YORK – They boarded the school bus in the York High parking lot Friday afternoon, and senior Hannah Keating looked as if she might cry.

“It’s extremely sad,” she said.

Interesting reaction from the co-captain of the successful York girls’ hockey team, which will be playing for a state championship today.

But to know the strength of York is to understand how special these bus rides have been for the Wildcats. Friday was the last time the team would be busing to the Jackson Landing rink in Durham, N.H.

Those bus rides have been times of bonding for the Wildcats.

“From beginning to end, we get as close as we can with each other,” said Macki Hill, York’s other senior co-captain.

Keating and Hill will lead the Wildcats onto the ice at the Colisee in Lewiston tonight at 7 to face St. Dominic Academy.

York (15-3-2), the No. 2 seed out of the West, will be the underdog against the Saints (19-1), the top seed in the East.

St. Dominic has never lost when its top players were skating — all of them missed a game on Dec. 28, when the Saints lost 9-1 to Brunswick.

Ten days earlier, a full Saints team beat York, 6-2.

“We were shell-shocked at first,” York Coach Kevin Banfield said. “It was 3-0 in the first period and we couldn’t catch up.”

St. Dominic features a group of players who stand out by their skill, led by All-State defenseman Sophie Goulet and All-State forward Marisa Zamrock.

“We were taken aback by their talent,” Keating said. “We were definitely in awe.”

Added Hill: “We didn’t have our heads in it. We were psyched out.”

But Keating is pleased to have a rematch.

“We’re ready for them now,” she said.

This York team has evolved over the years. Always one of the strongest programs in terms of numbers, the Wildcats have emerged into a power, still using a lot of players.

“We have the strength in numbers,” Hill said.

That is not just a cliche. The Wildcats run out three lines and often wear teams down.

St. Dominic, like many teams, uses two lines and three defensemen.

York will use four defensemen playing in front of goalie Olivia Drew: sisters Sammy and Tori Stocks, Hill and Julia Hird.

In the Wildcats’ last nine games, they have allowed a total of three goals.

The three forward lines for York are Nicci Heroux, Caroline Hird and Carly Lee; Keating, Rachel Yorke and Julieann Figlioli; and Olivia Leroux, Cari Posternak and Gabby Boualavanh.

Heroux is a top scorer, utilizing her speed, while Keating’s speed and powerful shot make her a force.

Even though York is playing in its first girls’ hockey state championship game, several players were part of York’s state-contending soccer and field hockey teams: Keating is headed to the University of Maine to play field hockey, and Hill, a soccer and lacrosse player, is going to the University of New England and hopes to play lacrosse.

Keating and Hill are the only seniors on the team, and Friday’s last practice was bittersweet for them.

But that feeling will be replaced by the excitement of tonight’s game.

This is only the third state championship game since the Maine Principals’ Association sanctioned girls’ hockey. Lewiston beat Biddeford in 2009 and Cheverus topped Lewiston last year.

Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at:

kthomas@pressherald.com

 

Copy the Story Link