Messalonskee’s Owen Kirk has 34 points for the Eagles, who are 8-2 this season. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

There’s a logjam at the top of the Class B North boys hockey season standings.

Five teams have at least seven wins: Messalonskee (8-2), Cony co-op (8-2), Presque Isle (8-4), John Bapst co-op (7-1), and Hampden Academy/Nokomis (7-2-1).

Coaches aren’t surprised by the depth of the region.

“There’s been some excellent defense from every team, there’s been some excellent goaltending and it seems like all of the top teams have at least one or two snipers,” Presque Isle coach Carl Flynn said. “So on any given night, you get a goalie that shows up and you get a sniper that tucks a couple inside the post and you know a fifth or sixth-ranked team upsets a first-place team – it’s not even really that big of an upset.”

One thing every team has is a top line that can consistently put the puck in the net.

Nine of the top 10 scorers in boys hockey are all in Class B North. Isaac Staples of Presque Isle is No. 1 with 34 points (23 goals, 11 asssists).

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“Basically, the top teams have a really good first group,” Messalonskee coach Dennis Martin said. “You’ve got the (Boston Merrow) from Hampden Academy and you’ve got the Staples kid from Presque Isle, you’ve got Owen (Kirk), Tatum (Doucette), and Christian (Salvadori) (from Messalonskee) playing in that group. And you’ve got the (Cooper) Clark kid and (Cale) Harrington and (Ben) Platt, that line for Cony. Basically, any time those players step on the ice, there’d be a possible chance for a goal.”

Flynn said what separates the five teams isn’t the top lines but depth.

“I do think that Cony and Messalonskee – at least at this point of having played everyone once – are the two favorites,” Flynn said. “They appear to be playing three lines, whereas the rest of us are playing two lines. I think that gives them a little bit of an advantage over the length of a game.”

Martin isn’t counting out the defending regional champions Camden Hills (4-6), which has won four of its last six games.

Turnaround for Kennebunk/Wells

Kennebunk/Wells coach Bryan Page said a shift in the team’s culture is a reason for the Rams are 8-3 this season.

“I think the biggest thing for the kids collectively is staying positive and continuing to work hard when you face adversity and looking at adversity as something to grow in and through and not something that’s just there to sink you or frustrate you, but looking at adversity as an opportunity for growth,” Page said. “So it’s just been trying to instill that mindset, it’s been a collective coaching thing – where you know we talk about adversity always as an opportunity to grow that you’re not changing and you’re not growing unless you’re facing adversity head-on.”

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Page has been with the program for six seasons and took over as head coach in the middle of the 2022-23 season. The Kennebunk program hasn’t had a winning season since 2016-17, when they went 12-5-1 in the regular season.

The Rams have lost twice this season to Poland/Leavitt/Oak Hill/Gray-New Gloucester, including a 5-2 loss on Saturday.

“We haven’t been able to cross the hump with them,” Page said. “And so for us, it’s actually great, our coaches are preaching a message of, man, you know what? Adversity. Expect adversity to come. We’ve had a great start to the year. You’re going to face adversity and when we face it, it’s all going to be about how we respond to that.”

Kents Hill is trying to get healthy

The new year hasn’t been kind to the Kents Hill boys.

The Huskies were 4-1 after their 7-3 win over Cony on Dec. 17 but are 1-4 since. Kents Hill has been dealing with injuries, but coach Bill Desmarais liked how the Huskies played in the final five minutes (when they scored twice) of a 7-4 loss to Lewiston on Wednesday.

Kents Hill’s Nathan Roy, left, tries to get past Cony co-op team defenseman Zack Waddell during a game earlier this season. Kents Hill started the season 4-1, but has gone 1-4 since while dealing with injuries. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“We tighten up a few things and, we limit opportunities and we showed signs like last five minutes of the game we dominated and that’s how we can play,” Desmarais said. “We have one guy coming back from injury on Friday. We have another guy; by the time we play again, he’ll be back. So it gives us two more bodies and it gives us a little more rest and able to play more people.”

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Lewiston, Edward Little girls hockey teams bullish for playoffs

The coaching staffs for the Blue Devils and the Red Hornets like how their respective teams are playing with the season winding down. Both are looking for their first playoff wins since 2022, when the Blue Devils beat the Red Hornets in the Class A North regional final en route to their fourth state championship.

Lewiston co-op co-coach Sarah Pomerleau said the 4-2 loss to Brunswick, which is second in the Class A North Heal points standings, gave the Blue Devils confidence.

“Yeah, we wanted the win, so I think to be close, we’ll sit with that for a moment,” Pomerleau said. “But we told the girls that this shows we can play with anybody, and we need to take that, clean up a few things, and take that into the playoffs. And we’re in to make the best run we can.”

The Red Hornets (8-4-2) are third in the Class A North Heal point standings.

“You know, if you want to knock Cheverus out or you want to beat Brunswick or Yarmouth or Penobscot, you’re going to have work to do, but we think we’re going to be right there,” coach Dana Berube said. “We’re just trying to stay healthy and get healthy and be ready for the playoffs.”

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