When the first two games have been decided by one goal, a team will look for any edge it can get in the rubber match.

Fourth-seeded Lewiston (8-4) hopes home field advantage will be enough of an edge in its Eastern Class A boys’ lacrosse quarterfinal with No. 5 Messalonskee (8-4).

Blue Devils coach Ben Fournier knows his team will feed off of the partisan crowd on Wednesday (5:30 p.m.) and hopes its familiarity with the McDuffee Field artficial turf, and the Eagles’ lack thereof, will lead to a couple of bounces of the ball going in the Blue Devils’ favor.

Lewiston already has beaten Messalonskee on the Bates College field, rallying from a 4-1 deficit in the fourth quarter for a 5-4 win on May 3.

The Devils nearly pulled off an even bigger comeback on May 24, trailing 6-1 at halftime before falling, 8-7.

Although the Devils lost their final two games of the season to Messalonskee and Mt. Ararat, it’s too late in the season to make any major strategic adjustments, Fournier said. Lewiston has won with defense and the goalkeeping of senior Tom Lepage all year and is confident that they will dictate another stingy affair on Wednesday.

“We’ve got a really good defense to anchor us,” said Fournier, whose team has allowed 5.5 goals per game. “They’ve kept the games low-scoring for the most part this season.”

“(Lepage) is a general back there,” Fournier said. “He’s a huge part of our defense. If he wasn’t enough, Steven Patrie would be. I’ve really been blessed to have both of them.”

Patrie has been an effective mark on Messalonskee’s go-to guy, junior Ben Weeks, limiting him in the first two meetings to one goal per game.

“Weeks is a really good attack man,” Fournier said. “When he gets his hands free, he can really let that ball fly. Steven has been matched up with him in both games and done a very good job.”

Even if goals are hard to come by, Fournier would just as soon avoid another early deficit.

Senior attack Tanner Hubbard, who had a hat trick in the last meeting, will be a key to igniting the offense, Fournier said, but the playoffs are a perfect time for offense to come from unexpected sources.

“Most games the bulk of our scoring has come from our attack. Messalonskee knows that, and with them focusing on that, maybe our middies can step up and put the ball in the back of the net,” he said.

Class B

Oak Hill coach Dan Brannigan must know he has more fans of the Boston Bruins than the Pittsburgh Penguins on his team.

Brannigan’s analogy that his Raiders are like the defensive-minded Bruins and their Eastern Class B quarterfinal opponent, Yarmouth, are the offensive powerhouse Penguins has his team thinking upset.

The sixth-seeded Raiders (9-3) are also thinking about revenge. The Clippers knocked them out of the quarterfinals last year with an 18-4 drubbing.

With that in mind, the Raiders rededicated themselves to defense this season, and the scoreboard has shown the hard work is paying off.

“Our defense is our bread and butter,” said Brannigan, whose team gave up 5.3 goals per game. “As our defense goes, our team goes.”

The defense plays Oak Hill’s trademark physical style, and keeper Matty Martin has saved close to 68 percent of the shots he’s faced. They will be tested by the third-seeded Clippers (9-3), who aren’t as explosive as years past but still have the balance and depth to average a robust 11.8 goals per game.

“I know their strength is their offense. It is every year. They’ve always had the firepower to put the ball in the net,” Brannigan said.

The Raiders’ firepower comes from seven senior starters, led by attacks Jon Averill and Caleb Provost, and sophomore midfielder Kyle Flaherty, who emerged as one of the premier scorers in Class B this season with 45 goals.

“We all knew he had it in him last year, but he just refused to shoot. As a freshman, he didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes,” Brannigan said. “We had a talk about him shooting more, being more assertive on offense. He wants to play college lacrosse, major Division I lacrosse, and he’s one of those kids who when he finds something he wants to do, he follows that dream.”

Brannigan said the Raiders will have to be aggressive around the goal on Wednesday.

“We’ll need our defense to contain their offense, limit the damage, and when we get the ball, get more shots on the cage,” he said. “The more you shoot, the more shots go in.”

The other local Eastern B quarterfinal has No. 4 Maranacook/Winthrop (10-2) hosting No. 5 Morse (9-3). The Hawks won the only regular season tilt between the teams on May 10, 11-8.