LEWISTON — Before the start of the Western Class A playoffs, Scarborough Coach Norm Gagne figured there was no established favorite among Falmouth, Biddeford, Cheverus and his team.

“Any of the four – we’ve all battled each other pretty darn close,” Gagne said. “The parity is there. It’s who shows up and who gets the bounce.”

So far, Scarborough is getting good bounces, with an overtime 3-2 win over Biddeford in the quarterfinals and a 6-5 comeback thriller over Falmouth in the semis.

Now the fourth-seeded Red Storm (12-5-3) face No. 2 Cheverus (13-5-2) for the Western A championship at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Colisee.

Scarborough did not beat the Stags this year, going 0-1-1.

“That doesn’t matter a whole lot,” Gagne said. “We beat Biddeford and hadn’t beaten them (in the regular season).

“You just got to go out and play.”

The Cheverus-Scarborough games have been tight. In their first encounter Feb. 7, Cheverus scored a power-play goal with seven seconds remaining to tie the game 1-1. In the final regular-season game Feb. 19, the Stags eked out a 1-0 victory.

That game may have been a turning point for Cheverus.

“We hadn’t been playing a full 45 minutes,” said Stags Coach Dan Lucas. “Now, we’re starting to believe. We’re starting to play with a purpose.”

Despite their 18 goals in two playoffs games, Cheverus normally does not score much against stronger teams. Besides a 3-2 overtime win over Lewiston and a 5-2 loss to St. Dominic, the Stags have not scored more than one goal against the top teams (including Falmouth, Biddeford and Bangor).

To compete, Cheverus needs to use its speed on defense and to create offense.

“We’re the type of team that we have to skate and keep the pressure on,” Lucas said.

Among the key players will be the Stags’ top line of Jimmy Hannigan, Luke Trickey and Jesse Cyr-Brophy, a stellar group of defenseman – led by James Kane – and goalie Kyle Severance.

Scarborough has several players who have stepped up recently – led by senior forward Matt Caron who missed most of the season with a broken collarbone. Caron and linemate Sean McGovern have been clicking in the playoffs, totaling four goals.

Kevin Smith and Sean McDonald usually are the starting the defensemen, in front of senior goalie Ben Bragg, who has been the strength of the team all season.

The winners of Tuesday’s regional finals advance to the state championship Saturday. Cheverus last reached the title game in 2006, when the Stags won their second straight championship. Scarborough has never reached the title game, losing the past two West A finals to Falmouth.

EASTERN A FINAL: When talking about state championship appearances, the conversation begins with Lewiston and St. Dominic. In the past 35 years, 31 state title games have involved one of those two teams.

And one of them will again vie for the championship, after they meet for the Eastern Class A title at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Colisee. No. 1 St. Dom’s (16-2-1) will be a slight favorite against the No. 2 Blue Devils (14-5-1).

The Saints lost twice to Falmouth and tied Lewiston. St. Dom’s also beat the Blue Devils 5-2 on Jan. 31.

Both teams can bring the offensive pressure, St. Dom’s led by forward Brad Berube, and Lewiston by forward Jeromey Rancourt.

WESTERN B FINAL: Gorham Coach Jon Portwine said his team was struggling at the end of the season. Gorham went 2-3-1 over its last six games, including a season-ending 6-0 loss to Kennebunk.

The rematch is 7 p.m. Wednesday night at the Colisee, when No. 6 Gorham (13-5-2) plays top-seeded Kennebunk (15-2-2) for the Western B championship.

While Kennebunk is favored, Gorham is a dangerous team because of the presence of forward Travis Mansir, who has four goals and three assists in two playoff games.

Kennebunk will counter with a deep team that spreads the scoring around and plays solid defense – allowing over two goals only twice this year. Michael LeBlanc will be in goal.

EASTERN B FINAL: Defending state champion Messalonskee (18-1) looks like it’s on a path to repeat. The top-seeded Eagles beat No. 4 Brewer 12-1 in the semifinals, and will be heavily favored against No. 3 Winslow (14-6) when they meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Alfond Arena in Orono.

The Eagles swept Winslow in the regular season, winning 6-5 in the season opener and 5-1 in January.

 

Copy the Story Link