The mark of a good hockey team obviously starts with skating and shooting. But you also have to know what you’re doing.

“Hockey IQ,” is how Falmouth High girls’ coach Rob Carrier describes it.

The ability to be in the right place …

Sarah Hutcheon and Camden Carrier have that knack. They find themselves outside the crease, puck on the stick, ready to score. And they often do find the back of the net.

As the high school girls’ hockey playoffs start this week, Falmouth looms as one of the favorites to reach the state title game – thanks in part to the scoring prowess of Hutcheon and Carrier.

In a recent 6-3 win over Scarborough, Hutcheon notched three goals and Carrier added one. Carrier got the hat trick in the next win, against Cheverus. Both girls recorded two goals in Saturday’s win over York.

The Scarborough victory was big. It was the first time Falmouth had beaten the Red Storm since the 2011-12 season, when the Yachtsmen reached the state title game. Since then Scarborough has represented the West in the championship game, winning the state title last year.

This year it’s up for grabs. The Yachtsmen are confident, thanks to that win over the Red Storm.

“That was very important,” Hutcheon said. “Scarborough has always been one of our toughest opponents. This proved we have the capability to play at that level.”

Falmouth (14-4) will get a bye in the quarterfinals, along with Scarborough (13-4-1). The Red Storm had the tougher schedule with two losses to Greely (a team Falmouth didn’t play), and Scarborough gave the only blemish to state favorite Lewiston (17-0-1), tying the Blue Devils 3-3 two weeks ago.

Falmouth is traditionally a strong team and this one is no exception. The Yachtsmen feature two solid lines, centered by Evie Clement and Devon Sarazin, another playmaker in Abi Lebel, two strong defensemen in Martina St. Angelo and Caroline Proctor and steady goalie Ally Hurdman.

But when it comes to scoring, Falmouth usually looks to Carrier and Hutcheon. Carrier leads the team with 35 points (19 goals/16 assists) and Hutcheon is second (23/7).

“Camden protects the puck well,” said Scarborough Coach Caitlin Cashman. “She’s gritty in the corners and in front of the net, winning the small but important battles.

“Sarah is quick. Her feet are always moving. She looks for the open shot, which can create chaos for opposing teams.”

Both players have been on the ice for more than 10 years. Hutcheon said she keeps learning. “Hockey is a very mental game … You always have to anticipate where the puck is going to be and where you can be relative to your teammates – so you can make that nice pass or be in position.”

Camden Carrier simply calls it “hockey smarts. You have an idea where people are.”

When Camden Carrier doesn’t use her smarts, she knows she’ll hear it from her coach – who is also her half-brother.

“He doesn’t take it easy on me,” she said. “He knows how to push me to be my best … I play better when I’m a little angry so I guess it’s a good thing.”

Rob Carrier admits, “I’ve come down hard on her a few times … but she realizes it’s not personal. She takes it in stride.”

And usually that stride is toward the net. That is where Camden Carrier and Sarah Hutcheon usually end up.

How often they find the back of the net may determine how far the Yachtsmen go in the playoffs.