CLASS A
Thornton Academy (14-0) vs. Falmouth (13-1)
Saturday, 6 p.m.
Fitzpatrick Stadium, Portland
Players to watch: Thornton Academy – CJ LaBreck (jr., midfield), Noah Edborg (sr., attack), Wyatt LeBlanc (sr., midfield), Ean Patry (jr., goalie), Cam Houde (sr., defense).
Falmouth – Riley Reed (jr., long-stick midfielder), Nick Farnham (sr., midfield), Tom Fitzgerald (so., midfield), Reilly Tucker (jr., attack), Marcus Dyhrberg (sr., defense).
Game notes: Neither team has been in a Class A final. Falmouth has won three Class B championships, most recently in 2016. Thornton overpowered Falmouth 12-5 on May 29, and did the same to South Portland (13-4) and Cape Elizabeth (15-6) in playoff wins. Thornton has prolific scorers in Edborg, LaBreck, Thomas Levasseur, and LeBlanc, and 6-foot-5, 300-pound Jack Webb is another attack threat. The midfield is deep and committed to defense. Houde leads the defense in front of Patry, who has been especially sharp in the playoffs. North champion Falmouth advanced with wins against Lewiston (14-10) and Portland (15-6). Falmouth needs lengthy, successful possessions to offset Thornton’s transition offense. Winning battles for ground balls and on faceoffs would also help. Reed shines in those situations. Falmouth has the scoring threats to keep pace. Tucker sets up Farnham’s heavy shot, crafty Lou Mainella and speedy Aiden Gallup. Dyhrberg missed the regular-season meeting because of injury. Having him back alongside Brendan Hickey should help.
— Steve Craig
CLASS B
Greely (11-3) vs. Brunswick (11-3)
Saturday, 10 a.m.
Fitzpatrick Stadium, Portland
Players to watch: Greely – Schuyler Wetmore (so., attack), Andrew Eckhardt (sr., defense), Sawyer Gagnon (so., goalie), Jackson Williams (jr., midfield)
Brunswick – Aiden Glover (jr., attack), Max Gramins (sr., midfield/attack), Henry Doherty (sr., midfield/attack).
Game notes: Brunswick, the 2017 Class A champion, is playing in its fifth straight title game, its first in Class B. Greely is in its first championship game in the MPA-sanctioned era. Expect this one to go down to the wire. Greely rallied from an 11-5 halftime deficit to beat the Dragons in overtime, 15-14, on May 11. Both teams have multiple scoring attackmen. For the Rangers, Wetmore has 14 playoff goals, and Ben Kennedy and Andrew Lawrence also produce. Williams has given Greely an edge in the faceoff game, and Gagnon has had huge efforts in goal throughout the season. Brunswick had the tougher semifinal, rallying to beat Yarmouth in overtime. Glover can be both a table-setter and finisher. He had four goals and two assists in last year’s overtime championship win against Scarborough. Gramins (OT winner vs. Yarmouth), Andrew Eno, Doherty and Jack McDiarmid are also point producers.
— Steve Craig
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