrich, who will both be called upon for additional minutes due to the team’s injury situation.
Goaltending will be a key for the Wildcats as both candidates, Jillian Flynn and Oliver Gerrish, are freshmen “who will need to play as a junior or senior for us to be successful,” according to the coach.
Despite the team lacking age and experience, coach Flynn is still counting on his unit to develop quickly and make a post-season run.
“We are tough and tenacious with a never-give-up attitude,” he said.
“We could finish anwhere in the top five, and providing we peak at playoff time and are healthy, we could go all the way.”
