What the Skaneateles boys lacrosse team took from its near-miss against defending Section III Class C champion Cazenovia on April 2 was that it had the capability to make any opponent worry.
At the same time, though, the Lakers have even made its victories stressful exercises for its fans, as was the case again in last Tuesday night’s battle with Tully at Hyatt Stadium, which went to the wire before Skaneateles prevailed, 9-8, over the Black Knights.
A poor start left the Lakers behind, 2-1, going to the second quarter. But in those 12 minutes, the Skaneateles offense came to life, finding the net five times to take a 6-4 lead to the break.
Tight defense in the third period led to just one goal on both sides. Now clinging to a 7-5 lead, the Lakers needed to score twice more in the late going to withstand the Black Knights’ late charge, led by Drew McNerney, who registered four goals and one assist.
Skaneateles had more balance in its attack. Four different players – Sam Duggan, Owen Kuhns, Alex Dunn and James Motyl – had two goals apiece, with Duggan and Dunn adding assists. Jack VanSlyke added one goal and one assist, though often Tully goalie Tom Graham turned away the Lakers’ chances, recording 12 saves.
Now the Lakers went to the road for a pair of games against Section II opponents, starting Thursday against Colonie, where Skaneateles beat the Garnet Raiders in a tough 12-10 battle.
They were tied, 4-4, through one period, but then the Lakers blanked Colonie the rest of the half and grabbed a 6-4 advantage. Eventually, the margin got to 10-7, but Skaneateles had to stay focused all the way to the finish thanks to the Garnet Raiders’ efforts.
Duggan, in particular, caught fire, getting five goals and adding a pair of assists. Kuhns and McGlynn found the net three times, with Kuhns adding two assists and McGlynn one assist. Dunn managed the other goal and VanSlyke tacked on an assist.
Two days later, facing Bethlehem at Herkimer County Community College, the Lakers did not get nearly as big of a challenge, rolling past the Eagles 12-3.
Here, everything clicked for Skaneateles, from a defense that never surrendered more than one goal in any single period to an attack that, as the game went on, seemed to get stronger. Thus, a 5-2 halftime lead tripled in the last two quarters, even though the Lakers had every right to feel a bit of fatigue from the road trip.
VanSlyke notched a three-goal hat trick, pacing an attack where Dunn, Kuhns and Jack Kimm each would score twice. McGlynn finished with a goal and two assists as Duggan and Devin Callahan both finished with one goal and one assist.
On Monday night, Skaneateles took a 4-1 record to Alibrandi Stadium, where it faced Christian Brothers Academy before a Thursday trip to Jordan-Elbridge and Saturday’s non-league home test against defending Section III Class A champion Fayetteville-Manlius.
