There would have been a handful of games to look back on had Newburyport landed on the wrong side of the bubble.
You had Stoneham, Newton, Framingham, Mansfield and the second time that the program matched up with league rival Beverly. All games that the Clippers had the chance to — and arguably should have — won, but ended up on the wrong side of a tough-luck decision.
But now, they don’t have to play the “what if” game.
Instead, Newburyport has earned an opportunity, and has kept its streak alive by qualifying for the Division 2 playoffs for the fourth straight year — aka, every year since moving to a standalone program. The Clippers (8-11-1) are seeded No. 31, and will travel down to try and shock No. 2 Duxbury in the first round on Wednesday (5:20 p.m.). Leading the way offensively for the Clippers has been Olivia Wilson (25g, 11a), Holly Sullivan (13g, 8a), Allie Simons (9g, 9a), Mackenzie Riley (5g, 11a) and Delaney Belanger (5g, 5a).
Meanwhile up in Division 1, HPNA has earned the No. 4 seed after its excellent regular season, and will open its tournament hosting No. 29 Franklin on Tuesday (6 p.m.). Goalie Julianna Taylor and skaters Quinn Bennett (12g, 15a), Paige Nottingham (9g, 13a), Mia Kmiec (14g, 8a) and Kendall LaRiviere (9g, 10a) lead HPNA, which is looking to make it past the Sweet 16 after falling in that round each of the past two years.
Here are the complete brackets for each division that includes a local team.
Division 1
SEEDING: 1. Hingham (19-1); 2. Notre Dame (13-3); 3. Malden Catholic (14-2); 4. HPNA (14-2); 5. Archbishop Williams (16-4); 6. Methuen (16-1); 7. Bishop Feehan (15-5); 8. Belmont (15-1); 9. Reading (13-6); 10. Andover (9-6); 11. Billerica (15-5); 12. Peabody (15-3); 13. Natick (17-3); 14. St. Mary’s (9-11); 15. Bishop Stang (14-5);
16. Shrewsbury (11-7); 17. Arlington (13-8); 18. Winthrop (14-3); 19. Winchester (8-9); 20. Shawsheen Valley (16-3); 21. Waltham (13-5); 22. Boston Latin (5-13); 23. Lincoln-Sudbury (4-14); 24. Pope Francis (8-10); 25. Arlington Catholic (7-11); 26. Needham (10-9); 27. Central Catholic (15-5); 28. Brookline (10-9); 29. Franklin (7-10); 30. Westford Academy (2-17); 31. Newton North (10-8); 32. Wellesley (5-14); 33. Ursuline Academy (10-8)
Local First Round games
Tuesday, Feb. 25th
No. 29 Franklin at No. 4 HPNA, 6 p.m.
Division 2
SEEDING: 1. Westwood (18-1); 2. Duxbury (15-5); 3. Woburn (13-6); 4. Algonquin (13-4); 5. Burlington (14-6); 6. Milton (16-3); 7. Marshfield (11-7); 8. Auburn (13-3); 9. Falmouth (11-8); 10. Sandwich (12-9); 11. Plymouth South (11-7); 12. Martha’s Vineyard (11-8); 13. Medfield (11-7); 14. Nauset (9-9); 15. King Philip (15-6); 16. Leominster (11-9);
17. Scituate (13-7); 18. Canton (11-7); 19. Norwood (10-9); 20. Hopkinton (10-8); 21. Pembroke (8-11); 22. Dennis-Yarmouth (9-9); 23. Melrose (11-8); 24. Whitman-Hanson (6-14); 25. Longmeadow (2-16); 26. Hanover (8-10); 27. Dedham (6-14); 28. Beverly (8-12); 29. Wayland (6-12); 30. Stoneham (7-11); 31. NEWBURYPORT (8-11); 32. Walpole (7-13)
Local First Round games
Wednesday, Feb. 26th
No. 31 Newburyport at No. 2 Duxbury, 5:20 p.m.