The most wide-open girls’ hockey playoffs begin today with two quarterfinal games.

In the West, No. 4 seed Portland/Deering (9-9) plays host to No. 5 Cheverus (7-11) at 4:30 p.m.

In the East, No. 4 Lewiston (10-7-1) will host No. 5 Yarmouth (7-11) at 8:10 p.m. at the Colisee.

The winners, plus six teams that received byes, advance to the regional semifinals this weekend.

In previous years, a team emerged as the obvious favorite, but parity is the rule this season.

Falmouth (17-1) enters as the West’s No. 1 seed, yet Coach Rob Carrier said as many as “six or seven teams” could reach the state title game.

Falmouth is still considered the favorite. The Yachtsmen roll out two steady lines, have solid goaltending and possibly the best defensemen, led by All-State Monica Aaskov and explosive Megan Fortier.

Brunswick (14-3-1), the top seed in the East, lost both its games to rival Greely, but jumped into state contention on Jan. 28 by handing Falmouth its only loss, 5-3. The Dragons may have the state’s best group of forwards.

Defending West champion York (12-3-3) is the No. 2 seed, although it has not beaten Falmouth or Scarborough this year. The Wildcats’ overall team play and Nicci Heroux’s scoring prowess make them a threat.

Scarborough (14-3-1) lost only two games since Dec. 1 – one-goal defeats to Falmouth and Brunswick. Goalie Devan Kane makes the Red Storm a contender every game.

Greely (13-5) looked like a powerhouse until losing three of its final four games. The Rangers can rebound but must play Leavitt/Edward Little in the semifinals, and they lost twice to the Red Hornets this season.

Leavitt/Edward Little features dangerous forward Taylor Landry.

Portland and Lewiston (10-7-1) will be favored in their games tonight. Portland has All-State forward Raechel Allen, while Lewiston is in every game because of the play of freshman goalie Paige Fontaine.

Staff Writer Kevin Thomas can be contacted at 791-6411 or at: kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: KevinThomasPPH

 

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