Morning Sentinel
DelGiudice steps up for Messalonskee
BY BILL STEWART
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 03/21/2008

BY BILL STEWART

Staff Writer

Messalonskee High School senior Matt DelGiudice led Eastern Maine Class A hockey with 61 points this season and matched a school record with six goals in a game.

So, naturally, one of his weaknesses is shooting. Wait, his shooting?

"Yeah," he said. "My weaknesses are strength and shooting. You can always improve."

True, but DelGiudice was good this season. Real good. DelGiudice, one of the more prolific scorers in high school hockey, is the Morning Sentinel Player of the Year. Forwards John Massey and Zach Jochem of Waterville and Sean Bourgeois and Ben Grant of Winslow were also considered.

DelGiudice, a Travis Roy Award finalist, doesn't think about his hockey legacy because he isn't sure he has one.

The numbers suggest he does. His 61 points gave him 154 for his career, which ranks him as the third leading scorer in Messalonskee history.

"I guess I won't know until later on," said DelGiudice, when asked about his legacy. "I was just a good motivator, a good leader on and off the ice. That's the only type of legacy that I feel is important."

DelGiudice entered the season in uncharted territory. For the first time in his career, he was the team's top scorer, the player who would be responsible for generating the bulk of the offense.

"In my first three years I wasn't really the go-to guy," he said. "I wasn't the guy everyone looked to. This year, we had a young team, had a lot of young players. I was the go-to player."

DelGiudice, who will attend Bridgton Academy in the fall, added it was an adjustment. He stayed in shape physically thanks to soccer, but mentally he needed to prepare for his new role as team leader.

"I took it upon myself to be one of the leaders on the ice, to step up my game," he said. "Mentally, it was just getting into the mindset of always looking to create your own shot. I figured I'd be the go-to guy this season. When we're down, I'd always get that extra jump."

Messalonskee coach Mike Latendresse said DelGiudice saved his best season in an Eagles uniform for his last.

"You could feel him take over games," he said.

"He became a real vocal leader for us this year. He was just able to take the team to a different level."

The Eagles, who won an Eastern A prelim game before losing to eventual regional champ Lewiston, struggled at times with their consistency. That can happen with a young and inexperienced team.

But through the ups and downs of the long season, DelGiudice stayed positive and worked with the younger players.

"It was frustrating, but we had a young team and you have to take the good with the bad," DelGiudice said.

"It was a little nerve-racking when we weren't winning. So I just decided to have some fun with it. I talked to Ted Fabian (former Messalonskee standout) and he said to just have fun. It was right before the Yarmouth game."

In that Yarmouth game, DelGiudice exploded for six goals to tie the school record. He didn't play the third period.

"I try not to keep track with stuff like that," he said. "But all my teammates were like, 'you scored five in that period.' The puck just bounced our way that night."

Bill Stewart -- 623-3811, ext. 515

bstewart@centralmaine.com

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