Senior Night for Northville LAX brought out the fans in big numbers, but the buzz surrounding our outgoing seniors wasn't quite enough to push the Mustangs over the hump in the second half. The Mustangs needed this win to finish undefeated in the KLAA Lakes Division and earn a chance to play for their first Association Championship. Unfortunately, they dug themselves into a deep hole early, and trailed 8-1 at the half. After the halftime ceremonies honoring the Seniors and their families, the Stangs came out with a vengeance, scoring 5 unanswered goals to draw with 8-6. United scored 2 more of their own before the Mustangs scored 2 more desperation goals late in the 4th period to make the final tally 10-8 in favor of the bad guys.
As is so often the case in big games, Alec Melucci led the Mustangs by scoring 5 goals, in every conceivable manner. John Cooke added 3 of his own, 2 assisted by Melucci, to complete the scoring. South Lyon was led by #28, who shall remain nameless since his name does not appear anywhere on this author's notes. Greg Stewart and Daniel Baldwin, two of Northville's defensive stalwarts, spoke almost in unison...."that dude was tough to stop." He was indeed. South Lyon was patient and persistent in looking for their shots and that strategy paid off early in the game. Northville clamped down in the 2nd half, but the deficit was just too much. On to the KLAA Crossover on Monday.
As mentioned, Northville recognized their seniors tonight. In all, 12 young men will be graduating later this month. They are Jake Fuller, Greg Stewart, Nate Ray, John Cooke, Jimmy Steslicki, Teddy Molinari, Alex Fuller, Handsome Glover, David Maier, Peter Chew, Charlie Morgan, and Cam Leburn. These guys will be sorely missed next year. But before they go, there is some unfinished business. Northville plays in the crossover next week, hosts Holt the following week, and has earned a #1 seed in the Michigan State Regionals......a first. Watch this space for details and plan to come out and support the Mustangs as they try to make another mark in the State Tourney!
