Scarborough and Greely showcase two of the best high school girls’ athletic programs in the state, but rarely do they meet because Scarborough is a Class A school and Greely is Class B in most sports.
They will face each other at 7 p.m. Saturday for the girls’ hockey state championship at the Colisee in Lewiston.
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In the infancy of high school girls’ hockey in Maine, there are no classifications yet. Everyone is in one pool.
This is only the fifth state championship game since the sport became sanctioned by the Maine Principals’ Association.
What else do you need to know?
Here are 10 items to consider:
1. Both teams are on a roll. Greely (17-2-1), the defending state champion, is unbeaten in its last 14 games. Scarborough (18-1-1) is on a 10-game winning streak.
2. In their only regular-season meeting, the teams tied 2-2 on Dec. 22. But Scarborough Coach Caitlin Cashman is quick to point out that her team was outplayed and outshot 40-14.
“We did not have a good game. We got worked,” Cashman said. “We’ll have to go at them and play our game.”
3. Scarborough goalie Devan Kane could make the difference. Her 38 saves salvaged a tie in the December game.
“Devan is so strong. She’s their foundation,” Greely Coach Nate Guerin said.
4. Goaltending was a question mark for Greely before the season because Maura Perry had not played the position before. She has allowed only 21 goals in 20 games. Sure, Greely plays great team defense, but Perry has played well. In the Rangers’ 3-0 win in the East final, Perry stopped a couple of rockets from Leavitt/Edward Little’s Taylor Landry.
“She’s doing a real good job of picking up the subtleties of the position,” Guerin said.
5. Greely, with its eight seniors and previous history in the playoffs, has the advantage in experience. But Scarborough senior forward Sarah Martens is no novice to pressure situations. She led the Red Storm soccer team to the Class A state title, scoring the winning goal in all four playoff games.
Martens scored the only goal in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over York in the West championship game.
“She’s so clutch in every sport,” Cashman said. “She has a lot of poise and confidence.”
6. Martens is the top playmaker, but Scarborough rolls out two balanced lines, especially with the return of sophomore Kristen Murray from a broken collarbone.
Martens leads one line, along with Rachel Wallace and Madison O’Reilly. Murray, Hannah Snyder and dangerous scorer Alyssa Hulst make up the other line.
7. Greely’s top offensive player might be sophomore defenseman Mary Morrison, already one of the state’s best at her position.
“She does what she wants on the ice,” Guerin said. “Her game is total possession. She can rush it, turn around and still get back. She does it all for us.”
Morrison is on the ice every other shift, along with Kiana Rogovin or Erin Molloy. Seniors Freyja Victory and Chelsey Andrews make up the other defensive pairing.
8. Greely can also send out balanced lines on offense: Paige Tuller and Meg Finlay skate with alternating freshmen Maura Verrill and Danita Storey, and the second line features Sarah Kurland, Etta Copenhagen and Monica Howland.
“They just kept skating, wave after wave, into our zone,” Leavitt/Edward Little Coach Shon Collins said after Wednesday’s game.
9. Scarborough’s defense has improved, led by Sam Nablo, Brenna Kent, Riley McKeown and Jenna Block.
Nablo, a senior captain, said this Red Storm team has the intangibles that were missing in previous seasons.
“In the years past, we felt like we had it all. Maybe the way we prepared wasn’t right,” Nablo said. “This year, we all clicked.”
10. In the five-year history of sanctioned high school girls’ hockey, Scarborough is the eighth school to reach the state final.
Only two teams have been here twice. Lewiston made it the first two seasons, beating Biddeford the first year, losing to Cheverus the next. And Greely is making its second straight trip, having won its inaugural appearance last year, 7-1 against Falmouth.
Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:
kthomas@pressherald.com
Twitter: KevinThomasPPH
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