Before her Winslow High team played York in the Class B state championship game, Coach Mary Beth Bourgoin told her players not to get caught up watching Wildcats’ standout Lily Posternak.

“I had seen her play quite often,” said Bourgoin. “I told the kids that they were going to be going against this incredibly talented girl and that with her stick skills, they had to be patient.

“She was impressive.”

She was. Posternak scored a highlight-reel goal, stick handling past two players, as she helped the Wildcats make it back-to-back state championships with a 3-2 victory. She also had an assist as York extended its winning streak to 36 games.

For the second year in a row, Posternak is the Maine Sunday Telegram field hockey player of the year.

Posternak, a junior midfielder, has committed to play at Duke University, choosing the Blue Devils over Princeton and Harvard. She had 27 goals and 14 assists this year, giving her career totals of 55 goals and 42 assists.

Barb Marois, the Wildcats’ coach and a former U.S. Olympic player, said she saw a more mature Posternak on the field this year.

“I think being an upperclassman this year, she felt she needed to be more of a leader,” said Marois. “And not just in how she played, but in how she was organized, how she communicated with her teammates, how she handled herself.”

Posternak said she simply enjoyed playing with her teammates. “I think it was super to be part of such a great group of girls,” she said. “Our season couldn’t have finished on a better note. And we all definitely worked our hardest to do it.”

Posternak has always had exceptional ball control with her stick skills and has always possessed a hard shot. Marois said she asked Posternak to work on her passing this year to make her a more complete player.

“It opened up her game that much more,” said Marois.

Posternak, who plays on a travel team out of Boston, said Marois has had a huge impact on her development.

“All our accomplishments are because of her,” said Posternak, who is playing basketball this winter. “She has helped our team in so many ways.

“I know she taught me so many elements to improve my game. I mean, she’s been there. She played in the Olympics. Her word means so much to me.”

Marois said Posternak faced a lot of pressure this year, but that she’s used to it.

“She tends to put a lot of pressure on herself, expect a lot of herself,” said Marois. “And that’s why she’s the player that she is.”

Sunday Telegram All-State Team

Ally Corbett, Messalonskee junior left midfielder: A great one-on-one defender, she possesses one of the best block tackles in the state. She had 12 goals and three assists for the Eagles, whose only loss came to Skowhegan in the Class A North final. She is drawing interest from several Division I schools.

Devon Datsis, York senior forward: Datsis made a habit of scoring big goals, including the go-ahead goal in the state final as the Wildcats won their second straight Class B title. For the season, she had 19 goals and 13 assists.

Riley Field, Messalonskee senior midfielder: A finalist for Miss Maine Field Hockey, Field will play at UMaine. She is exceptionally fast and has great footwork. She had three goals and four assists this season.

Emily Hogan, Messalonskee senior forward: One of the state’s most gifted scorers, she had 25 goals and nine assists this fall, giving her career totals of 72 goals and 27 assists. A Miss Maine Field Hockey finalist, she will play at American University in Washington, D.C.

Leah Kruse, Skowhegan senior goalie: Kruse was one of the big reasons Skowhegan won the Class A state championship again. She posted nine shutouts and stopped 90 percent of the shots she faced, making 118 saves. She will attend Bentley in the fall.

Nickyia Lovely, Gardiner senior forward: Lovely had 17 goals and seven assists, and became Gardiner’s all-time leading goal scorer with 63 over her four-year career. Very smart in the circle, she always put herself in good position. She is undecided on college.

Kiley Nelson, Belfast junior right inner: Extremely fast, Nelson scored 29 goals, giving her 59 in her career. She also had eight assists this year and has 29 for her career. A member of the U-16 Junior Olympic team, she is drawing interest from several Division I schools.

Grace Pickering, Thornton Academy senior midfielder: A finalist for Miss Maine Field Hockey, Pickering was instrumental in helping the Trojans reach their first Class A final. She had only two goals and six assists, but controlled the tempo and pace.

Libby Pomerleau, Thornton Academy senior forward: The Trojans’ all-time leader in goals (61) and assists (23), Pomerleau was one of the top scorers in the SMAA for three years. She had 23 goals and 12 assists this year to help the Trojans reach the Class A state title game.

Lily Posternak, York junior midfielder: The Maine Sunday Telegram player of the year for the second consecutive season and a three-time All-State selection, Posternak led the Wildcats to another Class B state title. She had 27 goals and 14 assists, and controlled games with exceptional stick skills and game sense. She has committed to Duke.

Haley Thebarge, Skowhegan junior back: Thebarge possesses good stick skills and exceptional field sense. Very patient, she makes crisp and accurate passes as evidenced by her 12 assists this season. She also scored two goals and was called “the backbone” of the team by Coach Paula Doughty.

Delaney Wood, Winslow senior goalie: Very aggressive in the goal, Wood is a finalist for Miss Maine Field Hockey. She posted seven shutouts in helping the Black Raiders to the Class B state championship game, and communicated well to set up the defense in the circle. She had a .910 save percentage, stopping 154 of 170 shots.

Coach of the Year

Paula Doughty, Skowhegan: This was the year the Indians weren’t supposed to win the regional championship, let alone the state title. But Doughty pulled her team together, found the right roster combinations and used her players’ talents to again win the Class A state championship. It was Skowhegan’s 13th title in 15 years.

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