Ian Rowe was a defenseman throughout his youth hockey days, so moving back to the position on special teams is pretty natural for the Waterville Senior High School senior.

Rowe is the second-leading scorer (16 goals, 22 assists) for 17-1-0 Waterville, yet his work rate and versatility are what make him one of the most valuable players in the state.

"He is probably the hardest worker in the state," Waterville defenseman Shawn Lee said. "He goes 110 the whole shift and goes 110 the next shift."

Rowe played a key role in the Panthers' 2-1 win over Lewiston on Monday morning. Not only did he play his normal shift on Wateville's top line, but also played defense on both the power play and the penalty kill. Waterville was 2 for 2 on the power play and 5 for 5 killing penalties in the win.

Lee scored both goals on the power play -- with assists from Rowe.

"Me and Ian played together all through mites," Lee said. "We are real comfortable back there together. We know what each other is going to do. It is real comfortable and I think that is why we have such good chemistry."

Waterville coach Dennis Martin moves Rowe back to the blueline on the power play to help intiate the offense. On the penalty kill, Rowe can often be found in the corner fighting for pucks.

"The biggest thing (on the power play) is you have to get the puck in the offensive zone to be effective and he can handle the puck," Martin said. "He is such a versatile player.

"He's just so tough."