Lax squad humbles Vineyard in double OT
BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT SPORTS EDITOR
The Whalers opened the new lacrosse season with a satisfying victory at home last Thursday, beating archrival Martha's Vineyard in double overtime, 7-6. The winning goal was a beauty as goaltender Keith Clements followed up a nice save with a quick outlet pass to Henry Farrell, who dropped it off to Kevin Martin for the game winner.

Henry Farrell scored and helped set up the game-winning goal against Martha's Vineyard. MICHAEL GALVIN/The Independent

"It was a spectacular game for our goalkeeper," coach Rick Blair said of Clements, who had 23 saves.

Playing in frigid cold, Nantucket kept the ball consistently in the Vineyard end in the first period. "In the past they've always pressured us," Blair said, "but they played a pretty passive zone defense." With 4:58 to go, Mark Dwyer put the Whalers up 1-0 with the first of his three goals in the contest.

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Martha's Vineyard went ahead in the second quarter, scoring three goals to Nantucket's one. The Vineyard struck first in the period at the 9:16 mark, but that was answered by a nice goal by Farrell on a perfect, behind the net setup by Martin.

Mark Dwyer (foreground) scored three goals against the Vineyard, leading the team. John O'Mara (18) contributed with a strong game on defense. MICHAEL GALVIN/The Independent

Less than two minutes later, however, the Vineyard tied it back up when a Vineyard player was left all alone in front of the net. The Whalers almost came right back on a pass off a loose ball from Martin to Farrell at the two minute mark, but it was denied by Vineyard goaltender Marc Levesque.

With play going back and forth, and the Nantucket defensive unit led by Brian Biggs, John O'Mara and Eric Rogers bearing down on the visitors, the Vineyard called what seemed to be an odd time out with only 13 seconds to go in the half. The strategy worked, however, as the purple men scored immediately to go up, 3-2.

After the break, the Vineyard increased its lead to 4-2 with a little over 8 minutes to go in the third period. Hakeem Lecky brought the Whalers right back at the 6 minute mark with the first of his two goals to cut the Vineyard lead to 1, 4-3.

But the Vineyard scored again at the 3:33 mark, for a two-goal, 5-3, advantage.

With the clock winding down, Dwyer struck at the 1:40 mark, and it was 5-4, Vineyard as the period ended.

With the lights turned on, the game hinged on defense, with both goalies turning in nice saves. With only six minutes to go, however, Dwyer, who had an outstanding game on attack, danced in front of the Vineyard net and bounced one in for the 5-5 tie.

The Vineyard, though, came right back to regain the lead, 6-5, at the 5:04 mark.

At the 3:46 mark, however, and with time running out in regulation, Lecky took the ball from Dwyer and bounced in his second goal of the game, setting up overtime.

In overtime periods, three minutes are put on the clock and the first team to score wins. If no team scores, successive three-minute periods are played until there is a winner.

The Whalers' last overtime game was last year's contest against Bishop Stang, another double OT affair that Nantucket won. The last overtime game against the Vineyard took place here in 2003. The Whalers came out on the short end of that one, making last Thursday's outcome even sweeter.

"I think this is really one of the truly great high school rivalries in the country," Blair noted afterwards. "We wished each other good luck against Barnstable, and we look forward to playing them (on the Vineyard) on May 8."

WHALERS BEAT DENNIS-YARMOUTH, 7-0 Nantucket followed up Thursday's victory with its second straight win, a 7-0 shutout at Dennis-Yarmouth, Saturday.

Will Martin had two goals in the game, with Gavin Norton, Henry Farrell, Joe Bopp, Ray DeCosta and Mark Dwyer also scoring, as the Whalers pounded the Dolphins' goaltender with 34 shots.

The team is scheduled to play at

Bourne this afternoon. I