An up-and-down first half of the season that saw a big win (over Liverpool) and some tough defeats (two of them to Fayetteville-Manlius) left the Baldwinsville boys lacrosse team longing for some calmer waters.
They started to arrive last Tuesday night, when the Bees ventured to Rome Free Academy and patiently put together a 10-3 victory over the Black Knights.
Though far from potent, B’ville withstood RFA’s attempts to slow the game down and led, 5-1, by halftime. It stayed slow, and the Bees would not feel totally comfortable until it had outscored the Black Knights 4-1 in the final period.
Steve Petrelli led the way, topping RFA by himself with four goals. Zach Bulak and Cody Luke each had two goals and one assist, while Connor Chapman and J.P. Walker had single tallies.
Parker Ferrigan not only had 12 saves in goal, he also recorded an assist, joining the likes of Austin McAskill, Ronnie May, Billy Hamm, Ronnie Bertrand and Mitch Rein in the assist column.
Back home on Thursday night, B’ville took on Corcoran, and it was an exercise in patience for the Bees, who had to wait until the second half to get away from the Cougars and prevail by a 10-1 margin.
During the first quarter, B’ville gained a 2-0 edge. And that’s where it stayed the rest of the half, Corcoran perfectly content to slow down the game’s tempo with long possessions that made the Bees’ back line work longer shifts.
That plan backfired, though, when B’ville broke out in the third quarter and made a decisive 5-1 run, led by Austin McAskill, who finished with three goals, and Petrelli, who scored twice and added an assist.
B’ville showed more diversity in its attack as five different players – Bulak, Luke, Kyle Akers, Matt Zandri and Sean Barron – notched single goals, with Bulak and Barron adding assists. Chapman, McCaffrey and Bertrand got to the assist column, too, as Ferrigan and Matt Colcough nearly combined on a shutout, making 14 saves between them.
In a non-league game Saturday against Watertown IHC, the Bees, aiming for three wins in a row, attained it with ease, taking over in the second half to rip past the Cavaliers 16-3.
Steady offense throughout the first half produced an 8-3 margin at the break, but just like it did against Corcoran, the Bees got away in the third quarter, outscoring IHC 7-0 as its defense blanked the Cavaliers in the last two periods.
Ten different players scored, led by McAskill’s three-goal hat trick. Luke had two goals and two assists, with Bertrand, Barron and Rein also finding the net twice. Chapman had a goal and two assists. Bulak, McCaffrey, Hamm and Nate Rutkowski also scored.
Those wins clinched a Section III Class A playoff spot for B’ville, who was 7-4 going into Tuesday’s game at Cicero-North Syracuse, which precedes a big Friday-night test against visiting West Genesee.
