Having made it through some tense early contests with the likes of Baldwinsville, Auburn and Homer, the Skaneateles boys lacrosse team got to relax a bit more in the games that followed.
Some turbulence for the Lakers came from the weather, as lightning caused last Wednesday’s game against Manlius-Pebble Hill to get pushed back 24 hours.
The delay did little to affect Skaneateles, though, as when the game resumed on Thursday night (when it was still cold and wet), the Lakers blanked the Trojans 17-0.
Attacking at will during the first half, Skaneateles did not stop until it had picked up a 14-0 advantage, which set up a running clock for the second half and a chance for the whole roster to see some playing time.
Stephen Bright put up one of the biggest assist totals – 11 – in the program’s history, passing it to several different teammates while also recording a pair of goals.
Tyler Strods benefited the most from Bright’s passes, scoring five times, while Jack Fabrizio and Conor Gustafson each managed three-goal hat tricks. Alex Brownlee had two goals and one assist, with Connor Hill adding a goal and two assists. Josh Kuhns had one goal and one assist.
A night later at Hyatt Stadium, it was a special occasion for the Lakers, as its home game against Tully served as a fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society’s Coaches vs. Cancer program.
And it also turned out to be, for a while, close and exciting, the Black Knights hanging with Skaneateles throughout the early stages, but the Lakers pulling away late to prevail 12-7 and make it six wins in a row.
Throughout the first two periods, every Laker run was answered as Tully was within one, 7-6, at the break, with Tyler McNerney (three goals) and Nate Doody (two goals, one assist) leading the way.
Gradually, the Lakers’ defense settled down, and it gave up just one goal in each of the last two periods, allowing Skaneateles to steadily build a cushion.
Owen Kuhns, with four assists, anchored an attack where Strods notched another three-goal hat trick. Hill had two goals and two assists, while Brownlee also found the net twice. Fabrizio, Josh Kuhns, Taylor Haberstock, Ryan Higman and Jack Dawley had one goal apiece.
With the weather clearing up and warming up, Skaneateles would visit long-time rival LaFayette on Tuesday before a Thursday game at Onondaga.
