LEWISTON – The rivalry will live on for one more week.

Lewiston and Edward Little locked horns twice during the regular season, with each taking a win on their opponents’ ice.

Tuesday, they will face each other in what will be one of the teams’ final game of the season.

The Maine Principal’s Association announced the final Heal Point standings Wednesday, and the Blue Devils (10-9-1) drew the best seed of any local team in Class A for the upcoming tournament – a fourth-place seeding in the East.

“We were hoping we could slide up into third this week,” Lewiston coach Norm Gagne said. “But this is fine. You have to win all of your games to get there, no matter who the games are against.”

Edward Little (9-10-1), which started the season on fire, cooled off down the stretch, and settled into the No. 5 spot in the East, earning a visit to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m.

“We have a lot of work to do between now and then,” EL coach Craig Latuscha said, “but we’re fired up.”

“It’s great to have a rivalry game right off the top,” Gagne said. “It gets you into the playoff spirit, and this one is like a rubber match for us.”

On the other side of the bracket lies St. Dom’s.

The Saints (10-9-1) also finished the season on a hot streak, only to cool off on the season’s final day in a game against Scarborough.

In a much deeper West, St. Dom’s finished in the No. 8 spot, and will host No. 9 Cheverus in a preliminary round game at the Colisee on Saturday.

“We’ve had so many close games this year,” St. Dom’s coach John Pleau said. “We’ve lost six games by only one goal, and in five of those games we outshot the other team. Now, we have to find a way to put the puck in the net. We need a little more focus on where our shots go.”

Should seeds hold, Lewiston would then play against Brunswick, a team it defeated last week on home ice.

Edward Little also gave Brunswick fits early in the season, and could pose a threat to the top-ranked Dragons.

Waterville held down the No. 2 seed in the East after upending Lewiston on Monday, while Bangor slid into the No. 3 spot with a win over Lawrence on Tuesday.

In the West, should St. Dom’s advance past Cheverus, it would set a date with Falmouth at Family Ice Center next Tuesday. Top-ranked Falmouth (18-2) earned the top spot in the West, while Biddeford, Kennebunk, Portland and Scarborough rounded out the top five.

Familiar foe

Leavitt Area High School is used to seeing Cape Elizabeth in the playoffs. The Hornets (9-10-1) will see the Capers (8-12-0) a bit differently this time, though – on Leavitt’s home ice.

“Here we go again, huh?” Leavitt coach Ron Rouillard said.

In recent years, the Capers have been a dominant team, and the Hornets have been nothing more than a first-round nuisance.

This year, Leavitt is again the No. 4 seed, while Cape snuck in with the No. 5 seed.

“This year, they’re a young team and we’re a young team,” Rouillard said. “I think overall, they might have the better skaters, but I think we are better in net than they are, so it should be interesting. We’ve been struggling lately, but we have a few days to put it together for this game.”

After a horrific one-win season, Maranacook has rebounded and this year stole the No. 3 seed in Class B West. Greely took top honors, while York will start at No. 2. Perennial contender Yarmouth, which missed the tournament for the first time in recent memory last season, rounds out the field in Western B.

In the East, Orono, Brewer and Winslow top the list in Class B.

Copy the Story Link

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.