PORTLAND – High school teams traveling across the state for holiday tournaments has become the norm in Maine.

This week in Portland, Biddeford and Yarmouth, though, there are 14 hockey teams from around the Northeast and even Canada playing against 17 Maine teams in the fourth annual Maine High School Hockey Invitational, creating some stiff competition for locals.

“It’s a good chance for us to see what else is out there,” said Lewiston coach Tim Smith earlier this week.

For most teams coming in from out of state, the promise of junior, college and professional scouts, along with the ability to play some fresh competition, entices their participation.

“We figured we’d try something different this year,” said South Burlington, Vt. coach Sean Jones. “This is a lot of good exposure, a lot of good teams and good hockey.”

“We’re just four games into the regular season,” added Berlin, N.H. coach Ron Devoid. “This gives me and the kids a chance to regroup a little and figure out what we can do better after those first four games. It also lets us see teams that we don’t normally see.”

Berlin is in a unique situation in that it has had high school hockey for as long as Lewiston and St. Dom’s, two traditional Maine powerhouse teams. And while St. Dom’s is in a tournament in New Hampshire this week, both Lewiston and Edward Little of Auburn are in Portland.

“I remember playing against those teams back in the 70s and 80s,” said Devoid. “That was a great rivalry then. we don’t get to see them anymore, but it’s nice to see different teams like this.”

Another team from away, Hoosac School of New York, is in a different situation. Instead of another high school team, Hoosac is in fact a Tier II prep team in the same division as Hebron Academy and North Yarmouth Academy, which made the jump this year to Division II prep.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to get some ice during the break,” said Hoosac coach Gary Rabinowitz. “We have another tournament coming up in a week or two and we hadn’t skated in a while. Plus, we were able to schedule a league game with NYA as part of it, so that worked out well, too.”

Even teams from Ontario have made the trek to Maine. Last year, a team from North Bay swept its four games at PIA, and this year, St. Joseph’s of Barrie, Ontario is hoping to do the same.

“This is something we’ve had planned for about a year,” said St. Joseph’s coach Brad Shoreman. “Our whole goal with this program is to try and develop these kids into better players and better student-athletes, and this is a great opportunity for these kids to come down here and maybe get looked at by some scouts here in the states.”

Teams from away had a decided edge over Maine teams through the first day and a half of competition, with teams across the region winning 11 of the first 15 games this week.

Lewiston had one of the Maine wins, a 4-2 victory over South Burlington Tuesday. Edward Little tied that same team 3-3 on Monday night, while Cape Elizabeth and Winslow have also picked up wins.

The tournament runs through Friday.