ESPN

BILLERICA, Mass. -- Brian Vona has been around long enough to know that if his Lincoln-Sudbury lacrosse squad is going to make a deep run in this year's postseason, the Warriors defense is going to come up with big stops in key spots.

Led by sophomore Notre Dame commit John Sexton, the D did just that in the third quarter of last night's nonleague clash with fellow Div. 1 power Billerica. Goals by Peter Walters and Dan Trainor to open the third quarter helped pull the Indians to within two goals of the Warriors at 9-7. With Kevin Farrell dominating the faceoff X, it seemed as though Billerica was in the midst of what could have been a game-changing run.

The Lincoln-Sudbury (13-5) defense dug in its heels, worked hard to get ground balls and excelled in the clearing game after each of Dan Shaughnessy's 16 saves, and returned both momentum and confidence to the Warriors sideline. L-S then proceeded to score seven of the next eight goals and pulled away for a convincing 17-9 triumph.

"It was 9-7 where we were worried," Vona admitted. "They fought back hard and we knew they were going to make a run. They are very well-coached and very skilled. [Cam] Slatton, [Ben Melaugh], [Russ Tedford] and [Walters] - those are there four players who can bring it. We knew they were going to come back and they did. Our defense had to make a couple stops. We've been looking for that for a while from our defense."

He added, "Our defense really played well in the third quarter. That's when I feel like that we set the tone was set for the entire game.

Jordan Dow led the Warriors with five goals, while Colby Hall added three goals and three assists and Henry Guild chipped in with a hat trick. Slatton had three goals and two helpers to lead Billerica, with Walters and Trainor each adding a pair.

Vona also noted that, prior to the game, the Warriors dedicated their performance to program founder and now-retired former coach Andy Oleski.

FILLING IN THE MIDDLE
The wide-open style that Lincoln-Sudbury plays makes them a very fun to watch and has for years. The offensive players, both attack and middies, know how to fill lanes and zip passes back and forth until they find the right shooting opportunity. Such plays led to a 5-2 first quarter and a 6-1 fourth.

The key for the Warriors is maintaining in the middle portions of the game. While L-S outscored the Indians in all four frames, Billerica played its best during the middle quarters. One the defense got going, however, that gave the offense the spark it needed for a definitive closing stretch.

"We just need all the middle too," Vona said with a laugh. "We've been playing well the last few games. We went down to the Connecticut and played a real tough team down there, got off to a fast start and lulled in the middle as well but we came back at the end. I'm proud of the kids."

DIGGING A HOLE TOO DEEP
Although Billerica managed to close to within a pair of goals during that third quarter, having to play from behind all game created problems that, against a team of the caliber of L-S, are just too much to overcome.

The Indians found themselves trailing by as many as four goals at several points, and once the Warriors made a strong push at the end, Billerica simply couldn't hold on any longer. An early harbinger of things to come took place in the opening minutes when a clearing pass was sent back to the Indians cage only to find no goalie waiting to receive it and the ball rolled right in for the first L-S score.

Games like this in the final week of the regular serve as strong teaching tools, something Indians coach Craig Flynn undoubtedly will address with his charges before the tournament begins.

"We started off in the hole, gave them a couple of goals early that we shouldn't have, passing back to the goalie when he's not in the net trying to clear the ball," Flynn explained. "We felt like we could keep fighting back but their offense is very good. They have good attackmen and midfielders and our defense was getting lost in there. We had a lot of mental errors. They have a lot of motion in their offense and it looked like our guys were getting lost out there on defense."

"It's all learning experiences for our guys to get ready for the tournament," he continued. "We'll learn a lot from this and I think we can make a solid run at this thing once we get into it."

WEST ROXBURY, Mass. -- There is no question St. John's Prep is going to face adversity as its closes its season with one of the toughest schedules in the state.

Clashing against top-fifteen ranked opponents in six of his final nine games, Eagles head coach John Roy is looking to make sure his squad is well prepped for the postseason. If a three goal fourth quarter comeback and a 9-8 double-overtime victory over Catholic Conference foe Catholic Memorial on Thursday is any sign of things to come, No. 19 SJP (8-4, 5-2) is up to the challenge.

“It is nerve racking to be on the sidelines for a game like this, but it is valuable for the players to get that experience” Roy said. “This is a great way to start this final run of seven games.”

The Eagles upset the host No. 9 Knights (9-3, 5-1) at James R. O'Connor Stadium with three goals and two assists from attack Andrew Gallahue and two tallies by midfielder Drew O'Connell (both sophomores).

With Prep scoring the last five goals of the game, a 15-yard side-arm rocket by O'Connell at 2:26 in the second extra period sealed the victory for the Eagles. As Gallahue worked the sidelines midway the second overtime, the sophomore popped the ball up top to O'Connell who finished along the side post for the win.

“I saw Andrew dodging and I saw an opening,” O'Connell said. “I have been playing since the second grade (and) shooting a lot in my back yard. He had been stuffing me a lot all game, but that one went through.”

The clincher was the second assist for Gallahue, who set up the game tying goal with 33 seconds left in regulation. After the two leading scorers hit net to open the fourth quarter, Gallahue ran a set play from behind the crease and cut backwards to find a slim gap on the outside to organize the third score of the period.

On his way towards the keeper, the attackman caught a slide and popped the rubber up top to fellow Eagle's sophomore Joey Cavallaro for a wide open five-yard finish.

“[Coach] wanted me to go back left, take a dodge, and feed one of the people in the crease,” Gallahue said. “I saw Joey Cavallaro come to me and I just tossed the ball.”

“We do run it in practice, (but) it did not go exactly as we had planned,” added Roy.

The Knights, who never trailed in regulation, took a 3-2 lead at 4:26 in the first quarter and led for the next 40 minutes. A side-net assist from freshman Tyler Bogart set up an open backdoor cut by fellow attacker sophomore Steve Righini to give CM the edge.

The Knights scored the next four, including a one-timer by sophomore Zack O'Brien off a steal and assist by senior Austin Bannister for a 6-2 lead at 4:57 in the second quarter.

“We were trying to use everybody on offense,” CM head coach Kevin Lynch said. “We have come out on the losing end of two overtimes so far and that was our third one.”

Gallahue helped Prep battle back with a pair in the final two minutes of the half, but the Eagles gave up two by CM senior leading scorers Tom Stanton (3 G, 1 A) and John Harrison (2 G) to open the third. CM had an 8-2 advantage in man-up opportunities, while outscoring the Eagles 2 -1 with the extra player.

Prep keeper Thomas Casale made 17 saves, while CM senior Miles McCarthy knocked away 14.

“Their keeper was making good saves all night,” Roy said. “We needed to move to be able to score.”

Both teams have two in-conference games remaining, with second-place Prep a game behind league-leader CM. The Eagles finish their final two weeks of the season with a pair of road games against No. 3 Lincoln-Sudbury (9-2) and No. 12 Billerica (8-4) and two home closers against No. 1 Duxbury (11-2) and No. 6 Medfield (7-2).

With six total games left, Prep needs one more win to reach the postseason, while CM has already qualified.

Duxbury narrowly avoided an upset at the hands of Lincoln-Sudbury, so the Dragons remain in the top spot. But there's yet another new No. 2 team in this week's MIAA boys' lacrosse Top 25 poll.

Concord-Carlisle earns its highest ranking to date in the second spot after capturing the Coaches Challenge Cup last weekend.

The big mover of the week was Masconomet, which snuck into the top 10 at No. 8 after a big non-league win over No. 12 Billerica.

We also welcomed two new teams to the Top 25 with Scituate sailing to No. 22 after a win over South Shore rival Norwell. North Reading, off to a 10-0 start, also made its debut at No. 25.

We're back with another installment of "Roundtable", our weekly takes on the hot topics of the spring season. This week, we discuss who is the best boys' lacrosse goalie in the state; which lefthanded pitchers will make the most noise; the state's best slap hitter; and who had the best individual performance of the season's first two weeks.

Joining us this week are correspondent Bruce Lerch, New England Prep Stars founder and editor Ryan Kilian, MassLive.com producer Ben Larsen, and Brockton Enterprise staff writer John Botelho. Without further ado:

1. BETTER GOALIE –- WELLESLEY’S CONNOR DARCEY OR FOXBOROUGH’S GREG STAMATOV?

ESPN Boston High Schools Editor Scott Barboza: That's a tough one. In many regards, they're similar players in that they're both not afraid to step up into the play when its warranted. They're not going to just clear and retreat when the opportunity presents itself. Stamatov had one clearing pass to the midfield during the third quarter against Barnstable that was a thing of beauty. And, of course, we all know that Darcey is capable of scoring when he carries the ball past midfield. This all makes no mention of their ability to stop the ball either. Either way you dice it, they're among the very best in a deep field of MIAA goaltenders along with Duxbury's Henry Buonagurio, Concord-Carlisle's Doug Gouchoe and Billerica's D.J. Smith.

Ryan Kilian, New England Prep Stars: Connor Darcey is the best goalie I have seen in New England Public High School lacrosse over the past two years. Darcey is the real deal. He possesses confidence, quickness, and exceptional hand-eye coordination.

The goalie position in Massachusetts in the Class of 2012 is as strong as it has been in many years. Doug Gouchoe of Concord-Carlisle (Air Force), Greg Stamatov of Foxborogh (Villanova), Jared Fong of Weston (Gettysburg), and Miles McCarthy of Catholic Memorial (Williams) are all exceptional athletes with bright futures at the next level and all have a unique set of skills that they bring to the table.

Darcey is also a born leader and that is an essential trait that all great goalies, like the above mentioned, share.

Bruce Lerch, correspondent: Both players have excelled for their respective teams and made a big splash over the summer participating in the Warrior 40 at Harvard Stadium. Both have also drawn the attention of Division colleges, as Darcey is committed to play for Penn State while Stamatov will take his talents to Villanova. Darcey was a key factor in Wellesey's 16-0 regular season a year ago, while Stamatov helped propel Foxborough to its best season ever by reaching the Division 2 semifinals. Darcey was rated eighth in ESPN High School's national goalie rankings back in February, but even if you have the second pick in this draft, you won't come away disappointed as Stamatov was not too far behind at No. 14.

2. WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE SO FAR?

ESPN Boston High Schools Editor Brendan Hall: I think any time you throw a perfect game at any level, you should be highly commended as such. So here’s my kudos to Lynn English’s Ben Bowden, who had a clean sheet for the Bulldogs in their 5-0 win over Marblehead. Bowden struck out 14 in the full seven innings, and got some assistance from the infield behind him late to seal the deal. He is an imposing player to watch at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, equipped with a high-80’s fastball, so it’s hardly the last time we’ll hear from him.

That said, I’m always impressed when a pitcher goes into the triple-digits in pitch count this early in the season – and even moreso when it’s as efficient as Milford’s Jarrod Casey was on April 3. In the Scarlet Hawks’ season-opening 3-1 win over Westborough, the reigning Mid-Wach A MVP and returning ESPNBoston All-Stater threw 125 pitches and struck out 15 batters; he also belted an inside-the-park, two-run homer to give them all the insurance they needed.

John Botelho, Brockton Enterprise: The Bridgewater-Raynham softball team has shown plenty of early fireworks this season. Senior Audrey Dolloff twirled a four-hitter and struck on eight on opening, all while going 4-for-4 with a pair of homers and four RBI for the Trojans. Freshman Emily Kurkul has homered in all three games so far. Most recently, Dolloff tossed a no-hitter against Durfee, and her performance might not have even been the best one on the field that day for B-R. Sophomore Madison Shaw went 4-for-4 with two homers, a double and seven RBI as the Trojans cruised.

Ryan Kilian: The best individual performance that I have seen on the lacrosse field so far was Westford Academy attack Jay Drapeau scoring six goals and dishing out one assist in a 12-11 opening day win over Billerica. The sophomore scored the game winner in the fourth quarter and was exceptional dodging from X all afternoon. Drapeau also did this against a very formidable defense led by Tommy McLaughlin (UMass) and one of the state’s best goalies in DJ Smith (UMass).

Ben Larsen, MassLive.com: It would be hard to top this one. Noah Parker, a terrific talent hidden at St. Mary’s of Westfield was perfect in a six-inning game against Pioneer Valley Christian. He threw only 57 pitches, striking out 14. At the plate, he narrowly missed hitting for the cycle, going 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI.

Bruce Lerch: On the lacrosse fields, several players have produced nine-goal games in the early going. Kobie Sullivan had seven, nine and eight goals in Fairhaven's first three games. On the girls side, Wayland's Amy Cunningham, Amy also struck for nine against Bedford. But my top effort goes to Masconomet's Jake Gillespie, who potted nine in the Chieftans' second game of the year against a BC High defense that includes a pair of Division 1 recruits.

3. A LEFTHANDED STARTER CAN BE INVALUABLE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. WHICH LEFTIES WILL YOU BE WATCHING THE MOST?

Brendan Hall: The Class of 2012 is littered with Division 1-bound lefties, between Oliver Ames' Ryan O'Shea (Central Michigan), East Longmeadow's Steve Moyers (Rhode Island), Pentucket's Alex Ministeri (Coastal Carolina), Auburn's Connor Fuller (Fordham), Xaverian's Tim Duggan (Fairfield) and Acton-Boxborough's Ryan McDonald (Bryant). One we might be adding to that list in a year's time is Wellesley senior Tim Superko.

Superko is already off to a great start in 2012, with wins in his first two starts in dominant fashion -- 23 strikeouts in 12 innings, an ERA of 0.75, a strikeout-to-walk ratio of nearly four, and a strike percentage of 67. I'm obviously working with a stat system pretty sophisticated for the high school level, but I can assure you Superko could care less. He's a competitor, unafraid to challenge hitters in the middle of the order, but also very coachable. Raiders coach Rob Kane raves about Superko's curveball, and he sets it up well with his heat. From the plate, he's not that bad either; so far he's hitting .500/.562/.786 with five RBI, two triples, seven runs and three stolen bases.

Superko is heading to Philips Andover for a post-graduate year next season. I expect him to have a Division 1 scholarship offer in his lap by this summer's end.

I'd also keep an eye on the aforementioned Ben Bowden from Lynn English. He's got an ideal power pitcher's frame, and if the reports about him topping out at 89 miles per hour in his perfect game are true, then he has a chance to rise quickly on the radar. But to be a reliable starter at this level, you need a quality changeup, and Bowden's is pretty nice.

Boston Latin sophomore Pat Naughton is certainly another one to look out for over the next two years. He fanned 17 Wayland batters in an outing last year as a freshman, and is already off to a good start this year with 14 K's in the Wolfpack's season-opening win over Latin Academy. Also keep an eye on Reading junior Scott Tully, who committed to Notre Dame last February, as well as Malden Catholic junior Joe Velozo.

John Botelho: One of the best lefties in the state hasn't even thrown a pitch yet. Oliver Ames' Ryan O'Shea, a 6-foot-3 southpaw already signed on to play at Central Michigan next year, will take to the mound for the first time next week. Hall of Fame coach Leo Duggan aired on the side of caution as O'Shea was battling shoulder soreness. He has a chance to come back and be the best pitcher on an O-A team that has still gone 3-0 without him in the lineup.

Brockton's Joe Sever has a live arm and features impressive off-speed stuff. The ace of the Boxers' staff this year, he has a chance to catch a lot of eyes with the schedules Bill Maloney's squad plays.

Bridgewater-Raynham features a pair of hard-throwing lefties who should cause problems for hitters throughout the regular season. Senior captains Pat Chalmers and Shane Holmes have more varsity experience than many of the guys they'll square off against this year - Chalmers was pitching on varsity at B-R as a sophomore and Holmes spent his freshman and sophomore years on the varsity squad at East Bridgewater before transferring to B-R as a junior. Chalmers took a no decision in his first start, but struck out nine in 5 2/3 innings. Holmes picked up the first win for the Trojans, a complete-game two-hit 12-strikeout performance against Milton.

Ben Larsen: Undoubtedly, Steve Moyers is the guy to follow. He has been unbelievable in his first three years as the ace of the East Longmeadow rotation and he’s hoping to reach the 30-win plateau for his career, which is no small feat in the short Massachusetts season. That said, Michael Walkowicz of Amherst has been the Cy Young in the early going. In two starts, he has a 17-strikeout, one-hitter and 12 Ks in a loss to Northampton.

Bruce Lerch: I find myself greatly intrigued by the seemingly rubber of Franklin southpaw Tyler Buck. As a junior, Buck tossed multiple gems during the Panthers run to the Div. 1 state championship game, including a 166-pitch effort to upset BC High in last year's D1 South semifinals. After starring for Franklin's Legion team over the summer, I'm interested to see how far the Panthers ace can take them once again.

4. WHAT WILL BE THE MOST COMPETITIVE LEAGUE IN GIRLS' LACROSSE THIS YEAR?

Brendan Hall: I'm going with the Dual County League. Four members of the 10-team league currently sit in our MIAA Top 25 poll, including No. 1 Lincoln-Sudbury. And we're not even including Acton-Boxborough, which began the season as our preseason No. 10 before dropping to 0-5. Talk about a misnomer -- the Colonials' five losses are to No. 1 L-S, No. 5 Needham, No. 6 Notre Dame (Hingham), No. 17 King Philip, and No. 23 Walpole. Also throw in unranked Wayland, which has one of the state's best goalies in Quinnipiac-bound senior Rachel Massicotte.

Let's now throw in the DCL's other three currently-ranked teams -- Concord-Carlisle, Weston and Westford -- and we're talking six teams that can be troublesome. I expect L-S to rise above it all, but the rest of the way down may or may not be a crap shoot.

Bruce Lerch: While most league's across the state in girls lacrosse are fairly top-heavy, I would say that top to bottom, the Middlesex League's large division may have the largest number of competitive teams as all five made the playoffs in 2011. Winchester is annually among the state's top programs and is among the favorites to challenge for the Div. 2 crown once again. Reading went 15-5 before running into state finalist Lincoln-Sudbury. Lexington is a perennial tourney team who, aside from last season, routinely rolls up 15-plus wins a year. Belmont also won 15 games in 2011, and Woburn qualified for the postseason as well. As of the time I am writing this, the five teams hold a combined record of 8-0-1 through the first two weeks of the season.

Ben Larsen: The Valley Wheel in Western Mass. is off to a strong start with no team worse than 2-0, including Agawam on top with four wins already. Perennial power Longmeadow and last year’s upstart Minnechaug are bound to contend with powerful Agawam in this loaded league but don’t count out East Longmeadow and South Hadley from at least making some noise.

5. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH SLAP HITTERS. WHO ARE THE ONES TO PAY ATTENTION TO?

Scott Barboza: I'm looking no further than Mansfield's Bri Chiusano. The Coastal Carolina signee is the most dynamic lead-off hitter in the state and, as she showed earlier this week against King Philip, she also has some pop in the bat while taking a full swing. You have to take pause and applaud anybody who can launch a home run off of Meghan Rico after all.

Bruce Lerch: Bri Chiusano of Mansfield, who showed Tuesday that she can do a bit more than slap by cranking a three-run homer off of King Philip ace and reigning Miss Softball Meghan Rico. A four-year player for the Hornets manning centerfield and batting at the top of the lineup, Chiusano makes life miserable for opposing pitchers with her quick hands and tremendous speed and has an uncanny ability to survey how the defense is playing her and place the ball accordingly. The senior was named to ESPN Boston's preseason All-State team and will play for Coastal Carolina next year.

Ben Larsen: Typically a speedy singles hitter who uses his speed to get on and wreak havoc on the basepaths, Westfield’s Billy Smith got into the power game Monday, blasting a three-run homer in the Bombers’ rout of Belchertown. Smith, who also served as the Westfield football team’s quarterback this past season, has started out slow but is undoubtedly a player to watch moving forward.

6. WHAT'S BEEN THE MOST SURPRISING UPSET OF THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE SEASON?

Brendan Hall: My brethren on the Cape will call me Captain Hindsight with this one, but maybe Dennis-Yarmouth baseball is better than we've given them credit for after knocking off Plymouth North 8-2 on Wednesday. I think it was universally agreed that North, routinely one of the best hitting teams in Division 2, would be the favorite again in the South region even after losing key bats like Matt Walsh. But maybe D-Y should get more notice, with talented players like Matt Montalto, Matt Peterson and Miles Tuohy-Bedford. The Dolphins (2-1) got off to a hot start last season, including coach Paul Funk's 100th win, before coming back to Earth. Can they keep the hot start going this year?

Scott Barboza: If I told you I'd called Reading boys' lacrosse's overtime win over Westford Academy, I'd be lying. The Grey Ghosts entered this season with a lot of attention, particularly with the addition of Alex Eaton, in an already loaded Dual County League and the No. 6 ranking in our preseason Top 25 poll. Meanwhile, Reading was tough to read coming in because the Rockets lost some key cogs from last year's squad. What the Rockets did is prove that they should again challenge for the Middlesex League title.

Bruce Lerch: In boys lacrosse, certainly the most eye-opening result of the early season came when Melrose upset Lexington, 11-6. This is just the fourth year of the Red Raiders program, and in their first three years Melrose went a combined 9-44. Meanwhile, Lexington is an annual state championship and Middlesex League contender and reached the postseason in each of the three years since Melrose started its team. It was certainly a program defining victory for the Red Raiders.

Our MIAA boys' lacrosse Top 25 poll is updated for this week here.

Duxbury and Lincoln-Sudbury maintained the Nos. 1 and 2 position, despite out-of-state losses, while Hingham jumped into the third spot after taking down Needham in overtime.

We welcomed four new teams to the poll, including Reading, which makes a splash at No. 12 after upsetting Westford Academy.

Also new to the poll were Andover (No. 20), Xaverian (24) and Norwood (25).

The big mover of the week was Billerica, which catapulted up seven spots to No. 5.

(Note: Rankings do not reflect Thursday's results.)

DUXBURY, Mass. – Any time the ball was in the vicinity of Duxbury long-stick midfielder James Burke, it either settled in his stick, or if a Billerica player happened to snatch it first, they were likely to be sent flying.

The physical matchup between the No. 1 Dragons and the No. 12 Indians came as advertised, with Burke as its prime example. But Duxbury was, at times, a bit too hasty with the physical play and were hampered by nine man-down situations throughout Wednesday’s battle.

Despite surrendering two goals while down a man, the Dragons showed their teeth with a relentless defensive showing in a 5-4 win over the Indians.

“Our defense kept us in the game all night long,” Duxbury head coach Chris Sweet said. “We knew coming into this season that our defense is the heart and soul of the team and that they were going to keep us in a lot of games.”

The Dragons (4-1) were paced by senior captain Paul Hellar’s hat trick, while Burke and senior long pole Matt O’Keefe turned in superb defensive efforts.

“It all starts with Bongo in the cage,” O’Keefe said of Dragons goaltender Henry Buonagurio. “He’s such an awesome asset to have back there, he’s so vocal.”

While the Dragons were solid from the back out, they were stunted offensively at times, with so much time concentrating on killing Billerica’s man-up situations.

When Duxbury was able to possess, Hellar was most effective. Perhaps none of his three strikes was finer than his last. While looking to boil down the clock with a one-goal lead late in the fourth quarter, Hellar ripped off a shot from 15 yards out off a ground ball.

“I think it’s really that we’ve just been there so many times,” Hellar said. “We’re able to keep our composure at the end of the game. We all know what we have to do, we just got out there and do our jobs.”

Still, Duxbury sweated out the final seconds of the contest as Billerica senior middie Peter Walters notched a hat trick of his own while drawing the Indians within a goal with 1:26 to play.

Billerica (4-2) had one final possession with 11 seconds to play, but Ben Melaugh’s desperation shot from 30 yards out went just wide of the cage.

Indians goaltender D.J. Smith was solid again in cage, making nine saves.

“Our guys are tough,” Indians head coach Craig Flynn said. “They’re going to fight, scratch and claw the whole game. There’s no giving up in these guys.”

NOT QUITE THERE YET
Duxbury faces another of its biggest challenges of the season on Saturday when they face defending New York state champion Jamesville-DeWitt. And Sweet thought his team might have been guilty of looking ahead to that meeting instead of focusing on the task at hand.

“I think we have to realize that we’re not as good as we thinks we are and everybody else thinks we are,” Sweet said. “We have to work hard for our wins. We’re starting to realize that.”

It was the second straight one-goal decision Duxbury faced in its last two games, after falling by a goal to Irondequoit last weekend. It’s partially a product of the face that goals have been difficult to come by for the Dragons.

“I feel like we’ve stepped it up a bit, but we still have to step it up a lot,” Hellar said of Duxbury’s attacks.

“Now, we have Jamesville-DeWitt this weekend and we’re going to have to play really strong against them.”

WELLESLEY, Mass. – It was this time a year ago when Wellesley stormed into Billerica and ruined the Indians’ opener with a win.

On Thursday, it was the No. 12 Indians’ chance to stomp on the Raiders’ opening day festivities.

Senior attacks Ben Melaugh and Cam Slatton worked their chemistry throughout and worked together to give Billerica the game-winning goal. Melaugh set up Slatton with the a tie-breaking goal with a minute left in regulation for a 6-5 win over No. 3 Wellesley.

Melaugh (2 G, 2A) and Slatton (2 G, A) combined to tally seven of the Indians’ nine points on the afternoon while junior goaltender and UMass recruit D.J. Smith made it all stand up with 15 saves.

“Last year, they took away our first game, so we wanted to come back here and win it,” Smith said.

The game was largely decided by a couple of ground balls in Billerica’s favor in the final minutes.

Slatton’s game-winner was set in motion on a ground ball pick up in the defensive half by junior midfielder Sean Farmer. After the scoop, Farmer ran the ball into the offensive half, dished to Melaugh on the wing who then found Slatton out front. Slatton’s rip from 15 yards out found nothing but twine.

Another ground-ball win by Indians senior long-stick Nick DelMonaco in the final minute, along with some sloppy possession play from the Raiders’ attack, helped ice the victory for the Billerica (2-1).

“I think we generated 25 shots and I don’t think we generated 25 shots last year,” Wellesley head coach Rocky Batty said. “But you take shots, you’ve got to finish.”

SMITH IS SHARP


Smith’s play on Thursday drew high praise from Indians head coach Craig Flynn, who called it the “game of his career.” In addition, it was set against the backdrop of a matchup between two of the states top netminders, as Smith was opposed by fellow ESPN Boston All-Stater Connor Darcey.

“It was a huge matchup between basically the two top goaltenders in the state.”

At no point was Smith better than the third quarter, when he kicked, swatted and gobbled up six saves. Although the Raiders (0-1) possessed for the bulk of play in the quarter, Smith and the Billerica long poles held strong.

“Tommy [McLaughlin] and Brian LeClair, they played great at X covering them and they didn’t let them at the X and didn’t let get past the [goal line extended],” Smith said of the defensive group in front of him. “Danny [Lynch] played on the crease, he didn’t let them get any passes. They played great altogether our D-poles.”

CHEMISTRY EVIDENT


Batty thought his team won a small victory in limiting the Indians’ top scoring duo of Melaugh and Slatton to four goals.

It speaks volumes about the respect opposing coaches have for the pair, who both tallied 100-plus point seasons last year.

Of course, that was done in the shadow of ESPN Boston 2011 Mr. Lacrosse and current UMass attack Grant Whiteway. Now, it’s time for Melaugh and Slatton to shine.

“We’ve been playing ever since we were, what, maybe 8 year old, I don’t even know,” “It’s been a while though. We’ve known each other is and we’re able to find each other.”

MONKEY OFF THE BACK?
Always a colorful interview, Batty joked with reporters postgame that his team was, in fact, fallible.

Certainly, the Raiders entered the season with a boatload of attention as Division 2 favorites, grabbing the No. 3 spot in our preseason Top 25 poll along with a spot in the ESPNHS FAB 50.

While a loss isn’t the way the Raiders wanted to start their campaign, their head coach also admitted it might not be the worst thing in the world.

“We’ll be better for this in the long run,” Batty said.

All three MIAA boys' lacrosse teams included on the ESPNHS national FAB 50 poll held serve this week.

ESPN Boston Top 25 No. 1 squad Duxbury remains at No. 4, after taking an opening-day win over Quincy and await a visit from New York power, No. 18 Irondequoit, on Saturday.

Wellesley moved up a tick to No. 36 as the Raiders open up their season against Billerica on Thursday while Needham moved into the Top 40 at No. 39. The Rockets open their season against Hingham on Saturday.

The high school lacrosse season kicks off this week for many top teams across the state.

Here is our preseason MIAA boys' lacrosse All-State team, as compiled by ESPNBoston.com staff and correspondents.

Attackmen:
Kevin Blair, Sr., Hingham
Peter Crane, Sr., Wellesley
Seamus Connelly, Sr., Duxbury
Jeff Desko, Sr., St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
Jackson Finigan, Sr., Concord-Carlisle
Paul Hellar, Sr., Duxbury
Matt McIver, Sr., Andover
Cabot Noyce, Sr. , Norwell
Nico Panepinto, Jr., Needham
Joey Pasquale, Sr., Weston
Connor Roddy, Sr., Medfield
Cam Slatton, Sr., Billerica

Midfielders:
Dan Delaney, Jr., Lincoln-Sudbury
Alex Eaton, Sr., Westford Academy
Kurt Hunziker, Sr., Masconomet
Jonathan Lee, Sr., Hopkinton
Kyle Livingstone, Sr., Cohasset
Drew O’Connell, Soph., St. John's Prep
Billy Polk, Sr., Dover-Sherborn
Mark Riley, Sr., Needham
Oliver Saffery, Sr., Wellesley
Kyle Soroka, Sr., Acton-Boxborough
Tim Towler, Sr., Masconomet

FOGO:
Clay Richard, Sr., Medfield

Long Stick Middies:
James Burke, Sr., Duxbury
Reilly Naton, Sr., Duxbury

Defensemen:
Henry Bumpus, Sr., Concord-Carlisle
Ryan Cassidy, Sr., Wellesley
Pat Hannigan, Sr., Hanover
Jay McDermott, Sr., Duxbury
Nate Menninger, Sr., Newton North
Matt O’Keefe, Sr., Duxbury
Max Randall, Sr., Duxbury
Paul Tocci, Sr., Lincoln-Sudbury
Brian Uva, Jr., St. John's Prep
Ian Yanulis, Jr., BC High

Goaltenders:
Jonathan Barton, Sr., BC High
Henry Buonagurio, Sr., Duxbury
Connor Darcey, Sr., Wellesley
Jared Fong, Sr., Weston
Doug Gouchoe, Sr., Concord-Carlisle
Miles McCarthy, Sr., Catholic Memorial
D.J. Smith, Jr., Billerica
Greg Stamatov, Sr., Foxborough

CHELMSFORD, Mass. -- It was déjà vu all over again for the Wakefield Warriors, who escaped Wednesday’s Div. 1 North semi-final clash by defeating Chelmsford, 2-1, in a shootout.

With the win, Wakefield once again earned themselves a spot in the sectional final, as the Warriors repeated their performance from a year ago. Wakefield also went to a shootout with Billerica in last year's semifinal.

“Down two periods all night, but we’ve been there before,” Wakefield head coach Derek Edgerly said. “We’ve been down a couple games this year, [but] we just comeback fighting hard, and that’s all it takes.”

“It’s called composure, positivity, keep your positive up all night and these kids just played excellent,” Edgerly added. “What a great game.”

Chelmsford notched the first goal early in the opening period when senior David DeDonato beat Wakefield senior goaltender Joe Cerulo (31 saves) before the Warriors answered in the third period with junior Daniel Cardillo, riffling the puck into the back of Lions' net, forcing overtime.

In the extra session, both teams chased the puck up and down the ice, but no resolution was found.

DeDonato eventually registered his team’s first strike in the shootout.

Wakefield answered on their third attempt when senior Kevin Doherty beat Chelmsford’s junior netminder Derek Noble, tying the shootout, 1-1. The Warriors then answered on their ensuing attempt when junior Alec Brown scored the clincher before Cerulo denied sophomore Jesse Lye.

“We go over shootouts every night in practice for 15 minutes because when it comes down to this end in a tournament, you’ve got to do your shootout," Edgerly said. "And one thing about these games, it’s usually a blowout or it’s an overtime win or shootout, there’s nothing in between."

“We had a great year,” Chelmsford head coach Mike McGrath said. “I would have to say if there was a word I’d use for these kids, it’s adversity because we had kids out with mono, we had a lot of things where we were missing kids, and we battled through it, and peaked at the right time, and had a nice little run.”

BURLINGTON 5, ACTON-BOXBOROUGH 1
After a sluggish two periods, the Red Devils offense exploded by tallying four goals in the final 15 minutes, which lifted Burlington past the Colonials, 5-1.

Senior Trevor Cimino registered his team’s second goal 22 seconds into the final period before senior Brian Hood, junior Joe Berardi (1 G, 1 A) and sophomore Joe Scali (2 G) struck.

“[Dan McMahon] made a good play, dumping it into the zone and I just had a breakaway, put it home,” Cimino said. “We got that first goal in the third period, [and] I think they kind of shut down because they didn’t know what to do anymore.”

“It took us two periods to figure it out,” Burlington head coach Bob Conceison said. “They played Monday night, [and] I felt like we could wear them down in the third period, and I think that showed in the third period."

Burlington earned a one-goal advantage when Berardi connected with Scali late in the first period before Acton-Boxborough evened the score at 1-1 when senior T.J. Barrett wrapped around the cage and squeaked the puck past junior netminder Derek DeCastro for the score.

“I think he was disappointed in the goal that [he] let in," Conceison said of DeCastro. "It was kind of a funny late period goal that might have been in the nearside, but he made a big save on a break away at 3-1, it was a huge save for us. And Derek’s that type of goalie, he comes up big in those situations when we needed and that was a big step, and we needed that, we really needed that."

A-B had chances to earn a lead, but solid defense and goaltending by Burlington helped them escape with a victory, and set up an exciting Division 1 North final against Wakefield, Monday at Tsongas.

“It will be fun,” Conceison said. “I don’t know [if our] crowd can outdo their crowd.”

BOSTON -- One team's savior proved to be the other team's fatal heartbreaker.

Both No. 5 Central Catholic and No. 8 Catholic Memorial had a lot on the line when the two teams hooked for a Monday matinee at Walter Brown Arena. The Raiders were looking to get back on track after a 3-0 loss to Andover on Saturday, hoping to keep themselves in the hunt for a Super 8 invitation while getting the on-ice product back in shape with things still undecided atop the MVC/DCL Div. 1 standings.

For Catholic Memorial, the math was simple - win your last two games, or miss the postseason for a second consecutive year.

Central goaltender Kyle Williams shined on this day, stopping 30 shots and weathering a third-period penalty shot attempt by CM's Liam Coughlin to help the Raiders hold on for a 1-1 tie.

"They took it to us in spurts, we were able to sustain and Kyle's back," Central head coach Mike Jankowski said. "We had some inconsistencies all year, we fought through things all year. Even the first goal tonight, that's something [Kyle] always gets. For him, the back half of that, he closes the door. If he plays like that and has our back like that, good things are going to happen for us."

The Raiders kept in mind last year's loss to the Knights and made adjustments that helped Williams a great deal, most importantly coming from a defense that worked tirelessly to at least keep the shooting lanes clear so the senior could get good looks on what was coming at him.

Midway through the third period, Williams made the save of the day, getting his blocker up in time to deflect a shot from CM's Kevin Bletzer. Minutes later, he made another stop of a hard wrist shot by Jared Beckwith and got a piece of a tip in front by Thomas Stanton.

The netminder's most important play however, was one that didn't hit the stat sheet as a save. The Knights were awarded a penalty shot with 3:46 remaining in the game, and CM coach Bill Hanson sent out talented forward Liam Coughlin. The junior walked in on Williams, then made a late shift to his backhand. Rather than sit back in shock, Williams simply followed his man and slid over to the far post, forcing Coughlin to take the puck lower then he likely intended and his shot ended up in the side of the Raiders net.

"No pressure, I just went and tried stopping it. I got lucky he missed the net," Williams explained with a touch of modesty.

Then, when asked if he was surprised by Coughlin's move, Williams responded, "Yeah, I guess. He could do anything. I'm just there to stop it."

Clearly the game did not come down to that one play, although it was certainly a highlight moment. Before a question could be asked about the penalty shot, Hanson quickly spoke up for his player:

"I know the question is going to be asked about the penalty shot...is he the guy you want having it? Yeah, he is. There is no one who feels worse about what he's going through right now than I do or his teammates do. It's a tough way to lose."

Mike Kelleher opened the scoring for Central Catholic, banging home a rebound at 13:38 of the opening frame, with assists going to Steven Merrick and Lloyd Hayes. Catholic Memorial tied it in the second as the Knights forced a miscue in their own end and Aaron Marcel went most of the way down the ice for a wrister at 5:38.

TWO STRAIGHT YEARS, NO POSTSEASON FOR CM
Similar to last season, the Knights found themselves entering the final week of the regular season needing points just reach the 20 needed to become eligible for postseason play. This year, they needed to beat Central, and follow that up by knocking off an excellent Fairfield Prep team from Connecticut. The tie left them short of their goal.

Were it not for the stellar outing by Williams, the Knights might have scored four goals, maybe even more given the intensity and hunger they displayed on the ice. Take this game out of the mix and there are several others the Knights will look back on as lost opportunities for points - in particular, ties with Malden Catholic and BC High in games they were leading in the third period, and a loss to St. John's Prep with just six seconds remaining.

Ultimately, however, it was the inability to score enough goals that did them in. According to Hanson, the Knights have scored 39 goals while allowing 40 through 18 games, yet still found themselves with a chance to win two games and become tournament-eligible.

"The last four games we've only scored four goals," Hanson lamented. "That's been the story of our season. We played extremely well tonight against a very good hockey team. The system we had in there worked to a tee. You hold a team like that to one goal, and with the opportunities we had, you should win the hockey game."

LEAGUE FIRST, SUPER 8 LATER
While CM needed the win to keep its postseason hopes alive, the Raiders were in need of points as well as a return to the form that reeled off an 11-game unbeaten stretch (8-0-3) prior to Saturday's loss to Andover.

While improving its resume for Super 8 consideration is certainly in the thought process, Central is still fighting to win a league title, something that is at the forefront of the team's minds right now.

Wednesday, Central hosts an Acton-Boxborough team that hasn't lost in its last six games and has wins over Billerica, Andover and a Super 8 watch-list team in Westford Academy. The Raiders hold a one-point edge in the standings over both Andover and Westford, with the Grey Ghosts taking on Billerica on Wednesday as well.

When asked if his team was thinking about the possibilities of the Super 8 just yet, Jankowski responded, "Not even close. We're so grateful today to be able to contend and now we're really looking to Wednesday. We have to bring everything because A-B's playing so well. We're just going to try and buckle it up and get ready for Wednesday."

BILLERICA, Mass. -- This time it was different.

After outlasting No. 14 Billerica by one point three weeks ago, the No. 1 Andover girls’ basketball team got on top of the Indians early Tuesday night, and big, winning 64-42 in the rematch to sweep the season series.

With the win, Andover moves to 19-0 and takes a commanding lead of the Merrimack Valley Conference's Large division over Billerica, its nearest competitor, with at least two games to go in the season.

Andover was determined to put the pressure on Billerica (14-3) from the start of the game by coming out in a full-court press. It forced three turnovers off the press in the first quarter, each of which it was able to turn into points. Its defense was so stifling that it limited the Indians to one basket in the whole quarter.

“Our pressure hurt them,” said Andover head coach Jim Tildsley. “It hurt them in the first game, we just didn’t hit the shots. In this game, we hit the shots. We shot the ball extremely well and it gets frustrating for them because we keep getting turnovers. Our defense was unbelievable.”

Andover had a 17-2 lead after the first quarter, mainly due to the successful sharpshooting of Boston College signee Nicole Boudreau, who had 12 of the 17 points.

While she made her usual presence felt on the offensive end with this 31-point performance, Boudreau was stout defensively, with six steals and a block. She had the assignment of guarding Billerica’s Joslyn King, who was noticeably inches taller than Boudreau.

“(Defense) is how we win basketball games,” she said. “You see us out there and I’m the tallest girl at 5-9 and that’s not tall at all, so defense is really where we win our games. Coach Tildsley tells us every game that that’s how we’re going to have to win it, so when we pressure them and we get turnovers, that’s how we get easy buckets.”

“They scored two points in the first quarter just because of our defense, so when we get out quick like that, there’s not as much pressure on us to score at the end of the game when we have a little bit of a lead,” she added.

Danielle Nickerson lead the way for Billerica with 11 points and 8 rebounds.

Billerica made a charge in the second quarter and even cut the lead down to 10 points with 1:30 left, but Andover still held strong and took a 31-18 lead into the half.

After hitting a 3-pointer to make it a 10-point game, Billerica’s Brittany Lomanno let out an emphatic fist pump, showing how crucial it was at that point to keep the game within reach.

Andover came out in the second half with its foot still on the pedal with its full-court trap defense. With that, it was able to create more turnovers and extend its lead even more, putting the game well out of reach on its way to victory.

Nearing another milestone: Boudreau, long recognized for her scoring prowess, now sits 11 points shy of 2,000 for her career with at least two games to go in her season. It was obvious from the outset that she was going to have a prolific scoring night Tuesday. At halftime, she had 21 of her team’s 31 points, most of which came from 3-point range.

During one possession in the third quarter, as the shot clock was winding down, her team was struggling to get a shot off. With the Billerica defense draped over them, Andover looked for anything remotely resembling a clean look at the basket.

As each team had players trying to gain possession of a loose ball, Boudreau picked it up and let go of a shot with one second on the clock. It swished through the net in an “I meant to do that” kind of moment.

“She’s averaging about eight steals a game,” said Tildsley. “Her last four games, she’s been playing unbelievable. She’s almost been averaging a quadruple-double.”

Cold shoulder: Some might find it to be an odd coaching move, but Tildsley did not show his team the video of its previous game against Billerica until two days before it was scheduled to play them again.

While some coaches may have used the tape as a motivational tool to get their team to practice harder or as a way of driving home a point, he put it away until he felt they needed to see it again.

“I didn’t show them the tape of the last time we played them until two days ago,” he said. “They just watched it and saw that we didn’t play very well at our home place and didn’t shoot it well, but they were pretty confident coming in. They were ready to play tonight.”

Alois sticks it on 'D': While she may not have filled up a lot of points (four) in the scorebook, Andover’s Jackie Alois made her presence felt with her eight rebounds and three steals.

She was consistently making the contributions to her team that do not show up in the scorebook, like diving on the floor to tie up Billerica players to force jump balls and gain possession for her team. She was also not afraid to go into the paint and mix it up with players taller and perhaps more physical than her.

“You see her and she’s all over the place, she’s unbelievable,” said Tildsley. “For her size (5-foot-6) and what she does- she’s our weakside defender- she just does an outstanding job.”

ANDOVER, Mass. --- The Andover Lady Warriors (13-0) remained undefeated on the season despite a valiant effort from a feisty, upset-minded Billerica squad on Thursday night.

Billerica (11-2) had possession of the ball with 4.4 seconds remaining on the clock, trailing 53-50, but a 3-point attempt fell short and a put back by junior center Joslyn King (14 points, 14 rebounds) was not enough as Andover escaped with a 53-52 victory and sole possession of first place in the Merrimack Valley Division 1 Conference.

Both teams battled back and forth in a game of runs that saw Billerica explode out of the gate to take a quick lead only to see Andover come back to tie the game at 15-15 after one quarter of play. Reigning ESPN Boston Miss Basketball Nicole Boudreau scored nine of her game high 23 points for Andover in the opening quarter including two of her six 3-pointers on the evening.

Andover would build a 12 point lead midway through the second quarter but Billerica hung tough behind the strong play of King and junior point guard Brittany Lomanno. Boudreau and junior guard Devon Caveney each stroked two 3-pointers in the quarter to help propel Andover to a 33-28 lead at the half.

The Indians came out of the break and dominated the third quarter as their size and work on the glass disrupted Andover as King and junior forward Danielle Nickerson owned the boards and gave Billerica a hard-fought 41-40 lead after three quarters

“In the third quarter we did a great job of recognizing what they were in,” said Billerica head coach Mike McCarthy. “We had pretty good legs and were able to get the ball up the floor.”

Andover’s various full-court defenses, which disrupted Billerica at times on the evening, finally came through in the end as the Lady Warriors led by seven with 2:38 remaining in the game.

Billerica, as they did all night, would not give in as they took it all the way to buzzer but timely Andover shooting and disruptive pressure defense were too much for Billerica to overcome.

“We do not want to lose,” said Boudreau. “We are the type of ball club that is not going to accept losing so in the fourth quarter, when it is close like that, we like to buckle down on the defensive end.”

Fazio steps up down stretch: Senior Co-captain Ally Fazio's two fourth quarter 3-pointers turned the momentum back Andover’s way each time and helped settle the pace for the Lady Warriors. Fazio struggled from the field throughout the night but hit the two big 3-pointers when it mattered most to go along with her game high six assists.

“Ally hit some big shots at the end and we came out with the close win,” said Boudreau of her fellow Co-captain.

Young veterans lead Billerica: Billerica is led by a talented group of juniors in Lomanno (eight points), King, Nickerson (10 points) and Kayla Leverone (11 points) along with sophomore Shannon Hayes (eight points). Forward Erin Brooks was the team’s lone rotational senior to see time on the evening but Chris Doneski’s squad has been playing together for a couple of years now and their chemistry is evident.

“They are heck of a team,” said Andover head coach Jim Tildsley. “They are very good, well coached and give credit to them.”

After going 12-9 last season and losing to Acton-Boxborough in the MIAA Division 1 state tournament Billerica is off to an impressive 11-2 start of the 2011-2012 season.

“I am very proud of the way they played,” said Doneski. “They played their hearts out so you could not ask for more.”

Valentine’s Day Rematch: These two teams will see each other again in a few weeks as Andover will travel to Billerica on February 14 at 7 p.m. in a rematch that could be for the MVC Division 1 championship.

Both Andover and Billerica still have rematch dates with Central Catholic remaining on their schedules but both teams look to be the top of the MVC class and the Valentine’s Day rematch should be another competitive battle.

“This will be a war when we play them at Billerica,” said Tildsley. “That is for sure.”

We updated our statewide MIAA Top 25 girls basketball poll, and while there is little movement up to, we've some some new faces at the bottom.

Andover remains firm at No. 1, a spot it has held since the end of last season, while Reading remains at No. 2 following two more blowout wins over Middlesex League opponents. Archbishop Williams and Arlington Catholic flip-flop at the Nos. 3 and 4 spots, after the Bishops handed AC a 21-point loss, while Holyoke remains at No. 5.

Amherst moves back into the Top 10 following its win over West Springfield, while Bishop Feehan falls out of the Top 10 following the Shamrocks' loss to defending Eastern Athletic Conference champ Coyle-Cassidy. Also of note, Billerica moves up nine spots to No. 11 following the Indians' surprising 72-59 win over Merrimack Valley juggernaut Central Catholic.

At the bottom, we have five new teams making their season debuts: Franklin (21), Walpole (22), Marshfield (23), Bedford (10-2) and last year's Division 3 runner-up, Western Mass. powerhouse Lee (25).

As always, let us know how we're doing in the comments section below, or by emailing Brendan Hall at bhall@espnboston.com

ARLINGTON, Mass. -- Although it took roughly 18 minutes, once St. Mary’s cracked a scoreless tie, the Spartans kept on running from there.

Adding a couple more goals to their tally sheet and with sophomore goaltender Bailey MacBurnie's first career shutout, the No. 2 Spartans claimed a key Catholic Central Large victory over Arlington Catholic, 4-0, at Ed Burns Arena Wednesday night.

“I have to give St. Mary’s credit, they came out in the second period, and they took it to us," AC head coach Dan Shine said. "And I thought they picked up the tempo, they got to loose pucks, they capitalized on opportunities, [and] they did a real good job of getting the puck to the front of the net."

After a back-and-forth first period where neither team was able to gain any momentum, St. Mary’s (8-1-1, 4-0-0) registered their first strike when freshman forward Eric MacAdams wrapped the puck around the cage to beat AC senior goaltender Alexander Caouette (24 saves) for the goal.

The Spartans tallied two more scores in the middle frame, as senior forward Brendan Magaery recorded a goal before assisting junior forward Bobby Mullins, who floated the puck behind Caouette with 35 seconds remaining in the period.

“[Brendan’s] not known for [scoring goals], he’s one of our defensive specialty guys,” St. Mary’s head coach Mark Lee said. “When he scores a goal, and gets involved in the offense that’s when you know we’re working pretty good, and to have him do that, that’s almost like a bonus for us."

“I’m more like a get in the zone, dump it in quick in quick, first man in, take the body, so whenever I get a goal or assist, it’s always a good accomplishment, but my game is more the dirty work,” said Magaery. “I give it to [my offense], and they get the points.”

St. Mary’s notched their final goal midway through the third period, as senior forward Tim Aylward and junior forward Cam O’Neill set up senior forward Frank Moreschi, who lifted the puck past the right shoulder of Caouette to secure the Spartans' eighth win of the season, as well as fourth road victory, too.

“Our guys stuck with the game plan, and by the second and third periods, we started to get some momentum going, and they were moving their feet and working hard, and good things happen when you do that,” said Lee.

“St. Mary’s is a very good hockey team, and I think they brought their A-game tonight,” Shine said.

MACBURNIE SHINES
Sophomore goaltender Bailey MacBurnie, who recorded 18 saves between the pipes, was quite content once the final horn sounded, especially since he earned his first career shutout.

“It was a great win. We really worked hard,” said MacBurnie. “ My team [deserves all the credit] for the shutout, but I thought it was a good win.”

Lee commended his young goaltender by saying, “He’s doing a great job for us.”

The Spartans return to the ice on Saturday when they travel to Billerica, and according to MacBurnie, this particular win should certainly help his team continue their quest toward more wins, and a Super 8 tournament berth, too.

“We need these wins to get to the Super 8, [which is] where we want to be,” he said.