The top four teams in the girls’ hockey playoffs — two from the North and two from the South — get byes into the regional semifinals. The way the regular season turned out, it wouldn’t be a surprise for all four teams to find their way into the regional championship games at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston on February 10.

Through 18 regular-season games, the top teams created a gap between the haves and the have-nots. The top four teams in the playoffs went a combined 64-5-3, with North No. 1 seed Greely going undefeated.

The Rangers dealt the other three teams four of those five defeats, with South No. 1 Scarborough handing No. 2 Falmouth its other defeat.

North No. 2 St. Dominic Academy ran roughshod on its region, save for a pair of losses against Greely.

“It’s definitely those two in the (South), and I would have to say Greely and St. Dom’s in the (North),” said Lewiston/Monmouth/Oak Hill coach Ron Dumont, whose team is the No. 3 seed in the North.

The Blue Devils will have to play a round earlier, with a regional quarterfinal matchup against No. 6 Brunswick set for Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Dumont’s team won both games against the Dragons (4-1 to open the season and 6-0 at Brunswick midway through), but said he doesn’t believe that a third victory will be easy.

“The numbers don’t always tell the tale,” Dumont said. “I think Brunswick works hard, they compete, they’re coached well.”

The Blue Devils skated to a victory by the skin of their teeth in a season-opening win, needing two late goals to find breathing room in what was a 2-1 game until the final minutes.

It’s been an up-and-down season since then for the Blue Devils, who finished the season on a 2-4 slide — including losses in their last three games.

“I think based on our season in totality, I think we’re in pretty good shape,” Dumont said. “Obviously the past week’s been a little rough. So hopefully we can recover from that. We’ll see how we bounce back from that.”

Dumont found a positive in the season-ending losing streak, knowing his inexperienced team faced three quality opponents in Scarborough, Yarmouth/Freeport/Gray-New Gloucester and St. Dom’s. He said despite the losses, his team has stayed in good spirits.

Another positive for the Blue Devils is they got another chance to head into the playoffs on a high note with a KVAC championship game matchup against rival Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland on Monday — which the Blue Devils won 2-1 in overtime. The KVAC title game doesn’t count toward any standings or have any bearing on the Maine Principals’ Association’s postseason, but it gave the Blue Devils and Red Hornets a chance to get a better taste in their respective mouths after St. Dom’s shut out both to end their regular seasons.

The Red Hornets secured the No. 4 seed in the North, and will host the No. 5 Clippers in the quarterfinals. The season series was a sweep for the Red Hornets, who won 5-2 at home early in the season and 10-1 in Yarmouth at the beginning of January.

The Rangers and Saints will be waiting for whomever makes it out of the North regional quarterfinals. St. Dom’s could see the rival Blue Devils a third time. Dumont said he hopes a potential third meeting goes better than the first two (7-0 and 9-0 losses).

“We don’t match up good with St. Dom’s, just because of the speed factor,” Dumont said.

“It’s about competing, and just putting the best efort you can out there. You got to approach it with a good spirit. One game anything can happen.”

St. Dom’s coach Paul Gosselin said he won’t be taking the Blue Devils, or Dragons, lightly.

“The fact that it’s playoffs, it’s second season, I think everybody’s got to come to play. Hot goalies can make a difference, so we’re not going to take anybody lightly whatsoever,” Gosselin said. “I think the teams that are left in the playoffs are there because they’ve done well this year. We’ll approach it like we always do. We’ll work hard, come to play, and hope the puck bounces our way.”

The Saints defeated Brunswick twice during the regular season, outscoring the Dragons 20-2 in those contests.

Greely will get the winner of the other quarterfinal, between the Red Hornets and Clippers.

The Rangers beat both teams twice, though the Red Hornets had closer finishes. Shon Collins’ team lost 5-2 on the road and 3-1 at home in a span of 11 days in December. The Red Hornets coach said he thought his team matched up better with Greely than St. Dom’s because they had the size to counter the Rangers, but couldn’t equal the Saints’ speed.

The Clippers have seen Greely more recently, dropping a pair of four-goal games in January. Yarmouth/Freeport/Gray-NG finished the season well after the nine-goal drubbing at the hands of the Red Hornets. The Clippers went 4-3 after that game, with the losses coming to Greely (twice) and St. Dom’s.

Despite a pair of losses to the Rangers, St. Dom’s showed that it can match up with Greely. The first matchup was an evenly-contested nail-biter, with Greely holding on for a 2-1 win at home. the Rangers then jumped on the Saints early at their place, before St. Dom’s regrouped for a better third period in an 8-4 loss. The Saints were missing top-line forward Avery Lutrzykowski in that game, but Gosselin wouldn’t use the injury as an excuse.

“I think Greely’s just tenacious,” Gosselin said. “They work really hard, and they continue to work hard. You talk about making your own luck — I think they do that well.”

The Rangers have an advantage in experience over the young Saints, who might be the most skilled team in the state.

The South’s top two teams have plenty of both. The Red Storm are an annual top contender and have a top player in junior forward Sami Shoebottom.

“She can change a game,” Dumont said of Shoebottom, who scored four goals in a 5-4 win over the Blue Devils this season. “One player can change it at this level.”

Dumont also knows the Yachtsmen well, after his team beat Falmouth for the state title last season. The Yachtsmen’s roster is virtually the same this year, and the results didn’t waiver during the regular season.

The state championship game is set for Saturday, February 13 at the Colisee.

wkramlich@sunjournal.com