Cats blast the Bees 17-7

10 goal second half keys Genny’s win


The West Genesee boy's varsity lacrosse team finished with a perfect 10-0 league record and a 16-2 final season record with a 17-7 win over division rival Baldwinsville at Pelcher Arco stadium in Baldwinsville on Tuesday night. The first half was a see-saw battle that had both teams trading goals. Genny started the scoring early at 9:58 with a goal from junior middie Matt Cassalia who took a pass from senior middie Devin Burgoon, then bounced a shot over the shoulder of B'ville goalie Nick Fiorentino. B'ville knotted the score at 1-1 with an unassisted goal from Kyle Buck less than 40 seconds later.

The Cats recaptured the lead at 6:34 with a goal by co-captain, senior attackman Mike Conklin, the first of three in the game, after senior middie Matt Woolshlager drove to the goal and drew several defenders before dishing off to a wideConklin for a 2-1 advantage. Just a little under a minute later the Bees returned the favor when Steve Case tied the game at 2-2 with an unassisted goal. Hanover netted his second in a row with an unassisted effort fighting his way from behind the B'ville goal and breaking the tie giving Genny a 3-2 margin.

Buck answered with his second goal of the game with only 52 ticks left in the first to tie the game at 3-3 and it looked like the quarter was going to come to an end in a tie. But senior Wildcat middie Matt O'Connell had a different idea as he charged the B'ville goal, took a huge hit from a Bees defender bounced away and stuck a shot in the upper left hand corner of the cage to give Genny a 4-3 lead with only 25 seconds to go. With only 12 seconds remaining Cassalia took the draw, flew down the center of the field and deposited a one-handed right hander past Fiorentino and suddenly the Cats had a two goal 5-3 margin. Just when you thought you would not see anymore scoring, the Cats found a way to up their lead to 6-3 with Cassalia winning the draw, moving the ball up-field to junior attackman Drew Dabrowski who found Hanover for his third goal of the quarter with just four seconds on the clock.

The Bees were far from through however as they netted the first two goals of the second quarter to narrow the margin to 6-5. O'Connell returned the Cat's two goal cushion when he followed his own rebound and stuck it in the net for a 7-5 Genny lead with 5:11 left. B'ville refused to buckle and continued to give the Cats defense fits as it ended the half with a two goal run to tie it at the half 7-7.

After a wild first half in which either team failed to grab control all the Genny fans could do was wait for the third quarter to begin to see which way coach Messere's troops would head on the way to the sectional playoffs. If the second half was any indication of what the Cats have in the tank for the second season it could in fact be a rather wild ride. Genny wasted little time returning on top as Cassalia netted a man-up goal just seconds in the third quarter for a 8-7 lead. Less than a minute later Burgoon added and unassisted tally increasing the lead to 9-7. Hanover followed with his fourth, bulling his way to the goal and bouncing a shot and at 10-7 with less than four minutes gone the route was on. Senior co-captain, middie Mark Conklin gave the Cats a four goal advantage with a marker of his own as the Cats went up 11-7.

Woolshlager then fired two in a row, the first a seeing eye shot that hit the goal post then caromed in off Fiorentino's back, followed by a point blank shot in the crease, with a helper from Hanover for a 13-7 Genny lead. Hanover then mercifully ended the quarter with his fourth of the game as the Cats had doubled the Bees 14-7. Co-captain, middie Mike Conklin got a piece of the action in the fourth with a goal at 6:38 with an assist to Hanover and a 15-7 advantage. Conklin followed with a strong move to the cage at 2:05 to extend the lead to 16-7. Hanover then ended the 10 goal Genny barrage with last score of the game his fifth, with 1:14 left giving Genny a 17 - 7 win.

West Genesee scoring

Hanover 5 goals, Matt Cassalia 3 goals, Mike Conklin 3 goals, Woolshlager 2 goals, 1 assist, O’Connell 2 goals, Burgoon 1 goal, 1 assist, Mark Conklin 1 goal, Dabrowski 1 assist: Save Rotella 9

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