Avon Girls Lax Edges Granby Memorial 12-11 in OT

In a thrilling, emotionally charged early season contest, the Avon High girls lacrosse team came from three goals behind in the second half to defeat 12-11 in overtime on Tuesday afternoon in Granby.

In addition to pitting two foes who figure to challenge for the North Central Connecticut Conference title, the game had some extra spice as it marked the first time that Terri Ziemnicki, Granby Memorial’s new head coach, squared off against her former Avon charges.

Ziemnicki coached Avon for five years, including the last four at the varsity level.

The end result was that it rare regular season game in which the build up was surpassed by what took place on the field.

“The emotions were high and the girls were really fired up about the game,” said Sean Cole, Avon High’s first-year head coach. “Certainly in the first half we weren’t anywhere near where we possess the ball like we normally do. I think their heartbeats were up in their throat.

“I think the girls were far more intrigued by [playing their former coach] than I am. I’ve got nothing but love for Terri. … It’s fun and she coaches a lot of these kids [in field hockey]. They wanted nothing more than to beat their former lax coach and current field hockey coach. It’s all in good fun.”

Avon’s Britt Douglass and Hunter McCarthy each scored four goals, while Ali Condon and Emily Arciero both added two goals apiece, as the Falcons improved to 3-1 (3-0 NCCC).

Granby Memorial (3-1, 3-1 NCCC) was led by Mia Olsen, who scored three goals. Meg Hebert, Krista Iwanicki and Meg Griffin each had two goals, while Kelsey Iwanicki and Mackenzie Brower both scored once.

The pivotal point in the match, however, came with 10 minutes left in the second half and Granby Memorial leading 9-6, when Cailene Gunn, Olivia Johnson and Griffin each had open looks at the Avon High cage within a span of 15 seconds.

But Falcons goalie Paige Hammick turned into a stone wall, turning aside all three shots, effectively keeping her team in the game.

“I think that turned the tide,” Cole said. “It started with the goalie. The defense recognized that they could make a slight mistake. I thought they would be faster, especially in the middle of the field. But I think we neutralized that.”

Right after Hammick’s heroics, Avon scored the next six goals - three in regulation by McCarthy, Douglass and Arciero and the first three in overtime by McCarthy (2) and Douglass - effectively putting the game away.

The spurt was fueled by Avon winning five consecutive draws.

“The draw is far more critical possession and moving the ball up field and we have certain plays we are using off the draws,’ Cole said.

Still, Granby Memorial, trailing 12-9 late in overtime, refused to go quietly, as Hebert scored both of her goals in a little over a minute to pull within a goal with 53 seconds remaining. The Bears, however, could not complete the comeback and lost for the first time this season.

Still, Ziemnicki, for her part, looked far from the part of a coach who was disappointed with her charges.

“They played great and I am proud of them,” Ziemnicki said of her players. “I thought it was a great game that could have gone either way. We had a couple of shots that hit the post and had those gone in, the win is on our side. It was an even game that either team could have won.”

Ziemnicki also downplayed the matchup against the team she formerly coached.

“This was a home game that we were just playing our next opponent,” Ziemnicki said. “My girls are going to play that hard against anybody.”

The rematch between the two teams takes place on May 4.