AUGUSTA — The unblemished Messalonskee field hockey team rolled through the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A regular season, posting 12 shutouts in 14 games. The dominant play continued in the Class A North playoffs, as the top-seeded Eagles (16-0-0) out-scored Mt. Ararat and Mt. Blue by a combined 13-0.

Next up: Another showdown with Skowhegan (14-2-0), only this time the regional championship is at stake.

The rivals will square off at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Class A North title game at Thomas College.

“Here we go again,” Messalonskee coach Katie McLaughlin said. “It’s us and Skowhegan. This should be a good one.”

The Maine Principals’ Association on Monday announced starting times for all regional final games Tuesday.

Thomas College is hosting the North regional championship games, beginning with the Class C contest at 3:30 p.m. between No. 1 Dexter (14-2-0) and No. 2 MCI (12-4-0).

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The Class B North title game between No. 1 Gardiner (14-2-0) and No. 2 Winslow (12-3-1) will follow about 5:30 p.m. The Raiders edged the Tigers 1-0 in the regular season.

“I am thrilled to be going up against Gardiner,” Winslow coach Mary Beth Bourgoin said. “I am sure they would say the same thing with going up against us. It was a really good game during regular season, too. Gardiner is always a tough matchup. We thought this was going to be anybody’s tournament so we’re glad we’re here. We worked hard to get here.

“I told the girls that it’s all about peaking at the right time, and I think we are.”

Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland will host the South finals.

No. 3 Oak Hill (11-5-0) will play rejuvenated No. 8 Lisbon (7-9-0) at 3:30 p.m. in the Class C final. The two teams met in the regional final last season, with the Greyhounds winning 2-1 in double overtime.

“This is kind of redemption,” Oak Hill coach Betsy Gilbert said. “Our girls really, really want this. We’re very excited for this challenge.”

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The Greyhounds struggled at times this season when head coach Julie Petrie was out on maternity leave.

However, Petrie returned a couple weeks ago and Gilbert said it’s no coincidence that Lisbon started playing better.

“Now that she is back, it’s been a game-changer for them” she said. “Her girls respond well to her. I’m excited for the matchup. Julie and I are two competitive coaches. This is going to be a good battle, a back and forth game. We’re solid and they are solid, too. I’m really excited for the game.”

The teams split their two regular season meetings, with Lisbon winning 1-0 in the regular season finale after the Raiders prevailed 2-1 in early September.

York and Leavitt will play for the B South title at 5:30 while Cheverus and Thornton will follow at about 7:30 in the A game.

The North regional finals at Thomas feature games between the top two seeds.

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Messalonskee swept the regular season series with No. 2 Skowhegan (14-2-0), winning 3-0 and 3-1.

The Indians are seeking their 13th state title in 15 years.

“When the playoffs hit, Skowhegan is a different team,” McLaughlin said. “They take their game to a whole other level. But our team is more confident than we’ve ever been, so let’s do this.”

McLaughlin acknowledged it’s “a bit odd” having her Eagles seeded higher than the mighty Indians.

“We don’t feel weird being here but it’s weird having people think that we should win this game,” she said. “It’s odd, but we’re all excited to go into this game and see what happens.

“We definitely have to start calm and set our tempo. There’s been some instances this year when we’ve sat back in the first five minutes and waited to see what happens. We can’t do that (Tuesday). We need teams to adjust to us.”

Bill Stewart — 621-5618

bstewart@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @billstewartMTM


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