By Mike Kelly.
The Haddam Killingworth High School Boys Varsity Lacrosse took their first step toward capturing the Shoreline Conference Championship Tuesday evening, May 25, 2021 defeating North Branford by a score of 9-8. The game was attended by a raucous and supportive contingent of Cougar fans.
For those spectators who appreciate competitive, exciting, and heart pounding lacrosse, the game did not disappoint. Sales for antacid tablets likely spiked at the local Nutmeg pharmacy in the hours after the contest.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with both sides creating scoring opportunities, but neither able to close the deal. Finally, late in the first period, attack Nolan Braren broke the seal with a smooth dodge and dink from X, giving HK the early 1-0 lead.
At the start of the second quarter, middie Cooper Savoy broke free over the middle, spinning and dodging two d-poles to bang one in from the top left, giving HK a two-goal advantage. Attack Ryder Wink then dished to a cutting Aidan Coleman on the doorstep, 3-0 HK. The period ended with middie Corey Phipps dodging and firing from the top-left side of the crease, 4-0 HK.
North Branford would not go away quietly. Two quick strikes at the start of third quarter and suddenly it was a contest again, 4-2 HK. On the next Cougar possession, a shot from N. Braren that looked as if it hit the upper right corner of the net and careened out was not recognized as a goal by the officials. Moments later, Coleman picked and popped a loose ball from a scrum on the North Branford doorstep, 5-2 HK. On the next possession Coleman buried another with a blistering step-down from 15 yards out front, 6-2 HK. Then late in the period LSM Sam Young notched a well-deserved goal for the defense. Young hustled out on a clear and had a clean look at the cage. His initial shot was deflected, but middie C. Phipps rebounded and flipped to Young in front for the strike, 7-2 HK. At that point it looked as though HK was on its way to an easy victory…ahem.
With 9:22 left in the fourth quarter North Branford scored a quickie in transition, closing the gap 7-3. The Cougars responded when C. Braren found Coleman for a burner from 20 yards, giving HK the 8-3 advantage. Again, it seemed as though the Cougars may have had the game in hand at that point. The North Branford Thunderbirds disagreed.
In a dramatic momentum shift over a period of six minutes (probably felt a lot longer for the HK fan base), North Branford rallied aggressively, scoring four unanswered goals and closing within one of the HK lead, 8-7.
With the season on the line and North Branford carrying the inertia, HK did what all championship caliber teams do at some point on the journey to glory. They found a way to survive and advance in a close one. With a critical possession in hand, Wink found a diving A. Phipps for the one-timer on the North Branford doorstep, 9-7 HK. Momentum for North Branford killed. HK holds on. Game over. See you Thursday…and bring the antacids.
Photos by Liz Griswold.
