By Mike Kelly.
Haddam Killingworth High School Boys Varsity Lacrosse got back in the win column Thursday evening, May 13, 2021 with a 12-6 victory over conference foe North Branford. The Cougars are now 8-2 on the season.
It was a sloppy first quarter for both teams, with lazy passes leading to unforced turnovers. North Branford scored early with two quick strikes to take a 2-0 lead. HK responded when middie Aidan Coleman dropped one in on the doorstep, assisted by attack Ryder Wink. Soon after Coleman scored again to tie it 2-2 during an HK man-up situation.
On the next possession middie Cory Phipps found middie Cooper Savoy slicing down the lane for the pretty one-timer, giving the Cougars their first lead of the night, 3-2. North Branford responded with a shot in front to tie it again, 3-3.
The Cougars used some good ball movement late in the second quarter to gain the advantage again, 4-3. Coleman fed middie Cal Braren up top for a lightning shot that found the top right corner of the cage.
After the half North Branford started things off with a quick strike down lane, knotting it up 4-4. Later in the third they scored again on a fast break, taking a 5-4 lead.
The Cougars used a man-up advantage to tie the game 5-5 with 3:13 left on the clock in the third period, with a nice side-arm from Savoy. Shortly thereafter attack Wink scored on a fast break, giving HK the 6-5 advantage and eliciting a roar from the Cougar bench. On the very next possession Braren won the face-off and found Coleman trailing on the right side for another quick strike, giving HK a 7-5 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter North Branford was able to sneak in a loose ball rebound for a score, closing within one of HK, 7-6. From that point forward it was all Cougars.
Attack Nolan Braren passed to a curling Wink on the left-side of the crease for the score, 8-6. Braren then found Savoy out front for the under-handed side-arm worm burner, 9-6. On the next possession Wink scored again with an HK man-up advantage, 10-6. Coleman used a sweet lefty stick that found the back of the net for the 11-6 lead, and Braren found Wink for a bouncer out front to close it out, 12-6.
Photo by Liz Griswold.
