FALMOUTH — Isac Nordstrom could sense how much was at stake Thursday when he entered the Falmouth boys’ hockey locker room.

It wasn’t a playoff game, but it was the next closest thing. Scarborough was at the Family Ice Center for a regular-season finale that would determine who earned the top seed in the Western Class A playoffs.

“I walked into the room before the game and I felt the energy. I felt we were ready for it,” Nordstrom said.

He provided the energy on the ice, scoring the Yachtsmen’s final three goals, including the game-winner at 10:54 of the third period. Falmouth beat Scarborough 4-3 in a game that showed both are primed for the postseason.

“We just battled back. It feels good to be No. 1, right?” Nordstrom said.

Scarborough (12-5-1) will be the second seed when the Western A quarterfinals begin Tuesday, and will face Portland-Deering. The Red Storm found plenty of momentum in Thursday’s game as well, even if it was a loss. Each time Falmouth scored, Sam Dedian answered. The third-line forward had a hat trick of his own.

“We had resilience coming back each goal and in the end we just ran out of time,” Dedian said.

“In the playoffs, we just have to outwork them. Hopefully, we meet them again.”

Each team has to win twice before that possible Western regional final, but they certainly showed they are capable of that Thursday. The game was tight throughout, with each team generating quality scoring chances seemingly at will.

Nordstrom’s final goal came on the power play. He gathered a pass from Andre Clement – who assisted on each of his goals – and found himself skating in on goaltender Ben Bragg from the left circle. Nordstrom had beaten Bragg low on his first goal and high on his second. This time he saw a clearer path.

“I took it in and I saw five-hole open,” Nordstrom said. “That wasn’t a hard shot, either, but it was on net. Right spot.”

Falmouth (13-5) avenged a 2-0 loss to Scarborough in the first week of the season. But the Yachtsmen had to fend off a six-on-four Scarborough advantage in the final 1:23. The Red Storm, with a power play and an empty net, mustered only one shot.

“The theme was attack, attack, attack,” said Falmouth Coach Deron Barton. “We couldn’t sit back and give them anything.”

The Yachtsmen swarmed to the puck and repeatedly cleared the zone. It left Scarborough Coach Norm Gagne frustrated.

“We didn’t beat them to the loose pucks. We stood around,” Gagne said. “We’ve got six, they’ve got four, we better get somebody on that puck. And we didn’t. We stood and let them rifle it out, and you can’t do that.”

After the game, Nordstrom lingered on the ice to chat with Dedian. The two were teammates on a Junior Pirates team two years ago.

“He just said, ‘good game, good goals,’ ” Dedian said. “I said the same.”

Nordstrom patted Dedian on the helmet, one hat trick scorer to another. Then the players headed to their locker rooms.

It certainly felt like they would soon be meeting again.

Mark Emmert can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:

memmert@pressherald.com

Twitter: MarkEmmertPPH