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Monday, March 21, 2005
Gustavson takes home Roy Award
LEWISTON — There was a time when Peter Gustavson didn't like hockey. Of course, he was 4 years old at the time, skating on a frozen lake near Rockland. Sunday afternoon it was a different story. The Falmouth High School senior was named the winner of the Travis Roy Award as the most outstanding senior hockey player in Class A. "I was just ecstatic," Gustavson said of the moment when he heard he had been chosen over finalists Aaron Buzzell of Bangor and Jon Rutt of St. Dominic. Good thing his father, Robert, a Lutheran minister and former hockey player at Middlebury College, "would encourage me back on the ice when I used to come to the side and complain that my helmet hurt and made me too sweaty." Gustavson's view of hockey began to change dramatically about the time his family moved to Falmouth and Peter joined the Casco Bay youth ranks as a 7-year-old. This season, he was the engine that revved Falmouth to a 13-6-1 record in its second year as a Class A team, and a captain who inherently knew how to make other teammates better, more responsible players. "He's an explosive skater who can score in a variety of ways, with a lot that he didn't really pick up until this year," said Falmouth Coach Scott Rousseau. Rousseau said Gustavson's quiet leadership and dependability were as important as his 33 goals (the most in Western Class A) and 21 assists. "He's always very aware of all the other guys on the team and what their needs are," Rousseau said. The Travis Roy Award was the highlight of the Class A Coach's Association's all-state awards banquet at the Ramada Inn Conference Center. According Thornton Academy Coach Greg Cloutier, who served as master of ceremonies, the players chosen for the all-Western Maine, all-Eastern Maine and all-state teams represented "roughly the top eight percent" of the state's Class A players. Nearly all players and coaches were in attendance. Gustavson, Rutt and Buzzell were chosen as Roy Award finalists for combining hockey excellence with strong academic achievement and community service. Gustavson is planning to spend a postgraduate year at a prep school before matriculating to college. He has been accepted to Pomfret (Conn.) School, Berkshire (Mass.) Academy, Northfield (Mass.) Mt. Hermon and Berwick Academy. Rutt and Buzzell both intend to pursue junior hockey after finishing high school. Buzzell, a bearded goalie, helped Bangor go from Eastern Maine also-ran to a regional finalist, with career totals of 36 wins, a 2.19 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage. He told the crowd he would be honored to win the award but "the process and the journey are more important than the outcome. Trophies tarnish and ribbons fade but the memories will live on vividly. Memories of this afternoon will inspire me forever." Buzzell intends to create new memories in the junior hockey ranks. He has "a couple of tryouts lined up with Quebec Major Junior teams," he said. Rutt registered 24 goals and 23 assists this season, culminating a career that required steady progress and lots of effort. Small for his age at the start of high school, Rutt played junior varsity as a freshman and was on the third line as a sophomore. A growth spurt prior to his junior season helped Rutt put the finely honed skills he'd mastered to greater use. Rutt has secured tryouts with teams in the Eastern Junior Hockey League and the Atlantic Junior Hockey League. "Of course there's disappointment when you lose because you'd really like to win," Rutt said. "But I wasn't upset. Congratulations to Peter. He really deserved it this year. He's someone I didn't mind losing to." TRAVIS ROY AWARD WINNERS Appeared in the Portland Press Herald - March 21, 2005 |
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