It was crazy that the game took three days to complete, but you'd have to say it was worth the wait. The finish of the Nokomis-Winslow Eastern B final showcased superb players and great field hockey.

After playing to a 1-1 tie before rain stopped the game at halftime on Tuesday, the teams resumed play on Thursday. It took about an hour and a half before Nokomis won on the 15th set of penalty corners.

Winslow has a quality team all over the field, led by goalie Emma Walters, back Lindsay Gordon and midfielder/back Mindy Fowler. The Black Raiders clearly controlled the second half, but Nokomis played excellent defense.

In particular, Nokomis' Mackenzie Smith, who was frustrated and off her game on Tuesday, was outstanding on Thursday. Smith acted as the last line of the Nokomis defense in the two eight-minute overtime periods, and never let the Raiders past her. Katelyn Melanson also made two nice plays within two minutes early in the second half to get the ball out of trouble.

Winslow did a good job of holding down Nokomis forward Sabrina Vaillancourt, who scored the game-winner to give her 28 goals this season, including seven in the playoffs. Vaillancourt is perhaps the major difference between these two teams. Some players simply have a certain knack for scoring goals and the confidence that they will score if they get the ball in the circle. There aren't that many players like that in the entire state.

Of course, it is a bit of an over-simplification to call Vaillancourt the difference. Nokomis goalie Maria Adams made one of the best saves you'll ever see off Fowler on the 12th corner. Adams barely had time to move but dove to her right to bat the ball away. No one could have faulted her if she hadn't made that save, but somehow, she did.

Mary Nadeau, a former coach at Nokomis, was a hoot to listen to on the Nokomis Radio Network. Nadeau obviously knows the game, and nearly blew a gasket at one point when she felt a bad call went against the Warriors. It reminded me of listening to Johnny Most do Celtics games in the 1980s.

Naturally, the adjustment of playing a game over the span of three days was one both teams had to make. Vaillancourt said she thought it was a good thing for Nokomis.

"Actually, I think it was better because we had the extra time to think about how important it was, and how we needed it," Vaillancourt said. "So it kind of helped us in the long run."

Lastly, a tip of my hat to Winslow coach Mary Beth Bourgoin, who was completely classy after the toughest of losses. She didn't blame the referees or the suspension of the game, gave Nokomis the credit it deserved and praised her team for playing their hearts out. Her class and the way Winslow played are a great credit to the town and the school system.