MATTAPOISSET –The lacrosse rivalry between Bourne and Old Rochester has developed into one of the biggest feuds in Southeastern Massachusetts over the last few years, but on Thursday afternoon the two teams raised the stakes with a playoff showdown.
For the Canalmen however, the script’s ending proved all too familiar as the host Bulldogs eliminated the Cape boys with a 12-7 victory in the MIAA Div. 3 South Quarterfinals.
Bourne’s Jake Girard loses his footing as the earth beneath him gives out in Thursday’s 12-7 loss to Old ROchester in the MIAA D3 South boys’ lacrosse quarterfinals.
Phil Garceau/Capecod.com Sports
A successful season it was for Bourne nonetheless, at 14-6, while the second-seeded Bulldogs advance to the semifinals against the winner of Archbishop Williams and Abington. That game will be played tomorrow (Friday, June 5) afternoon.
The Canalmen surprised many with their success this season as they earned the 10th-seed in the bracket and earlier this week won their first postseason game since 2009.
“We’ve been a young team for the last few years,” senior captain Tom Glinksi said after the game. “We’ve been bonding for a while and this year it peaked and we all came together as a team.”
In this season-ending meeting with the Bulldogs, a victory would have been ideal for the Bourne seniors and it looked promising at the half as the Canalmen trailed by just one goal after Glinski scored with 23 seconds left to cut the deficit to 5-4.
“It’s been big over the past four years,” Glinksi said of the rivalry. “It’s been a bunch of close games and it would have been to go out with a win but it’s a tough loss and it was a fantastic team to finish it off with.”
“You’d be amazed, on the field its probably one of the most intense rivalries you’ll see but off the field these guys were hugging each other,” Bourne coach Tim Crowley added. “They know each other from different sports, they know them from hockey, it wasn’t just an animosity all the time, it’s just on the field and it should be.”
Glinksi scored the first goal of the game nearly five minutes in, but the Bulldogs scored five of the next six goals to take a 5-2 lead midway through the second quarter.
Bourne High’s Tom Glinkski scores his second goal of the game with 23 seconds left in the half, slipping a shot past ORR goalie Gerald Lanagan.
Phil Garceau/Capecod.com Sports
With a full sail of momentum behind it, the Bulldogs threatened to take a massive lead early, but the Canalmen defense stiffened up and gave their offense enough time of possession to make a comeback.
“That’s one of the things I love about my team is they never give up,” Crowley said. “It doesn’t matter if there are five seconds left in the game or five seconds left in the first quarter, they are always fighting for it and always trying.”
Behind the Bulldog attack was senior Ethan Lizotte, who scored three goals in the opening half, and was a critical piece behind a third quarter that devastated Bourne’s comeback hopes.
While Bourne was going into the half with the momentum of Glinski’s late goal, it was Old Rochester that took over in the third quarter, scoring all four goals of the period, included a devastating blow from Landon Goguen with two seconds remaining on the clock to take a 9-4 lead into the fourth quarter.
“It was brutal, I’m not blaming anyone but the penalties did kill us that quarter, Crowley said. “They scored on just bout every one of our penalties.”
One of the few bright spots of the second half came from defenseman Tom Hidenfelter, who was tasked with the job of defending Lizotte, holding the senior to just two goals over the last quarter and a half.
“We switched over a couple of times, but he had scored four goal and we stuck Tom on him and Tom had a great game against him,” Crowley said of his defenseman. “He was taking the ball away from him but that kid just had some great stick still and great movement.”
Bourne made things interesting in the final five minutes, scoring back-to-back goals from Jake Girard and Zakrey Wirsen to cut the lead to 11-6, then received a two-minute, locked-in man advantage after ORR’s Kyler Berry made head contact.
Ben Avakian scored quickly on the man-advantage with 3:03 left, but a faceoff win from Charlie Tirell set up Goguen for his fifth goal of the game, which ended the threat of a comeback.
The Canalmen graduate four seniors over the offseason, including captains Glinski and James Modic, along with Austin Braley and Shaun Griffin.
— Story written by Capecod.com contributing sportswriter Phil Garceau. Follow him on Twitter @pcgarceau. Edited by Capecod.com Sports Editor Sean Walsh, [email protected].
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