Auburn, ME – The Central Maine Community College hockey program has announced its first recruit for the 2021-22 season, solidifying the goaltending position with the commitment of Hunter Raye.
Raye, a Norridgewock, Maine native, joins the Mustangs after a quality junior hockey career that saw him play two years of high school hockey locally for Larence/Skowhegan/MCI before making the jump to the Lewiston/Auburn Nordiques of the NA3HL.
After being drafted in the 8th round of the NA3HL draft in 2018, Raye posted a 12-0-0 record with a 1.92 GAA and .905 SV% in his rookie year with the Nordiques. From there he went out west where he played in the Western States Hockey League for the Utah Outliers, going 4-0-0 with a 1.75 GAA and .841 SV%.
"I am thrilled to announce that Hunter will be a Mustang next fall," said Mustangs head coach Matt Buotte, who will be entering his fourth year as head coach. "He is a great goaltender who has played at some high levels and in the conversations that we've had he is a really well-spoken, great kid. It's a really exciting day for our program to be able to add a guy like Hunter to the mix especially at such an important position."
Raye, who has skated with many of the current Mustangs on either local travel or junior teams, is exciting to get back on the ice and kick-start his college career.
"I have a high comfort level coming to Central Maine," said Raye of joining his new—and old—teammates. "Being able to come into a team where you're familiar with the rink, the area, and some fellow teammates is an advantage for sure…you already have chemistry with some of the guys and then you can expand that chemistry with the rest of the team."
It was a long journey for Raye to end up at Central Maine, with the pandemic only complicating matters. Ultimately the opportunity to further his career and education in Auburn began to seem like a no-brainer. He intends to study physical therapy when classes pick up in the fall.
"After doing a lot of soul searching I finally found what I wanted to do with my life," he said. "After deciding to go to school for physical therapy, I did a lot of research and found that CMCC had multiple things to offer me—cheaper tuition, a great school, great medical field, but also the ability to play the sport I love."
Raye, a self-described hybrid goaltender, joins a long line of local products to lace up their skates between the pipes for the Mustangs, including outgoing Auburn native Ben Feldman and his battery mate for 2021-22 in Gorham's Noah Bird, whose Mustangs debut has been delayed with the rest of the 2020-21 season.
"Maine has produced so many great goaltenders over the year with Hunter being among them," said Buotte. "I am excited that another talented local hockey player is staying close to home and continuing their education and career at Central Maine. I am ecstatic to bring Hunter in and can't wait to get back on the ice."
