Playoff excitement underway- Portland edition

With the basketball tournament beginning this week (see story), every other winter sport, with the exception of boys’ hockey, is already into its postseason.

Last week proved eventful and triumphant and here’s a look back, as well as a glimpse at what’s to come:

Girls’ hockey

Portland/Deering’s Margaret Smith collides with a York defender during last week’s South Region quarterfinal. The Bulldogs lost, 3-2. Ben McCanna / Portland Press Herald

The Cape Elizabeth/Waynflete/South Portland co-op squad was the only local girls’ hockey team still standing at press time.

Cape/Waynflete/SP, ranked second in the South Region, had a bye into the semifinals where it hosted No. 3 Cheverus Saturday.

The Stags had advanced by virtue of a 4-1 quarterfinal round win over No. 6 Falmouth, thanks to two goals and two assists from Lucia Pompeo and single goals from Elle Cooney and Hannah Woodford (who was recently named one of five finalists for the Becky Schaffer Award, which is given to the top senior girls’ hockey player in the state).

“We just had to push back,” Pompeo said. “We just had to come in playing hard like we usually do.”

“We can only do what we do,” said Stags’ coach Scott Rousseau. “Our options are limited, but we executed really well today.”

In the semifinals, Cheverus’ season ended at 14-6 as Cape/Waynflete/SP prevailed, 5-0, to improve to 13-5-1.

Cape/Waynflete/SP will battle top-ranked Scarborough (16-1-2) in the regional final Wednesday at 7:15 p.m., at Troubh Ice Arena. The Red Storm won both regular season meetings, 3-1 and 4-1, and had taken all three prior playoff encounters.

The winner advances to Saturday’s state final in Lewiston against either Lewiston (18-0-1) or Edward Little (11-6-3).

Portland/Deering, the No. 4 seed in the South Region, lost at home in its quarterfinal last week, 3-2, to No. 5 York. The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead, behind goals from Jordan King and Caroline Lerch, to the third period, but couldn’t hold on and finished 11-8.

“(York) had a work ethic the whole game and my goalie made some key saves the first two periods to keep it 2-0, but they worked even harder in the third,” said Portland/Deering coach Tom Clifford.

Indoor track

Cheverus’ Victoria Bossong wins the 200 at Saturday’s SMAA championship meet. Bossong also won the 55 and the 400. Shawn Patrick Ouellette / Portland Press Herald

The Southwestern Maine Activities Association indoor track championship meet was held Saturday at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham.

Cheverus’ girls tallied 43 points and came in eighth (Gorham was first with 154 points), but Stags’ junior standout Victoria Bossong stole the show individually by winning the 55 (7.43 seconds), 200 (26.02) and 400 (59.01).

“I’ve been really sick this week and school has been tough, but we had two snow days, so that helped,” Bossong said. “Today, I just wanted to finish all my events.”

Lauren Jordan also had a first-place finish in the senior shot put (40 feet, 1.75 inches). before helping the Cheverus girls’ basketball team rally to beat Windham later in the day.

“It’s cool because everyone else is really good, so there’s competition, which I like,” said Jordan.

“What’s amazing is (Lauren) came up to me eight months ago and asked me if I could teach her how to throw the shot,” said Cheverus throwing coach Ken Swanberg. “She didn’t even know how to throw and do a rotation before that.”

Deering (33 points) placed 12th (and got a win from Darcy Lally in the open pole vault, 9-6) and Portland (15.5) was 14th.

In the boys’ meet, won by Scarborough with 189.666 points, Cheverus (56) tied Westbrook for sixth. Frank Morang was first in the junior 55 (6.85), the junior long jump (21-7.25) and the junior triple jump (43-7.5).

Deering (40.5) came in 10th and got a first-place finish from Antonio Ciccomancini in the senior 200 (23.25). Ciccomancini took home the Jim Dyer Award for dedication to track and field and competitive spirit.

Portland (15) was 15th.

The Class A state meet is Monday of next week at USM.

Swimming

Cheverus’ Grace Shimansky competes in diving at last week’s Southwesterns meet. Shimansky finished fifth. Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald

The seven-time Class A state champion Cheverus boys’ swim team tallied 242 points and was a close second to Cape Elizabeth (258.5) at the North Division Southwesterns last weekend. The Stags got wins from Quinton Hastings in the 50 freestyle (22.06 seconds) and 100 free (48.12), Brim Peabody in the 100 breaststroke (1 minute, 1.28 seconds) and their 200 free relay team (Chase Cameron, Clayton Hatch, Hastings and Camden Hom, 1:32.57).

Deering (14 points) was eighth.

Cheverus’ girls were fifth at the North Division Southwesterns with 151 points (Greely won the title with 345).

Deering (34) placed eighth.

In the girls’ South Division Southwesterns, won by Kennebunk with 256 points, Portland (59) was eighth and Waynflete (14) came in 13th.

The boys’ South Division Southwesterns meet was held Monday.

The Class A boys’ state meet is Feb. 15 at the University of Maine in Orono. The Class A girls’ meet is Feb. 17 in Orono, while the Class B girls’ state meet is the same day at Bowdoin College in Brunswick. The Class B boys’ meet is Feb. 18 in Brunswick.

Skiing

Waynflete’s Nicholas Werner had a strong showing at last week’s Western Maine Conference Nordic championships. Werner was third in the skate (13 minute, 30.7 seconds) and fourth in the classic (15:28.4). The Flyers were fifth as a team (Freeport placed first).

In the girls’ competition, Waynflete came in third (Yarmouth was first) and was paced by Julia Werner (11th in the classic, 19:26.3, and 15th in the skate, 17:30.4) and Clara Sandberg (12th in the classic, 19:29.9, and 14th in the skate, 17:29).

The Class A state Alpine meet is Feb. 13-14. The Class A and C Nordic state meets will be held Feb. 17-18.

Wrestling

City wrestlers took part in the Class A South regional meet last weekend. The Portland/South Portland co-op team had 95 points and placed fifth (Noble was first with 225.5).

Cheverus (94.5) came in sixth and produced a champion in Sebastian Merrill, who captured the 195-pound weight class, edging Portland/Deering’s Malcolm Garland, 3-2, in the final. Teammates Marshall Fowler (138) and Sean Sullivan (220) lost in the finals, as did Portland/Deering’s Theo Burns (170).

Deering (45) was 10th.

The Class A state wrestling meet is Saturday, Feb. 15, in Sanford.

Boys’ hockey

Portland/Deering’s Peter Gribbin and Edward Little’s Reed Chapman watch the puck fly towards the goal during the Bulldogs’ 3-0 loss last week. Andree Kehn / Sun Journal

The boys’ hockey regular season is winding toward its completion next week.

Cheverus improved to 11-2 and second behind defending champion Greely in the Class B South Heal Points standings after a 5-0 win at Leavitt Saturday. The Stags hosted Gorham Monday, went to York Tuesday, visit Brunswick Saturday and have a makeup game Monday at home versus Yarmouth before closing the regular season Tuesday of next week at Windham.

In Class A, the South Portland/Waynflete/Freeport co-op squad was 9-5-1 and fourth after a 3-2 loss at Edward Little and a 6-2 home victory over Lake Region. The team hosts Thornton Academy Thursday, welcomes Portland/Deering Saturday and closes at Falmouth Tuesday of next week.

Portland/Deering fell to 5-10 and eighth in Class A after losses last week at Edward Little (3-0), at Lewiston (9-0) and at Falmouth (4-0). After welcoming Lake Region Thursday, the squad is at South Portland/Freeport/Waynflete Saturday, then closes at Biddeford Tuesday of next week.

Press Herald staff writer Glenn Jordan contributed to this story.