All three teams will participate in Eastern Maine quarterfinal contests. Ashland and Presque Isle will play back to back beginning at 4 p.m. at the Johnson Athletic Complex. The second-seeded Wildcats host No. 7 Winslow at 4 p.m. in a Class B matchup, followed by the Hornets, the No. 3 seed in EM Class D, taking on No. 6 Southern Aroostook at 6 p.m.
Class D Central Aroostook of Mars Hill takes a trip to Machias in a 4 vs. 5 matchup that begins at 2 p.m.
The semifinal round will take place Friday or Saturday, with the EM championship games set for next Wednesday, Nov. 4.
Profiles of the four playoff teams follow:
(11-3, third place in Eastern Maine Class D)
Coach Kevin Paradis and his Hornets got off to a somewhat slow start this season, with consecutive home losses to Southern Aroostook and Katahdin in mid-September sending the team’s record to 5-3.
After that, however, it was smooth sailing for Ashland as the squad reeled off six consecutive wins to capture the No. 3 position in the final Eastern Maine Class D Heal Point rankings.
Included in the win streak were revenge victories over the Warriors and Cougars on the road and another big road victory over Central Aroostook.
“Our year has [had its] ups and downs,” Paradis said, “but Lendell (Tarr), my assistant, and I knew we had the makings of a good team. It was only a question if they would accept their roles and jell as a team.”
The Hornets were able to do just that. Paradis said almost all of the 15 players on the roster are capable of playing more than one position and do it effectively for different situations. He also said his squad benefited from staying relatively healthy throughout the regular season.
The defense has been led by senior stopper back Andrew Libby and senior sweeper Taylor Condon, both of whom have had “tremendous seasons,” according to Paradis.
Offensively, Ashland has relied on the one-two punch of Casey Cobb and Kenny Tarr, who have combined for 34 of the team’s 44 goals and 20 of the team’s 29 assists. Cobb (19 goals, six assists) played defense primarily before this season, but moved up to the front line and is the Hornets’ “emotional leader on the field.”
Paradis said Tarr (15 goals, 14 assists) has “evolved into a great set-up man,” with Cobb often on the other end of his precise passes.
The other likely starters for tonight’s match are Lucas Hafford, Royce MacDonald, Keith Holmes and Brandon Saucier at midfield; Myles Bolstridge and Kyle Spooner at backs and Jayme D’Ozier in goal.
In Southern Aroostook, Paradis expects a tough contest after the two teams had split during the season, but still likes the draw.
“We match up with them very well,” he said. “(Coach) Cliff (Urquhart) has done a very good job with his boys. They have a dangerous offense and we will have to contain (Dakota) Sleeper, (Patrick) Goodall and (Anthony) Diaferio.”
Sleeper had all three of his team’s goals in the 3-1 victory over Ashland in Presque Isle on Sept. 16. When the two teams met a week later, Sleeper was shut out, thanks to the tight defense applied by Libby, and Diaferio had SA’s lone goal in the Hornets’ 2-1 triumph in Dyer Brook.
The sixth-ranked Warriors also ended up with a record of 11-3.
(11-3, fifth place in Eastern Maine Class D)
The Central Aroostook Panthers will face the Machias Bulldogs for the second consecutive year in the quarterfinal round.
CA made a strong upset bid last fall, travelling to Machias and losing a 2-1 decision on a goal scored with 40 seconds to play in regulation.
“It will take hard work and just a little luck,” said Panther coach Wallace Endy of his team’s chances against the No. 4-ranked Machias team, who are 9-4-1 so far.
Central Aroostook put together a very impressive 11-3 mark on the regular season. Two of the losses were to Madawaska, the No. 1 team in Eastern Maine Class C, and the other came late in the season at home against Ashland, who ended up No. 2 in the ‘D’ rankings.
“The key to our success so far has been playing as a team,” Endy said. “We produce goals from four or more players and the defense works together, and this has helped so far.
“You can have talented players, but if they don’t work together as a team, only those players shine. When a team plays together, they win games.”
The Panther starting lineup will include Ross Grass in goal and veterans Jeff Devoe, Kasey Brewer and either Zach or Matt Amnott on defense. Tyler Rusby gets the nod at the midfield stopper position.
Carter Grass, Brendon York and Garrett Stiles are the other midfielders, with the trio of Spencer Stetson, Dan Brewer and Logan Thomas making up a formidable front line. Dan Brewer leads the offense with 22 goals and five assists, but Stetson has contributed seven goals and Thomas five goals and four assists.
Stiles and York are other key offensive components, with Stiles netting 14 goals and seven assists and York notching four goals and two assists.
Kyle Murray, Brandon Anthony and Matt Shaw are important players off the bench for the Panthers.
“My seniors are players I have coached since they were in the eighth grade and they play the game very well,” Endy said. “The team has grown into a solid group and I look forward to the playoffs.”
(12-0-2, second place in Eastern Maine Class B)
Presque Isle has had numerous successful seasons, and many times it is senior leadership that has allowed the team to thrive year after year. Such has been the case again this season.
The Wildcats lost numerous talented players to graduation last spring, including all-New England player Russ Mortland, but have more than made up for the losses with another impressive senior class.
Coach Scott Young has been impressed with his four senior captains (back Nate Ackerson, goalie Dillion Kingsbury, back Matt Chasse and midfielder Nathaniel Postell) and the other three seniors (Chase Guerrette, Ryan Thibeau and Jacob Bonville) who have “pushed their team to the limit on several occasions and led by example by pushing themselves every day,” according to Young.
This year’s Wildcat squad has a difficult act to follow, as the 2008 team won the school’s second EM title before losing a close match to Yarmouth Academy in the state championship. However, the current Wildcats put together a brilliant regular season, winning 12 games and tying their other two (against top-ranked Ellsworth and No. 5 Caribou).
“The boys deserve a ton of credit for working so hard and improving so much over the season,” Young said.
In No. 7 Winslow, the first-round opponent, the Wildcats face a team which went 4-0-1 over its last five contests. The teams play in different conferences (Winslow in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference, Presque Isle in the Penobscot Valley Conference) and had no common opponents on the regular season.
“Something tells me they are better than their 6-7-1 record,” Young said. “We are preparing like we do for any other game and are expecting a good team and a great game.”
The team’s starting lineup includes its four captains, four juniors, forward Josh Allen, midfielder/back Brandon Bonville and midfielder/back Andrew Legassie; and four sophomores, forward Wilder York, forward Isaac Lajoie, back Riley Norton and midfielder Jacob Player.
The team’s scoring has been balanced, but York leads the team in goals with 13. Nine other players have at least two goals, with Allen notching eight, Postell six and Lajoie, Thibeau, Ackerson and Kingsbury four apiece. Postell also has a team-leading seven assists, with Lajoie (six), York (five) and Player (four) right behind.
Presque Isle has posted eight shutouts and has allowed just seven goals all season.
Young is anxious about how the post-season will unfold, but credits the team for already surpassing expectations set before the season.
“It has been an excellent few months to spend working with such hard-working, outstanding young men,” the coach said.
