The final field hockey Heal points are out and, not surprisingly, some familiar teams sit atop the standings.
Defending Class A North champion Skowhegan (14-0) once again is the top seed in its class. The same is also true for Lawrence, which also finished 14-0 to take the No. 1 seed in B North. Defending Class C champion Winthrop (12-2) is once again the No. 1 seed in C South.
With the playoff fields finalized, there are several intriguing matchups that could go a long way to determining the next batch of state champs.
A NORTH
Skowhegan — fueled all season by its 4-1 loss to Cheverus in the Class A final last season — tore through the competition in A North this fall and did it at a near-perfect rate. The River Hawks outscored opponents 90-2, with 13 shutouts. No. 7 Brewer (7-7) was the lone team to score on Skowhegan during the regular season, in a 7-2 loss on Sept. 13. Skowhegan’s output has actually improved since last season, when it outscored opponents by a 71-2 rate during the regular season.
“We know we have to work really hard,” Skowhegan junior midfielder Laney LeBlanc said after the River Hawks beat Messalonskee 3-0 in the regular season finale on Oct. 12. “It was just good to come back from last year and know that we have to play our best game, play with a great attitude and just play very well together.”
Lisbon’s Reesa Theriault Guay, left, and Mt. Ararat’s Audrey Marchildon battle for the ball during a field hockey play day Wednesday in Topsham. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
Oxford Hills (11-2-1) — which fell 2-1 to Skowhegan in the A North final last year — is the No. 2 seed, followed by Messalonskee (11-3) at No. 3, which had its three losses come at the hands of the Vikings and the River Hawks.
In one of the most intriguing matchups, No. 4 Mt. Ararat (9-5) will host No. 5 Brunswick (9-4-1). The rivals split their regular season meetings, with the Dragons winning 3-1 in the regular season finale on Oct. 12.
“We’ve had to adapt throughout the season, because two of my forwards are out with injuries,” Mt. Ararat head coach Krista Chase said. “We’ve really had to use our versatility to move people around. With Belle (Hemond) in the backfield and my speedy forwards up front, we’ve been able to put together a solid full-field game in the latter part of our season.”
“We’re hoping to bring our first playoff victory home in years and years and years, so we’re very excited,” Brunswick head coach Carrie Sullivan added.
Chase and Sullivan are looking forward to a third Mt. Ararat-Brunswick showdown.
“We know we have our work cut out for us, we know Brunswick pretty well,” Chase said. “We know they’re a very good team and Carrie is a very good coach. They’re going to bring everything they have. The pressure is going to be on to match the energy and skill that they had the last time we played them. But we know we’ve got to bring it up even more this time because they’re so good.”
“I respect that team so much,” Sullivan added. “We play them in the summer, we play them twice in the season… We know each other very well. We look forward to it. Even though it’s an away game, it feels a little bit like a home game.”
Bangor (8-6), Brewer, Camden Hills (6-7-1), Edward Little (4-9-1) and Mt. Blue (4-10) round out the field.
B NORTH
Not unlike Skowhegan, Lawrence is also burned by the memory of a playoff loss, falling 1-0 to Old Town in the regional final. The Bulldogs had a 20-6 advantage in penalty corners in that game. Lawrence out-scored its opponents 72-4, never allowing more than a goal in any game.
“(A perfect regular season) was a goal of ours,” Lawrence head coach Shawna Robinson said. “Now it’s on to the next (goal).”
Several contenders will be aiming for the Bulldogs, starting with No. 2 Belfast (12-1-1), a historically strong program that ended the regular season on a 10-game winning streak.
Mt. Ararat back Lucy Jackson, left, and goalie Piper Cohen look to prevent Lisbon’s Emily Libby from scoring during a field hockey play day Wednesday in Topsham. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
“(Belfast) is always right there, always,” Robinson said.
Nokomis (9-4-1), under the leadership of second-year head coach Shaunessy Saucier, is the No. 3 seed. After starting the season at 1-2-1, the Warriors won seven of their final 10 games.
The matchup of the quarterfinal round will be between No. 4 Gardiner (10-3-1) and No. 5 Cony (7-6-1). The Tigers edged the rival Rams with an emotional 4-3 win at Hoch Field on Sept. 6, before playing to a 2-2 tie at Fuller Field on Oct. 11. Cony has picked up momentum in the second half of the season, going 6-3-1 in its last 10 games.
Hermon, which finished 12-2, is the No. 6 seed, followed by Oceanside (6-7-1), Old Town (6-8) and Erskine Academy (4-9-1).
“Hermon is 12-2,” Robinson said. “That’s a pretty good record to be sitting in sixth place. That says a lot about (the playoff field), I feel.”
C NORTH
Despite roster overhaul and a coaching change, Maine Central Institute (10-3-1) will enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. The Huskies reached the Class C final last year before falling 3-2 to Winthrop.
“We’re really focusing on the girls playing together,” MCI head coach Terri Jean Wilkinson said. “Focusing on their strengths and really, really focusing on our weaknesses at practices to build that (into a) strength. My five seniors have been key to manipulating their positions and what they’re able to do on the field.”
Maine Central Institute’s Ashlee Jarvis (11) drives down the field as Foxcroft Academy’s Emma McGary (21) defends during a field hockey game Aug. 31 in Pittsfield. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
Wilkinson previously worked for the program as an assistant and middle school coach, so familiarity has also been a key for the Huskies.
“I’ve been a part of this program and their field hockey careers,” Wilkinson said. “I know their strengths, I know their weaknesses and (we’ve just) been focusing on those… Moving into the playoffs this week, I think we’re in a good position.”
Fellow area C North foe Mount View (4-6-4) is the No. 7 seed. The Mustangs are on a bit of a roll, winning three of their last four games.
Dirigo (11-3) is the No. 1 seed, while Dexter/Central (11-3), Spruce Mountain (11-3) and Foxcroft Academy round out the top five seeds.
C SOUTH
After a rough start to the regular season — a 5-3 loss to Dirigo on Aug. 31 — Winthrop has gone 12-1, outscoring opponents 82-9 during the stretch. The only other blemish for the Ramblers was a 4-3 loss to Spruce Mountain on Sept. 21.
Madeline Wagner has been a large source of Winthrop’s scoring attack, scoring 11 goals in the last four games alone.
Winthrop’s Madeline Wagner, middle, watches her shot bounce off the stick of Spruce Mountain’s Adelle Pease, left, during the first half of their field hockey game in Winthrop on Sept. 21. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
Lisbon (11-3), which played Winthrop in the regional final last year, is the No. 2 seed, while St. Dominic Academy (11-0) is No. 3.
Once again, the 4-5 game could be interesting, as No. 4 Hall-Dale (6-7-1) hosts No. 5 Oak Hill (5-9). Both teams met in the C South quarterfinals last season, with Hall-Dale pulling out a 1-0 win.
Maranacook (2-10-2) is the No. 6 seed.
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