McCann Tech Tops Lenox in 3 OTs in Western Mass Semis

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – It took more than 114 minutes, but there finally is some separation between the McCann Tech and Lenox boys lacrosse teams.

 

Musa Thompson scored his fifth goal of the game in the third minute of the third overtime Friday to give the Hornets a 10-9 win in the Western Massachusetts Class C Semi-Finals.

 

Thompson took the ball at the top of the box after a McCann Tech timeout and drove into the heart of the Lenox defense before skipping a shot past Jeffrey Larmon, who made 18 saves.

 

“I brought it down through the alley, and I had like three guys on me,” Thompson said. “So I did a question mark rip. And I saw I was open and ripped it. And it went in.”

 

And just like that, the second classic struggle in five days between the county rivals was over, and McCann Tech is moving on to Wednesday’s regional final against Hoosac Valley.

 

On Monday, the Hornets and MIllionaires settled for a 5-5 tie in their regular season finales.

 

This time around, there was no settling.

 

So when the second OT ended without a goal – putting the game in the books as a 9-9 tie for state tournament seeding purposes – the teams kept playing.

 

And Larmon kept stopping shots – three in the first two minutes of the third OT alone – before Thompson was finally able to find the back of the net.

 

That made a winner of Hornets keeper Brody Rhinemiller, who made nine saves himself, including three in the fourth quarter and two in OT.

 

“He had a couple of stops on the doorstep,” McCann Tech coach Marshall Maxwell said of Rhinemiller. “And I said it early in the season, your goalie has to be big in big moments for you to have a chance to go on a run.

 

“I felt both goalies [tonight] were two of the best in Western Mass. The series where we had three shots in the second overtime on Larmon? That was high end goalie play. And Brody Rhinemiller was up to the challenge. That’s a very good offense over there.”

 

Luke Gamberoni led Lenox’s offense with four goals, and Bronly Boyd had four assists.

 

Thompson had three assists to go with his game-high five goals, and Dallas Ritcher added two goals and two assists for the Hornets.

 

Early on, McCann Tech had the upper hand.

 

Thompson, who missed Monday’s meeting in Lenox, came out like a house afire, scoring two goals in the first six minutes to give the Hornets a 2-0 lead. He later added another goal to give the Hornets a 4-1 lead after one quarter.

 

The margin could have been even bigger if not for Larmon, who made three saves in a two-minute span late in the quarter to hold the Hornets’ scoreless on a two-minute man advantage.

 

Lenox started the second quarter with goals from Gamberoni and Paul Naventi (two goals) to get within one with 3 minutes, 52 seconds left until half-time. But Thmpson scored two minutes later to give the Hornets a 5-3 lead.

 

That is where it stood at the half, but Lenox entered the break knowing it had a two-man advantage for 45 seconds and 48 seconds of a locked in penalty against McCann Tech.

 

The Millionaires took full advantage, getting two goals from Gamberoni in the first 33 seconds of the half to tie the game, 5-5.

 

McCann Tech righted the ship from there and caught a break in the 28th minute.

 

A Lenox player broke his stick in the defensive zone, forcing him to run off the field and giving the Hornets an impromptu man advantage. Before the Millionaires could reorganize, Parker Hart scooped a ground ball in the crease and scored to put the Hornets up, 6-5.

 

That is where it stayed until a wild fourth quarter, when the teams combined for seven goals.

 

McCann Tech scored twice to start the quarter and go up by three, but Lenox answered with two from Kitson Stover and one more from Naventi – all in the space of 1:08 – to tie it, 8-8, with 8:25 on the clock.

 

With about 1:45 left to play, Rhinemiller made a big save for the Hornets to keep it tied, and 38 seconds later, Hart scored his second of the game with an assist from Thompson to make it 9-8, McCann Tech.

 

The Hornets fans were still celebrating when Gamberoni got the ball off the draw, drove down the middle of the field and scored to tie it again and, eventually, send things to OT.

 

Lenox coach David Hilfinger was happy with the way his team overcame three-goal deficits twice in the eventual sudden-death loss.

 

“It was fun,” he said. “Three overtimes. We had our opportunities. We dug ourselves a hole a few times in the game, but the guys fought back and gave us a chance to win. We just didn’t get the ball in the goal, which they did, before us.”

 

The Millionaires are not done. Lenox (10-7-1, 10-6-2 for MIAA purposes) has qualified for next week’s Division 4 State Tournament, as has McCann Tech (12-3-1, 11-3-2).

 

The Hornets have a little bit of business to attend to first, a Tuesday home game in the State Vocational Tournament and Wednesday’s rematch against Hoosac Valley, an 11-8 winner in their regular season meeting.

 

“The thing I love is that Northern Berkshire County is a small community,” Maxwell said. “It’s a lot smaller with me being a football coach [at Hoosac Valley] and my roster is pretty much the Hoosac lacrosse team. The great thing was, at half-time, [the Hurricanes] were all standing on the fence, and I went over and talked to them. I said, ‘If things don’t go our way here, no matter what, you will see me there Wednesday supporting you guys.’

 

“Well, we’re gonna be there, and it’s going to be a war. And it’s great for Northern Berkshire lacrosse, high school lacrosse. The championship will be in Northern Berkshire County. That is phenomenal.”