True, 2.1 seconds isn’t a lot of time – but it was more than enough for the Cazenovia boys lacrosse team to put an end to one of the longest and most tense games in program history.
In those 2.1 seconds, Derek White threaded a pass to Jake Lewis, who one-timed a shot past Westhill goalie Dan O’Connell, and gave the Lakers a 7-6 victory over the Warriors in Tuesday’s draining battle between state-ranked powers.
It also marked the second straight 7-6 OT decision for Cazenovia, coming on the heels of a loss to Jamesvile-DeWitt by that same score on April 9 at Chittenango. But that took just one extra period, and this one required much more work, though it came with a happy ending.
For two hours, the Lakers, no. 6 in the state Class C rankings, and the Warriors, no. 3 in that same state poll, traded occasional goals but, more often, squandered chances to either gain control or, in the waning moments of regulation and two OT periods, to win it.
In fact, the Lakers were nearly beaten at the end of the fourth quarter. With the score tied 6-6, Westhill had the ball and worked down the clock until Mark Purcell, in the last seconds, sent a shot to the net that beat Cazenovia goalie Brenden Whalen – but glanced off the crossbar.
Given a reprieve, the Lakers controlled the ball for most of the first OT, but didn’t convert as O’Connell checked Lewis to cause a penalty at the end of that period. With a man up in the second OT, Cazenovia was unable to capitalize, and both sides turned it over in the last minute.
The third OT saw another Lakers man-up situation that went unrewarded, with O’Connell twice making point-blank stops, his eighth and ninth saves of the game. Then, Cazenovia worked the clock down until it got a shot that, with 2.1 seconds left, flew wide.
At that moment, Westhill may have relaxed a bit, thinking a fourth OT was secured. Lewis thought otherwise, cutting to the net just as White passed the ball into open space, and in one motion Lewis caught the ball and flung it past O’Connell for the game-winner.
It wasn’t the first time Cazenovia had converted quickly at the end of a period. Trailing 5-4 late in a back-and-forth third quarter, the Lakers had the ball behind the net with five seconds left, enough time for P.J. Brown to take a pretty feed from Alex Hunt and convert the tying goal.
Lewis had scored with 5:07 left in regulation to push Cazenovia in front, 6-5, only to have Richie Easterly counter less than two minutes later, tying it and setting up the multiple chances, twists and turns that led to the dramatic resolution in the third OT.
Westhill had the ball for most of the first quarter, yet only led 2-1 at the end of it, while Cazenovia took possession for more than nine minutes at the start of the second period, but managing just one goal, from P.J. Brown, that forced a 2-2 halftime tie.
Other than Casey Rogers, who had three of Westhill’s first four goals, the Lakers’ defense did a solid job taking away the Warriors’ other weapons, which allowed it to be patient on the other end.
Eventually, thanks to the quick work by White and Lewis, that patience would get rewarded – but the Lakers know that Westhill will get a chance at payback May 1 at the Sean Googin Sports Complex, with a playoff battle down the road quite possible, too.
