AUBURN — Edward Little/Leavitt/Poland is riding into the playoffs with some momentum.

The Red Hornets defeated York/Traip/Marshwood 3-1 in a girls hockey regular-season finale Saturday night at Norway Savings Bank Arena.

After it was revealed last week that every team was invited to the postseason, the seventh-seeded Red Hornets (7-11) in the North wanted another chance to hit the ice.

“They were excited. We had a quick little vote the other day — it was almost unanimous — and they wanted to compete to see how we can do,” Red Hornets coach Dana Berube said. “Look, in athletics, that’s a part of the deal, right? Regardless of what I think that says of the value of the regular season, we’ve all made it. We will go compete and do our best.”

The Wildcats (3-14-1), the seventh-seeded team in the South, are also pumped to get a postseason chance after finishing last in the region.

“It was a shock to all of us coaches to allow all the teams in,” York coach Sadie Wright-Ward said. “So far as we were concerned, we will take every opportunity we can get. We are a young team, and we started the season with two seniors and we got seven freshmen. For us to get that opportunity, we are a lot different than where we started the season.”

Avery Cologna had two goals to lead the Red Hornets (7-11-0) and Izzy Jalbert made nine saves for the win.

Jalbert was one of the six seniors recognized for senior night.

“We were basically playing for all of our seniors and we wanted to do it for them,” Avery Cologna said. “We wanted to give them a good game.”

Marina Friedman put the Wildcats up 1-0 when she set up right in front of the crease and put home a pass from behind the net into a half-open cage midway through the first period.

Wright-Ward said the top players saw a lot of ice time early on.

“We shortened the bench to start the game to get ready for the playoffs coming up,” Wright-Ward said. “I was very pleased with the way we started off the game. I thought we played with a little bit of intensity that I was happy to see, that I am hoping to carry with us.”

It was the final shot on goal for the York co-op in the first period.

Kylee Spugnardi had a few chances to get the equalizer in the first, but Wildcats goalie Kiera Durgin made a couple of big saves.

Wright-Ward was pleased with Durgin’s (23 saves) effort in goal.

“It’s one of the better games we’ve seen from her,” Wright-Ward said. “It’s a testament to her. This is her first year of ever playing goalie.”

Berube said the Red Hornets didn’t panic about being down early.

“In a tight game like that, you want to keep your emotions in check,” Berube said. “That’s the biggest thing in hockey; it’s an emotional sport. We always preach about being even-keeled. They were frustrated early over that, but we seemed to settle down.”

Cologna tied the game five minutes into the middle frame when she went the net and got Durgin to move in the crease.

“I was trying to get around her,” Cologna said.

Spugnardi and Cologna both had opportunities to give the Red Hornets the lead after the goal but just missed.

The Red Hornets had a power play late in the second and moved the puck well at the beginning but couldn’t get any grade-A chances.

Cologna finally scored the Red Hornets’ second goal when she skated into the offensive zone on a breakaway. She didn’t get much on her shot, but it slid underneath Durgin’s right pad into the net.

“That was kind of disappointing a little bit, but it’s OK, it happens,” Cologna said about the puck rolling off her stick.

Olivia Doyon added the insurance marker when the puck bounced off a few players and into the goal with about five minutes remaining.

“I am not sure what happened, if she shot it or if one of the players kicked it in, but we will take it,” Berube said.

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