Colts Lacrosse Falls Just Short of Miraculous Playoff Comeback

Trailing 7-2 in the fourth quarter on the road against a fifth-seeded Lynbrook team that went 12-4 this year, the twelfth-seeded Colts easily could have packed it in and called it a season.

Instead, an inspired Calhoun team mounted a furious comeback to pull the deficit within a single goal. Trailing by one with under a minute left, the Colts had the ball in the offensive zone with a chance to tie the game and complete the miraculous comeback. However, they just could not convert that final goal and dropped the game, 8-7.

It was a valiant effort by the Colts (6-10), who were heavy underdogs in the Class B playoff opener against a tough Owls squad that began the season ranked #1.

"We struggled a lot during the season," Calhoun coach Don Fleming said. "And this team was the #1 seed in conference two. The kids played with a lot of heart and played a great game. We had an opportunity to tie it in the fourth quarter, and they almost did it."

Paul Grubb, Kurt Abitz and Joe McGinley each scored two goals for Calhoun. For Lynbrook, Alex Maini scored three goals while Ryan Clark and Tom DeNapoli each contributed two goals apiece.

"It was a tough game," Grubb said. "We have a young team and our seniors really picked it up at the end. Everybody improved and our goalie really came through in the clutch today."

It was the Colts that got off to a fast start in the first quarter. A mere ninety seconds into the game, McGinley put one past Owls goaltender Andrew Siconolfi for the first goal of the game.

Five minutes, later Abitz scored to give Calhoun a 2-0 lead. Lynbrook appeared to have scored a goal in the final seconds of the quarter, but the referee waved it off claiming that the player was in the crease.

The lead was short lived for Calhoun, as Lynbrook would score the next seven goals in the game. Clark scored the first goal for the Owls with 4:30 remaining in the half. After that, Dan Kaplan scored to tie the game at two. The Colts took penalties with just more than two minutes remaining in the second half, but goaltender Kevin MacBride came up huge with three big saves to keep the game tied.

Lynbrook dominated the third, as DeNapoli scored twice, Clark scored again, and Maini scored to give the Owls a 6-2 lead.

Lynbrook extended their lead to 7-2 early in fourth quarter with another goal from DeNapoli.

Trailing by five, everybody thought the Colts were out of the game.

Everybody except the Colts, that is.

Back-to-back goals by Grubb and Charlie Isham cut the deficit to 7-4. After another Lynbrook goal, Abitz scored for Calhoun to make it 8-5.

The Colts then received goals from McGinley and Grubb to make it 8-7 with 1:19 remaining.

The Owls won the subsequent face-off draw to regain possession, but the Colts would steal it back with 30 seconds left. One last desperate offensive rush by the Colts resulted in Lynbrook breaking up a pass attempt in front of their own goal. The Owls would chuck the ball down the field and kill the rest of the clock to get the victory.

"They've got tough kids," Lynbrook coach Bill Leighley said. "They showed no quit and a lot of heart and we're lucky to get away with a win today against a really good team."

The Colts may have lost the game, but they won the respect from the Lynbrook players and the hundreds of fans in attendance, and may look back on this game as one that played a significant role in the rejuvenation of their program.

"It was a great season," Isham said. "We had good captains and the coaching was great. We showed a lot of heart at the end. To go up against the preseason #1 team and lose by only one, it shows a lot."