WINSLOW — As January began there was no guarantee that the Lawrence/Skowhegan co-op boys hockey team would make the Eastern A playoffs.

The Bandits opened the month with a 4-3 loss to Bangor in a game they led 3-0 and followed it up with a 9-2 defeat to St. Dominic to drop to 1-5-1.

One month later it is not a question of whether or not the Bandits will make the playoffs, but how high of a seed they will finish with.

Thanks to a thrilling 6-5 overtime win over Brunswick (9-5-0) Saturday on a goal from Trevor Lewis, the Bandits (9-5-1) have now won eight games in a row. Tyler Tompkins forced overtime with 50 seconds remaining as the extra skater on the ice after pulling goalie Curtis Martin.

“We’re getting production out of both lines and our defense. Curtis Martin in net has stepped up huge,” Lawrence/Skowhegan coach Ted Fabian said after practice Monday at Sukee Arena. “Obviously our top line … is so dominant, but our second line — Trevor Lewis, Brad Wilbur and Tyler Tompkins — has really stepped up and given us a lot of production, which has been a big help.

“They usually play against the other team’s top line so not only are they shutting them down but they’re producing as well.”

While the Bandits were more than happy to get the win, Saturday’s contest also served as a bit of a reality check for them as well. The Bandits trailed 2-0 early and 5-3 with less than two minutes remaining before pulling off the comeback.

“We try to knock it down a little bit. The guys I think are a little too overconfident,” Fabian said. “They came out against Brunswick and they had another thing coming for us.

“It’s tough playing down there, it’s a bigger ice surface and it kind of throws you off a little bit but Brunswick came out hard. Give it to our guys for coming out and battling until the very end.”

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Messalonskee (15-1-0 Eastern B) has only gotten better as the season has gone along and the Eagles certainly proved that Friday night in a 4-2 win at Bangor (9-4-0 Eastern A).

Earlier this season the Rams handed Messalonskee its only loss to date, and did so in convincing fashion by a margin of 6-1.

“It was definitely an emotional win,” Messalonskee coach Joe Hague said. “We just had to wait four tries to get to this one with all the snow.

“They came out and played great. Jared Cunningham had one of the better games I’ve ever seen him play.”

Cunningham and fellow first-liners Brandon Nale and Jake Dexter have garnered plenty of attention for the Eagles this season, and rightfully so. They have not been the only ones playing well for Messalonskee though, as Hague said he has gotten strong play out of his second line of Dylan Brown, Devin Pickett and Dana Michaud as well.

Goaltender Elija Tuell has also continued to play well. He has not given up more than two goals in a game since giving up six to Bangor on Dec. 17.

“We’ve had strong goaltending and good defense, and that’s always a good way to start,” Hague said. “We’re just balanced out just a little bit more. Granted most of our scoring comes from the first line but we’re getting a lot of more production from the second and third lines.”

The Eagles wrap up the regular season at home against Brewer (8-5-2) Tuesday and at Old Town/Orono (5-6-1) Saturday, yet Messalonskee is making sure it stays hungry even after its big win over Bangor.

“That win over Bangor was something that really fed the team’s success,” Hague said. “They were very happy but they know now their big goal is still in sight and they’re definitely hungry to get the back to back (championships). There are going to be teams out there that are just as hungry as us though.”

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Any time Winslow and Waterville play there is always plenty on the line no matter the sport, but Wednesday’s game between the two schools’ hockey teams will come with extra incentive for the winner.

As of Monday night the Black Raiders (10-4-0) were the No. 2 seed in Eastern B, while the Purple Panthers (9-4-1) were in the third spot.

“Like always it’s a big game and rivalry games are always important to win,” Winslow coach Andy Dube said. “We’re looking to build momentum heading into the early rounds of the playoffs and trying to finish second still.”

The top two seeds in Eastern B earn a first-round bye and the No. 2 seed very well could be determined by the result of Wednesday’s contest.

“We’re gearing up. That’s what I was worried about today, making sure we’re not thinking ahead to the big game on Wednesday,” Waterville coach Dennis Martin said after his team’s 3-1 win at Old Town/Orono. “We’re still fighting for that No. 2 spot.”

Evan Crawley — 621-5640

ecrawley@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @Evan_Crawley

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