WALES — Oak Hill knew this year was going to be special.

The Raiders on this year’s team have been together at the high school for two years with little graduation loss, and many of the athletes have played together even longer.

“The team chemistry, I don’t even know how to put it into words,” coach Betsy Gilbert said. “They know how to read each other. When one girl goes right, two others go with her. They read and react to each other.”

That chemistry has been a big reason for the Raiders’ 3-0 start. Team goal-setting and dedication has been another.

“We started out the season, we set individual and team goals,” Gilbert said. “For the individual goals, we also set daily goals, and we just work on our skills and try to be better at them every day.”

Still, the core of this year’s team is junior-heavy, which will give the team some staying power in a traditionally strong field hockey conference. Next on the slate for Oak Hill is Dirigo, though many of the players have Friday’s showdown with perennial power Lisbon circled on the calendar.

“We try to keep them focused on the next game,” Gilbert said. “Lisbon is our closest rival, and the girls, a lot of them know each other, and they’re excited to play each other. But we have to make sure we’re focused on Dirigo on Wednesday first. That’s not going to be easy, either.”

Varsity debut

Chelsea Fournier didn’t anticipate making her varsity coaching debut this season, and she certainly didn’t want it to happen how it did.

Fournier, the assistant coach at St. Dominic Academy, led the Saints in their 2-0 loss to Telstar on Monday just hours after head coach Brian Kay was brought by ambulance to the hospital after a fainting spell at the school.

“I certainly would have chosen different circumstances for sure,” Fournier said. “Brian’s OK, he’s great, totally fine now. he scared us a bit, but he’s fine.”

The team had a dinner together Tuesday, and Kay was there with the team.

“I told him I didn’t ever want to do this without him,” Fournier said. “He said, ‘Yeah, we have a pretty good thing going.'”

As if to demonstrate his relative well being, Kay left the dinner with the team with light still in the sky Tuesday, in plenty of time to mow the Saints’ field.

“He loves that field,” Fournier said.

Making it close

By nature, field hockey is, for the most part, a tightly contested game.

The Poland Knights are, so far this season, taking that to the extreme. In three games to date — all wins — Poland has played three overtime periods, and has won each contest by a single goal.

The reason? There are a few.

“Our field hockey players have developed in to field hockey athletes,” coach Amy Hediger said. “With the support of families, many girls have committed to playing field hockey year round with various organizations and teams like Maine STYX and Katahdin. Many of the girls have remained active and interested while refining their skills, learning higher level skills, and increasing their endurance and passion in the off season.”

Hediger has harped on mental fortitude from Day 1.

“That has been our goal throughout the preseason,” Hediger said, “Identifying parts of the game that need mental toughness as well as those moments we can’t plan for. Our team is supportive, positive, and know when a teammate needs a boost with a quick word of confidence. We have also talked about letting our mistakes go and not letting one small second of the game define our entire game.”

The season opened for Poland with a back-and-forth affair in Kennebunk. The Knights took a 1-0 lead, fell behind 2-1, and rallied to force OT at 2-2 before winning 3-2 in the second extra frame.

The team again went into OT in Game 2 against Greely, and again emerged with a win. The Knights finally finished a game in 60 minutes in Game 3, topping Cape Elizabeth 2-1, though they had to come from behind to secure that one, as well.

“Winning has not been easy for Poland field hockey in recent years, so I think any time you have a team that has such strong determination while playing a game they are truly passionate it for, the coaching staff and fans will gladly support, cheer, and hold our breath during overtime if that is what it takes,” Hediger said.

The Knights have scored eight goals in three games, and those goals have come from five different players, which helps keep opponents guessing.

Defensive duo Abbie L’Italien and Sadie Archer have allowed new goalie Tia Lowndes to acclimate to varsity goalkeeping, as well, Hediger said.

“Our captains — Mary Everett, Kyla Sturtevant, Emily Gibson, and Amanda Dube — have defined our style and tempo of play and hold high expectations while having fun,” Hediger said. “Ainsley Parent does not get enough recognition for her strong leadership, voice, and skills as a wing. She is the type of person every coach hopes is on their team.”

Postgame tradition in the making

The Lewiston field hockey team has raised an element of its game, one that comes after the final horn sounds.

The Blue Devils will often gather together following the post-game handshake and then greet the opposition again. Lewiston players then recognize players on the other team for their efforts. Lewiston did this after an opening-day loss to Oxford Hills, and again after a win over Brunswick, surprising and pleasing the Vikings’ and Dragons’ players that were selected.

“We like to recognize the team and players that stood out most to us,” said senior defender Taylor Collins. “For us, as a team, it’s not individuals that pick it but we all decide as a team on two or three girls that we want to nominate for good sportsmanship.”

Coach Randy Richardson said it was something he wanted to do when he started coaching at Lewiston, but it was hard for his players and opposing teams to embrace something so new and out of the ordinary.

“Rather than being misunderstood, we let the idea age a little bit,” Richardson said.

The team would do it periodically and is now doing it more frequently.

“It’s to remind everyone that plays that it’s a game,” Richardson said. “Nobody likes to lose, but when we play well, everybody will have fun, even if we lose.”

“We have a lot of sportsmanship, but we just weren’t showing it,” Collins said. “Now, we are.”

End of a streak

For the first time since the state final in 2009, the Skowhegan Indians suffered a loss Tuesday, falling to Messalonskee, 5-4 in the second overtime.

The Indians’ streak was up to 78 consecutive wins — a state record — before Tuesday’s setback. 

Emily Hogan scored three goals for Messalonskee, which has come the closest of any team in Eastern Class A to equaling the Indians in the past five years.