They’re big, tough, physical and highly-skilled.

And the Falmouth Yachtsmen have been the thorn in Thornton Academy’s side all season long.

“They pose a unique challenge to us, that’s for sure,” TA coach Jamie Gagnon said.

Now, with a berth in the Class A state final on the line, the teams will square off for a third time this season, at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee.

Falmouth won the first matchup, and forced a tie in the second, putting the only two blemishes on Thornton’s otherwise squeaky-clean regular-season resume.

“They have three lines that can score, they have good shutdown defensemen and in the two games against us, their goalie was outstanding,” Gagnon said. “One thing we know, they can score in bunches and they can score in a hurry, so we have to be careful if they do score one, to make sure we stop that right away.”

Thornton hasn’t just been winning against everyone else, the Trojans have been dominating. In 18 games (including playoffs) against teams other than Falmouth, they’ve outscored their opponents 117-17. The Yachtsmen have an 8-3 advantage head-to-head with Thornton.

“We’re really looking forward to it,” Falmouth coach Deron Barton said. “They’re a fun team to play, they’re a very skilled team, they’re well-coached. We match up well against them, and I think the style of hockey they play is similar to the style we play. They play a very cerebral game. I just think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

With the early-season success tucked in their back pocket, the Yachtsmen don’t see much of a reason to reinvent their game plan.

“I’ve seen them play a couple of times (since our last meeting), I don’t think we really need to change much,” Barton said. “I think we’re going to go with the same game plan we had against them both times and make adjustments as we need to.

Thornton has had a measure of success at the Colisee the past couple of seasons, and coach Jamie Gagnon has always had success, back to his days has Biddeford’s head coach and assistant coach. The Trojans captured last year’s state title with three wins in Lewiston, and this year defeated St. Dom’s and Lewiston at the Colisee in the regular season before another win in the playoffs Saturday.

“It’s a historical place to play,” Gagnon said. “I think it brings out the best, not only in us, but in every team that plays there. It’s not hard to get up for a game at that rink. For years it was a place that, when you went to play there, you had no chance of winning. Now, we know we have a chance, It’s never easy, given the teams that call the Colisee home. It’s always a battle. But playing there always brings out the best in the guys.”

Falmouth had a similar mark this year, winning games against Lewiston and St. Dom’s in addition to a win over Scarborough on Saturday.

“We have someone looking over us here, I think,” Barton said.

The Western Class A regional final is scheduled for a 6 p.m. faceoff at the Colisee, with the Eastern A final slated for 8 p.m.