If there were any lingering doubts regarding who the top team in Maine girls high school hockey was, Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland/Oxford Hills has put them to rest.
The consensus top two teams in the league — the Red Hornets and Yarmouth/Freeport — had already met on the ice sheet this winter. While Edward Little Co-op skated to the 4-1 victory earlier in the year, Yartmouth/Freeport had a golden opportunity to knot the season series last week.
But posting a 2-1 win on the road, Edward Little Co-op has erased any uncertainty regarding its status. The Red Hornets are the team to beat ahead of the looming postseason.
But there are still a handful of battle-tested teams that are built to make a run in the playoffs. Cheverus Co-op, Biddeford Co-op and Brunswick have proven their mettle throughout the winter.
With the postseason on the horizon, here is where things stand in Maine girls high school hockey.
1. Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland/Oxford Hills (14-1-0)
Previous rank: 1
North
Coach: Dana Berube
Next: vs Cheverus Co-op, Jan. 28, 6:40 p.m.
The Red Hornets knocked off Yarmouth/Freeport for the second time this season, skating to a 2-1 win last week to put an exclamation point on their reign atop the girls landscape. Edward Little then downed Lewiston, 11-1, for their 10th straight victory. Avery Cologna and Kylie Dulac found the back of the net for the Red Hornets in their big win over Yarmouth/Freeport. With three games left on the slate, Berube and his team should be hitting the postseason with plenty of momentum.
2. Yarmouth/Freeport (13-2-1)
Previous rank: 2
North
Coach: David Intraversato
Next: at Falmouth/Scarborough, Jan. 29, 7:10 p.m.
Yarmouth/Freeport bounced back nicely from its loss to the Red Hornets with a 6-1 romp over Winslow Co-op. The talented Maya Nasveschuk recorded a hat trick in the blowout, who is up to 21-12-33 this year. Yarmouth/Freeport entered this season as the No. 2 team in our poll, and it looks like that is where it could remain the rest of the way. The team played Edward Little Co-op to a much tighter decision (2-1) compared to the 4-1 loss suffered earlier in the season, and will be a threat to make some noise in the playoffs.
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3. Cheverus/Old Orchard Beach/Windham (10-2-2)
Previous rank: 3
South
Coach: Scott Rousseau
Next: at Edward Little Co-op, Jan. 28, 6:40 p.m.
Big game alert. Cheverus Co-op will have a huge opportunity to raise its stock with its upcoming contest against the Red Hornets. In December, Edward Little posted a 3-0 win over Rousseau’s team and has only gotten better since. But so has Cheverus, which recently handed Brunswick a 3-1 loss. Logan Curry (18-6-24) scored twice in the victory.
4. Biddeford/Thornton/Kennebunk/Wells (12-4-0)
Previous rank: 4
South
Coach: Joshua Williams
Next: at York Co-op, Jan. 31, 4:20 p.m.
Biddeford Co-op has rallied to four straight wins since our last top 10 and is hitting its stride at the right time. And all four victories were routs, including two wins over Falmouth/Scarborough (6-1, 6-0). In both games, Williams' team tapped into a widespread scoring output of six different scorers in the first win. Lighting the lamp in the 6-0 blanking were Sophia Auger, Alexa Hubbard, McKenna Buchanan, Shyla McVeigh, Avery Kurkjy and Corinne Ramunno. Ramunno has tallied an impressive 23-14-37 this season and is the fourth-leading scorer in the state.
5. Brunswick (9-7-0)
Previous rank: 5
North
Coach: Chris Ledwick
Next: at Edward Little Co-op, Jan. 29, 4 p.m.
Brunswick suffered a 3-1 loss to Cheverus Co-op last week but returned to the win column in a 3-1 decision over Greely. Solveig Ledwick (27-6-33) scored twice in the win and has scored a league-leading 27 goals this winter. A big test against Edward Little Co-op looms in the penultimate game of the regular season. While Brunswick’s stock has fallen slightly throughout the season, Ledwick’s team will certainly be one to watch in the postseason.
6. Gorham (9-7-0)
Previous rank: 7
South
Coach: Dave Grant
Next: at York Co-op, Jan. 27, 6 p.m.
After falling to Yarmouth/Freeport in a close 3-1 game, Gorham rebounded with consecutive wins over Winslow (7-2) and Portland Co-op (6-3). After the matchup with York Co-op, the season finale will serve as a big test for Grant’s team ahead of the postseason, traveling to battle the top-ranked Red Hornets on the road. It’s also worth noting that Gorham boasts the leading scorer in the league in the talented Carlin Galligan (23-20-43).
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7. Portland/Deering/So. Portland/Cape Elizabeth/Waynflete (7-9-0)
Previous rank: 8
South
Coach: Bob Mills
Next: at York Co-op, Jan. 28, 7 p.m.
Portland Co-op has been climbing up the ranks this season and continues to impress down the stretch. Its most recent win, a 4-1 decision over Penobscot, stands out. The team benefited from a two-goal outing from Eloise Hackett, as Mikaela Furt and Alexis Turner also found the back of the net. Gorham took away any momentum gained from the win with a 6-3 romp over Portland in the ensuing game, but Mills and his team will look to get back on track against York Co-op this week before hitting the ice with Winslow in the season finale.
8. Penobscot (7-8-0)
Previous rank: 6
North
Coach: Meghan MacDonald
Next: vs Winslow Co-op, Jan. 28, 6:10 p.m.
Penobscot has experienced highs and lows in the last two weeks, pulling out big wins over Greely (6-0) and York Co-op (4-0) while suffering losses to Portland Co-op (4-1) and Edward Little Co-op (8-0). Penobscot has hung around all year, though, and has the makings to compete in the postseason. Isabelle Brideau has emerged as the team’s top scorer, posting 13-11-24. She pocketed a pair of goals in the team’s 4-0 win over York Co-op.
9. Falmouth/Scarborough (4-10-2)
Previous rank: 9
South
Coach: Rob Carrier
Next: at Lewiston, Jan. 26, 7 p.m.
Falmouth/Scarborough is scuffling through a four-game losing streak at the bottom of a middling South division ahead of the postseason. The team has run into some tough competition, though, playing the likes of Biddeford Co-op, Falmouth/Scarborough, Brunswick and Portland Co-op. On the bright side, Carrier's team is battle-tested.
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10. York Co-op (4-10-0)
Previous rank: 8
South
Coach: Kevin Aceto
Next: at York Co-op, Jan. 27, 6 p.m.
York Co-op is also sliding since our last top 10, suffering losses in its last three games to Penobscot (4-0), Winslow (3-2) and Greely (3-2). Still, York has a big opportunity to right the ship at the end of the season against Gorham, Portland Co-op and Lewiston. Despite a 4-10-0 record, the team still has notable wins over Brunswick and Lewiston on its resume.
