This is still the first-round playoff preview, but there are a few games that needed to wait for the results of the prelims. Here they are:

TUESDAY

EASTERN A

No. 7 Edward Little (8-6-1) at No. 2 Gardiner (13-1): These teams met in the regular season on Sept. 12, which was a 3-1 Gardiner win. The host Tigers have more firepower than EL, and against the top four teams in Eastern A, the Red Eddies lost all four games and were outscored 18-1. Gardiner is a big favorite in this game, and it appears EL's only chance would be one of those "we got outshot 34-1 but they hit the post three times and we scored on a breakaway and won 1-0" games. But don't laugh -- this same kind of game happened to Gardiner in 2005. The Tigers were 12-1-1 in the regular season that year, and dominated Oxford Hills in the quarterfinal game, but somehow lost. Those kind of games do happen, which is why it's imperative for the Tigers that they not overlook EL and start thinking about who they're going to play in the next round.

WEDNESDAY

EASTERN A

No. 8 Lawrence (7-8) at No. 1 Skowhegan (13-1): This is the third time in the last four years that the Bulldogs have drawn the No. 8 seed and had to face Skowhegan in the quarterfinals. Lawrence is young, but probably a year or two away from being able to win this kind of game. Skowhegan is young too, but although the Indians have their weaknesses, they have outscored their opponents 62-2 on the season and are riding a streak of four straight shutouts. In fact, Skowhegan has allowed just one goal in its last 770 minutes of field hockey. That's a daunting stat for any opponent to face, but the Indians do have some young players who are not playoff-tested. Plus, in the regular season meeting, the game was tied at halftime before Skowhegan went on to a 4-0 victory. That was one of several games the Indians came out somewhat flat and turned it on after the halftime break, so Skowhegan will look for a fast start in this game.

WESTERN B

No. 8 Cape Elizabeth (6-7-2) at No. 1 Maranacook (12-2): Cape Elizabeth got here by defeating Yarmouth 2-1 after losing a pair of 1-0 games to Yarmouth in the regular season. Maranacook, meanwhile, is coming off a thrilling 2-1 win in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B championship game, when Tia Levins scored the winning goal with just 13 seconds left. Because Maranacook plays in the KVAC, these teams haven't faced each other and have no common opponents. The Capers, like many teams in Western B, are inconsistent. While they were overmatched in two meetings with No. 5 York, they defeated No. 2 Greely and No. 7 Falmouth, and tied No. 6 Lake Region -- all of whom had winning records this season. Maranacook has been the No. 1 seed in Western B all season and has won the games it needed to win to maintain that top spot. Including the KVAC game, the Black Bears are 13-1 in their last 14 games, with two wins in that span over Camden, the top seed in Eastern B. Maranacook has been improving every year under coach Julie Schmidt, but hasn't yet won a quarterfinal playoff game. This is the Bears' best chance yet.