Tewksbury U13-1 Falls in Lacrosse Title Game

(Editor's note: The following information was submitted by the coaches and administrators of the Tewksbury Youth Lacrosse program.)

Tewksbury Boys U-13 -1

The Tewksbury Boys U13-1 went deep into the playoff rounds within the Patriot Lacrosse League’s Patriot Cup End of Season Tournament.  Dominating through three rounds with an impressive 33 goals for and 3 against total, the team reached the Championship Game.  Paired against a very powerful opponent the Tewksbury squad fought hard and fell just short of capturing the title. A terrific accomplishment nonetheless for this group, many of whom are first time players to the sport of Lacrosse.  Here are the summaries of the team’s wild ride through the Playoffs:

Round 1

Won:     13 – 0    vs.  Arlington U-13-2 

The Tewksbury Boys U13 - 1  kicked off the Patriot Cup Playoffs Wed. June 8th with a dominating performance over Arlington under oppressively hot conditions. Logging the team’s first shut out of the season Goalie Patrick Hunt stopped shot after shot in the closing minutes as Arlington tried to get on the board.  Backed up by the very strong defensive unit of JP Mooney, Matty McLaughlin and Ben Connors, Arlington struggled to penetrate into Tewksbury’s defensive zone most of the game. The team’s offense kept Arlington back on their heels for four quarters tallying up a season high 13 goals. In addition to the defensive and offensive units putting on this impressive performance, the team also played a very clean game as they only were called for a few minor penalties.  Skills taught and worked on all season came together as well executed passing and set-up plays led to the non-stop goal scoring.  Getting things started  with the first goal, (ultimately the game winning goal) was Nick Muise, assisted by Brendan Sjostedt. Each ended up with more points as the evening progressed with Muise getting one more goal and Sjostedt assisting on three additional.  Others making the box scores include:  Brandon Winn and Ryan Flynn – both getting hat tricks with 3 goals each; Kevin Carta (2 goals);  Shawn O’Neil, Tyler Harvey, and Nick Diminico each had one goal. Additional assists included

Harvey (4),Winn (1), Jamesie Cash (2). Kyle Strong, Jimmy Strickler, Connor Power,  Ethan Hepler, Robbie Gilligan and Drew Fletcher all set up the point getters with hard aggressive play in the middle of the field and within

Arlington’s zone.  Complete contribution from the entire team as they head to the next round of the playoffs.

Round 2

Won:     9 – 1  vs. Tewksbury U13-2

Round 2 paired the team against their Tewksbury classmates  and friends vs. an out of town rival opponent.  Both teams played hard  to gain as many points as possible within the Patriot Cup team rankings to have the town represented in the final playoff rounds. With his usual defensive power –team of Matty McLaughlin , JP Mooney and Ben Connors,   Jamesie Cash was spectacular in net only allowing his in town friends to find the back of the net once. The Offense was clicking on all cylinders as they took control early.  The players assigned to play Middie were unstoppable :  Jimmy Strickler, Kevin Carta , Brendon Sjostedt, and Robbie Gilligan. They took control and found the team’s Attackers: Kyle Strong, Connor Power, and Chris Lucas to help set up their teammates’ scoring opportunities. Ryan Flynn got his second hat trick in as many games putting the team on the board three times, assisted by Nick Muise , Nick Diminico, and Tyler Harvey.

As they always do each game, Muise , Diminico and Harvey all found the back of the net as well with one goal each, set up by Drew Fletcher,  and impressive defensive clears by both Mooney and McLaughlin.  Patrick Hunt had two assists, setting up goals by Brandon Winn, and Shawn O’Neil.

  Round 3

Won:  11 – 2   vs. Arlington U13-1

Round 3 found the team paired against the classmates of their first Arlington opponent, and they were determined to inflict the same level of destruction on them, as to not win any friends in that town.  The team dominated from the first face off. Arlington had to groan when they saw Patrick Hunt in net again, who had shut out their namesakes in Round 1. Once again he and his defense ( McLaughin, Mooney, Connors) put on an amazing performance only allowing 2 goals. Without skipping a beat from the prior round, the team’s offense fired away and never looked back.

The point getters in this round included just about every player at the Middie and Attacking positon.  The tandem of Diminico and Muise led the way in points earned tallying 4 points each  (2 goals and 2 assists apiece); Flynn – 3 assists; Sjostedt and Winn – 2 goals each; Lucas – one goal, one assist; Cash  - 2 assists;  Fletcher and Harvey – one goal each. Once again as they’ve done all season the team of Power, Carta, Gilligan, Strickler, Strong, and O’Neil created the plays and spread the ball around leading to the goals and assists obtained.  A true team effort putting forward skills learned through hard work.

                                    Championship Round

Lost:    9 -5    vs.  Waltham U13-1

After the impressive run to reach the Championship Round, the team was paired with a very solid and skilled Waltham opponent. Despite this challenge Tewksbury fought hard and made the game competitive. Splitting duties in net were Shawn O’Neil and Drew Fletcher who stood tall, and stopped an onslaught of shots to keep their team in the game.  The defensive trio (Connors, McLaughlin, and Mooney) unit had their hands full with Waltham’s attackers, but pushed them back time after time, to give their offensive teammates more chances to stay in the game. Waltham’s defense was solid and didn’t allow much penetration, but Tewksbury’s skills were able to cut through it for 5 goals keeping the game within reach well into the final quarter. Five different players found the net in this game: Sjostedt, Muise, Flynn, Diminico and Winn and five different players assisted: Carta, Hunt, Strickler, Gilligan, and Cash.  Being the third very tough game  of the day  Harvey, Lucas, Power,and Strong all worked tirelessly to help create this offensive comeback.   The team never game up and worked hard until the final horn, but couldn’t quite overcome the deficit as Waltham took the title.  A very strong effort making the fans and coaches proud.   The coaching staff : Steve Lamoureux, Craig Archambeault,  Steve McLaughlin, Zach Lamoureux, Zach Jacobs, and Patrick Carleton, want to thank all of the parents for their support this season.  The team might not have won the  U13 Patriot Cup Championship, but they developed into true Champions in our eyes.  Thank you for a terrific season.