Though not at the top of the Section III Class A ladder, the Baldwinsville boys lacrosse team is pretty close, as a strong late-season push means it will have a strong seed when the playoffs start next week.
A big part of the Bees’ ascension was turning back Liverpool on two occasions. And both of them involved comebacks, including last Saturday’s 10-6 victory at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium in a game made up from an April 2 weather postponement.
Just a week after that original first meeting got scrubbed, the Bees, 1-3 at the time, went to Liverpool and made a stirring fourth-quarter comeback from a 6-2 deficit and won, 7-6, in overtime on Steve Petrelli’s goal.
The defending Class A champion Warriors, 3-0 at the time, had never really recovered from that defeat, going 6-4 and taking one-sided losses to the likes of Fayetteville-Manlius and West Genesee, giving B’ville a chance to move up the seeding chart if it could beat Liverpool again.
Just as in that first meeting, it didn’t start that well, the Bees falling behind twice in the first half by two-goal margins. And just like the first time, B’ville came back, only now it didn’t wait until the fourth quarter to get going.
Led by Petrelli and Zach Bula,, the Bees roared late in the first half and took a 6-4 lead to the break. When it slumped in the third quarter, Liverpool couldn’t take full advantage, only closing the gap to 7-6, and again B’ville dominated the final period with three unanswered goals to put it away.
Petrelli and Bula both finished with four goals and one assist, with Matt Zandri also finding the net. Austin McAskill added two assists, with Luke Mcaffrey and Cody Luke gaining single assists. Parker Ferrigan was sensational in the net, recording 18 saves.
In the wake of a tough 9-6 defeat to West Genesee on May 3, the Bees got nearly a week to recuperate, practice and work on what it could still improve as the post-season loomed.
The Bees returned to action last Thursday night, hosting Oswego, and even though the attack was inconsistent, the defense’s domination made up for it in a 9-3 victory over the Buccaneers.
It was Senior Night, and despite weather that delayed activities for a bit, B’ville still took the field and muddled through the opening period, only grabbing a 1-0 lead.
Oswego’s hopes started to fade in the second quarter, though, as the Bees outscored them 4-1 to take control. Then B’ville pitched another shutout in the third period, allowing the lead to grow to 7-1, and that was more than enough.
Bulak, with four assists to go with his lone goal, led the way, as he would against Liverpool. Luke and Zandri each scored twice, with McCaffrey and McAskill also landing goals. Ronnie Bertrand and Ronnie May joined McAskill in the assist column as Ferrigan had 10 saves.
With a 10-5 record following the win over Liverpool, the Bees are heavily favored in Tuesday’s regular-season finale at Central Square.
