By Kathryn Rizzo
(April 7, 2026) — The Haddam-Killingworth High School Boys Lacrosse team kicked off its 2026 season with an overtime road win against the North Branford Thunderbirds on April 4, 2026. North Branford came out hard and HKHS showed a slower start, only to ignite their fire in the last quarter and a half.
Coming back from a 10-5 deficit, the Cougars rallied to pull to within three of the Thunderbirds on an unassisted goal by Finn O’Hanlon and a laser shot over the head of the North Branford goalie by John Moyher with less than a minute remaining in the third. The Cougars maximized this momentum swing and went into the fourth quarter putting pressure on North Branford and getting possession from a failure-to-advance call on the home team.
HKHS didn’t waste any time turning the possession into a goal by O’Hanlon off of a nifty feed from the dodging Ethan Pitts, pulling the Cougars to within two. The energy shift was palpable as Spencer Savoy won the ground ball on the next faceoff to gain possession. HK’s extra man offense stepped up, and after 30 seconds of quick ball movement, Kody Lehet tossed to Savoy who made an amazing acrobatic effort to score with seven minutes left of playing time.
With 2:26 remaining, Savoy returned the favor, feeding Lehet, who let loose a game-tying cannon. The HKHS defense held off North Branford to take the teams into overtime. The overtime faceoff was won by Josh Frith, and with the Cougars having possession, a timeout was called. Coach Fred Federico laid out the plan, and without hesitation, the HK offense came back in and got the ball to Pitts, who swept across the top and scored to win the game. An exciting start to the season for the HKHS Cougars; their next game is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on April 9, 2026 at Haddam-Killingworth High School against conference rivals, and 2025 Shoreline Conference runners-up to HKHS, Old Saybrook.
Photo by Lindsey Lehet
