(Ed. Note: The basketball season was recapped last week)

Regardless of the winter sport, there plenty of thrills to be had in Forecaster Country this year.

Greely’s boys’ hockey team made it to the regional final for the seventh time in eight seasons. Falmouth and Yarmouth were both semifinalists.

Greely’s girls’ team made it to the regional finals.

Track once again produced many superb performances, including another Class B state crown for the Falmouth boys.

In the pool, the Greely boys repeated as Class B champs, highlighting a strong local effort.

Local skiers dominated in three classes, as every school from the area won a championship of one form or another.

Before we move on to spring (and with the improved weather, it looks like that season will actually start on schedule), here’s one final look back at the accomplishments of the boys and girls of winter.

Michael’s Top Five stories:

5) Greely girls’ hockey makes regional final

Greely’s girls’ hockey team has been one of the finest since the Maine Principals’ Association began sanctioning the sport and this winter was no exception. Under a new coach, Nate Guerin, the Rangers went 11-6-1 in the regular season, with every loss coming by one goal. As the No. 3 seed in the East region, Greely uspet No. 2 Winslow by a goal in the semifinals to set up a regional final showdown with a St. Dom’s squad that had beaten the Rangers twice in the regular year. The Saints would do it again, but true to form, Greely fought to the bitter end before falling, 3-2. The Rangers should be a power again in 2011-12.

4) Greely boys’ hockey among Class B’s best

Greely’s boys’ hockey team was expected to vie for a state championship and when all was said and done, the Rangers didn’t miss by much. As the preseason favorite, Greely dominated much of the regular season, winning 10 of its first 11 games (tying the other) en route to a 14-3-1 mark.  As the top seed for the Western B tournament, the Rangers held off Yarmouth, 4-2, in the semifinals, but awaiting in the regional final was longtime playoff rival York, which managed to end Greely’s season, 6-4, en route to its first championship.

3) Greely swimmers dazzle

A year after sweeping the Class B swim titles, Greely was at it again, dominating in the regular and postseasons. The Rangers boys, behind individual titles from Ian Mecray and Dan Spencer, managed to make it two in a row. The girls featured two standout individuals in Sarah Easterling and Sara Schad, but wound up second as a team. There’s every reason to believe Greely will be one of the top teams again next winter. Falmouth also had a pair of individual champions in divers Ryan Conley and Nicola Mancini.

2) Falmouth track wins again

Since 2006, Falmouth has been the pre-eminent boys’ indoor track power and this winter proved to be more of the same for the Yachtsmen, who won every regular season meet, placed second at the conference meet, then, behind individual wins from Reid Pryzant and Will Wegener, won Class B for the fifth time in six seasons. There’s no reason to think this juggernaut will slow down anytime soon.

1) Skiers reign supreme

Words can’t do justice to just how sensational local skiers were this winter. Both the Falmouth boys and Greely girls’ Alpine teams swept their seasons, beating every foe they faced from start to finish en route to state titles. Falmouth also won the boys’ combined Class B crown. Freeport’s boys were the combined champions of Class C and the Falcons girls won the Class C Alpine crown. NYA’s boys took Class C Nordic for the first time, while the Merriconeag girls’ Nordic team was also a first-time Class C winner. Yarmouth continued its longtime dynasty as the girls’ program won Class B Alpine, Nordic and combined. Greely’s Elyse Dinan and Yarmouth’s Becca Bell took skimeister honors. Next year promises to bring more of the same.

                  Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net and followed on Twitter @foresports

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Northern edition winter state champions

Falmouth Yachtsmen boys’ indoor track, Class B
Falmouth Yachtsmen boys’ Alpine skiing, Class B
Falmouth Yachtsmen boys’ combined skiing, Class B
Freeport Falcons boys’ combined skiing, Class C
Freeport Falcons girls’ Alpine skiing, Class C
Greely Rangers boys’ swimming, Class B
Greely Rangers girls’ Alpine skiing, Class A
Merriconeag girls’ Nordic skiing, Class C
North Yarmouth Academy Panthers boys’ Nordic skiing, Class C
Yarmouth Clippers  girls’ Alpine skiing, Class B
Yarmouth Clippers girls’ Nordic skiing, Class B
Yarmouth Clippers girls’ combined skiing, Class B

Northern edition winter individual champions

Track
Reid Pryzant, Falmouth, boys’ 55 hurdles, Class B
Reid Pryzant, Falmouth, boys’ long jump, Class B
Kate Sparks, Falmouth, girls’ shot put, Class B
Will Wegener, Falmouth, boys’ 200, Class B
Will Wegener, Falmouth, boys’ 400, Class B
Michael Burgess, Greely, boys’ shot put, Class B

Swimming
Ryan Conley, Falmouth, boys’ diving, Class B
Nicola Mancini, Falmouth, girls’ diving, Class B
Sarah Easterling, Greely, girls’ 100 breaststroke, Class B
Sarah Easterling, Greely, girls’ 200 individual medley
Sara Schad, Greely, girls’ 100 freestyle, Class B
Sara Schad, Greely, girls’ 200 free, Class B
Ian Mecray, Greely, boys’ 50 free, Class B
Dan Spencer, Greely, boys’ 100 free, Class B

Skiing
Sarah Abramson, Falmouth, girls’ Nordic freestyle, Class B
Elyse Dinan, Greely, girls’ skimeister, Class A
Maddie Whittier, Greely, girls’ Alpine giant slalom, Class A
Zoe Chace-Donahue, Merriconeag, girls’ Nordic classic, Class C
Zoe Chace-Donahue, Merriconeag, girls’ Nordic freestyle, Class C
Ian Moore, NYA, Nordic freestyle, Class C
Cam Regan, NYA, Nordic classic, Class C
Becca Bell, Yarmouth, girls’ skimeister, Class B

Reid Pryzant helped the Falmouth boys’ indoor track team to another Class B state championship this winter.

NYA’s Nico Kaminow had a pair of top-four finishes at last month’s Class B state championship swim meet.

Skiing was the sport that brought the greatest glory to Forecaster Country this winter. State champions included the Freeport boys’ combined team,

Freeport Alpine girls

and the Yarmouth Alpine girls.

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