By John Orrell, Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury — They call it ‘putting pedal to the metal’, a clear-cut reference sports teams employ to mean polishing off one’s opponent as rapidly as possible with no letting up. Capitulation is not an option. Maintaining full-game intensity is mandatory.
In its encounter with the Algonquin Regional High boys’ varsity lacrosse team last month, St. John’s eased off the accelerator a bit too soon surrendering a lead and the result was a near disaster. The Pioneers hung on for a 10-9 squeaker, but the team knew that in its June 3 Central/ West Division 2 quarterfinal rematch that such a repeat performance was out of the question.
Everything went according to plan for St. John’s (14-6) as this time they ran off to a 6-0 lead and never looked back. The fourth-seed Pioneers were victorious, 12-4, and now move on to face top-seed Minnechaug at a date and time to be announced. The fifth-seed Tomahawks close out their season with a record of 13-7.
“Today we were clicking and just had really nice transition,” said SJ head coach Justin O’Leary. “I thought we did a nice job with the ride. They kind of pushed out with their zone a bit and it took us a second to really adjust but once we did we were able to put the ball in the back of the net.
“It’s nice to have momentum but in this sport or in any sport, momentum can swing either way so you want to keep it and keep your foot on the pedal and keep going.”
The Pioneers struck early when Andrew Cox, Andrew Kozub and Dominic Faiola hit for goals leading to a 3-0 first quarter advantage. Brendan Rocco and Jack Donahue (four goals on the day) followed suit before sturdy Devin Greene, a stalwart defenseman, accomplished the rarity of his position, that being a goal that upped the score to 5-0.
“Shooters shoot and I’ve been shooting all season and just waiting for my chance and on the fast break I just broke out,” Greene explained. “I was looking to feed. It’s a big game. I wasn’t planning to shoot it but I had the open shot so I shot it.”
The Tomahawks, for their part, would not surrender quietly. The team launched a rally late, courtesy of a Zach Skowronek hat trick, but SJ goalie Matt Mongeau was nearly impenetrable stopping eleven shots-on-net to hold the opposition.
“He (Mongeau) saved us so many times,” O’Leary said. “I said last time when we played them that one word to describe him is ‘awesome’ and he was today.
“Regardless of record, we’re going to get their (Algonquin) best game and they’re going to get our best one. These teams are two of the oldest teams in the region and you’re always going to have a great matchup regardless. Everybody’s out there giving it all they’ve got. Hats off to them for a great season too.”
For Algonquin, a much-too-early departure from playoff competition proved disappointing, but head coach Matt Nofsinger was quick to give credit to St. John’s and also emphasized the commitment and solid effort of his team all season long.
“This team has a lot of character. The parents should be proud,” he said. “The coaching staff is very proud. The kids should be proud of their accomplishments. I felt like we had a very successful season. I feel like we progressed every week. At the end of the season, we had to battle some injuries but even with some of our top guys down, younger guys stepped up.
“This is a game of momentum and we just couldn’t find any today. Their defense was stout. The goalie was very good. When they possessed and our ‘D’ guys were watching, it was tough to get the momentum going. It’s really a big hole to get out of but it just shows the character that they didn’t give up. They came out, had a little run there and it was just a little too late.
“We’re a very young group. We’re losing ten seniors but we have a lot of youth and we’re encouraged about the youth of the program, that’s for sure.”
Photos/Jeff Slovin
