Belfast doesn’t forget Whittier during victory Season was going to be over for family trip

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Belfast field hockey coach Allen Holmes was holding a field hockey stick while he watched the award ceremony following Saturday’s Class B state championship game.

Of course, Holmes didn’t actually use the stick in the Lions’ 1-0 win over York.

Instead, the stick belonged to senior midfielder Stephanie Whittier, who normally starts for Belfast but wasn’t in the country this weekend, let alone at the game.

Whittier’s family had a longstanding trip to Cancun, Mexico, planned for this weekend.

The state field hockey championships had been scheduled for Oct. 28, but a rain and wind storm forced a postponement to Saturday. With the cost of plane tickets and passports that had been procured for the trip, Holmes said, the family didn’t want to cancel the trip. Whittier left for her trip Thursday.

“Her mother said, it’s expensive, it’s out of the country,” Holmes said. “But she gave us her stick to bring down.”

The stick leaned up against Belfast’s bench for the entire game, until Holmes carried it the other side of the field for the awards presentation.

Claire Banks started in Whittier’s place. Banks is typically the first substitute off the bench for Holmes but she did get a start against Camden Hills in the Eastern Maine final.

Banks, a junior, also played extensively in Belfast’s scrimmage against Central of Corinth Thursday in Hampden. Holmes wanted to make sure Banks had the stamina to play the whole state final, which she did.

Holmes was pleased with Banks’ effort.

“The ball was on the right a lot, which gave her a little break, but she’s a good position player,” he said. “She did a nice job.”

Sitting out hard for Saydjari

Make no mistake, Zara Saydjari was thrilled to watch her Skowhegan field hockey teammates win their sixth straight Class A state title Saturday.

But it was a bittersweet day for the Indian senior.

Saydjari had to watch the entire 18-0 season from the bench while recovering from a knee injury. She tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee on Aug. 2.

“Today was really hard because it was so close, and there was nothing I could do about it,” Saydjari said after watching the Indians hold off Gorham 4-3.

The former all-star forward who recorded 16 goals and 15 assists her junior year has a bright future ahead of her – she will play for the University of Michigan next year.

Michigan is honoring her scholarship, which she said is the standard 50 percent for incoming freshmen. The school typically ups its scholarship each year.

“That’s what keeps me going,” Saydjari said.

She’s a little more than two months into her recovery – Saydjari has already had surgery – but she will not be healthy in time to play basketball. The 5-foot-4 guard would have likely started for the Indians, who made it to the Eastern Maine Class A final last year.

Devils get advice from Elliott

In the days before Saturday’s Class C field hockey state championship game, Central coach Diane Rollins was planning to make sure her team worked on its penalty corners.

The artificial turf surface at state site Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland has some different bounces than grass.

To that end, Rollins had former Central player Caitlin Elliott back to work with the Red Devils.

Elliott, now a freshman field hockey player at Husson College, spent one whole practice before Central’s Eastern Maine Class C final focusing on corners with the Red Devils.

Although the Devils occasionally play at turf sites like the multipurpose field in Hampden and Husson’s own Winkin Complex, Elliott is now a regular on Husson’s turf. That made her experience invaluable.

“She told us to take quick hits and not to play with the ball,” said Central right wing Maddie Dunakin, who scored the game-tying goal Saturday. “She taught us a lot of ways [to stop] the ball and just drive it. We had two corners that were just driving the ball and not playing around with it.”

The lessons likely paid off. Central not only rallied for a 2-1 win, but Rachel Trafton’s game winner came on a penalty corner.

Lions standouts head to UMaine

Belfast stars Kallie Aldus and Britt Cummings have been playing field hockey together for years. So why not continue the tradition when they get to college?

The two seniors plan to do just that next year at the University of Maine. They’re even planning to room together.

Both girls said they have full scholarships.

“We’ve been playing together ever since we were 6,” Aldus said.

“We’ve always wanted to play together and room together at Maine,” Cummings added. “Now it’s actually coming true.”

Meanwhile, Belfast goalie Liz Anderson, who posted her first shutout in three state championship wins, said she plans to spend a postgraduate year at Kents Hill and then wants to join Aldus and Cummings at UMaine.

All three were starters in the Lions’ three state title games.

Smith, Sevey off to Southern N.H.

Meanwhile, a Skowhegan field hockey standout is hoping to join one of her teammates at college, too, but they’re going to focus on a different sport.

Indians midfielder Bethany Sevey said she could end up playing basketball at Division II Southern New Hampshire University, which is where basketball player and field hockey goalie Megan Smith will play next winter.

“That’s where I’m leaning towards,” Sevey said. “I’ve been talking to the coach there. And I’d get to play with [Smith].”

The two seniors both started for the Indians in their Class A state title win Saturday.

They were also both honorable mentions on the 2006 All-Maine basketball team. Sevey was named to the Eastern Maine Class A all-tournament team while Smith was an honorable mention.

Sevey was also a first-team Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference all-star. Smith was named to the second team.

Southern New Hampshire is located in Manchester, N.H. SNHU went 9-19 overall and 7-15 in the Northeast-10 conference this winter and hasn’t had a winning season since 1990-91.

Former Lake Region of Naples standout Samantha Allen is a freshman at Southern N.H. this year.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.