This game was over after the first quarter. 5 different goal scorers in the first for Lake Mary.  Boca was only able to get off one shot in the quarter as LM dominated possession, winning almost every ground ball.  6-2 on faceoffs. 6 Boca turnovers. And now one week to get their act together . . . with St. Thomas and Benjamin left on the schedule and a looming rematch in districts with PJP. For Lake Mary . . . what we call a good road win.  Keep possession, play tight defense (it certainly helps when you have a goalie the caliber of Chandler Harrison to backstop you), get the lead and do most of the little things right.  About a 4-hour bus ride and a Friday date with the state’s number one team and yet the Rams put out a solid effort in what could have been a loss that no one would have seen as a big upset. Was their intensity the best after the first quarter?  No.  The game didn’t really allow it as Boca’s effort was also not fully there (and the crowd was almost sleep-inducing themselves) and the game became pretty much a low voltage affair the rest of the game.  If LM’s intensity were fully there after the first this could have really gotten ugly. The entire game was played in less than 100 minutes and it felt even less than that.  A game that felt like a 45 record played at 33 . . . Sometimes you can’t make applesauce from apples.     LM took the lead 49 seconds into the game as Charlie Ragault took Tyeler Castillo’s left GLE feed further up the left wing and hit the upper right corner with the left hand. The lead went to 4-0 in less than a minute.  At 7:44 Ragault was the recipient of a turnover right in front of the Boca net and scored into the open net.  That was followed at 7:11 as Daniel Dreifus was able to move in from the right wing and before the defense came out he got off a step down with the right hand between Boca goalie Kyle Romano’s legs and that was followed at 6:49 as Zach Gussman face dodged from the left wing to the middle and hit the top left corner with the right hand. The onslaught continued as Gussman took advantage of another bad turnover.  Romano made a terrific save but lost the ball as he went to outlet and Gussman was able to scoop it up and hit the net.  Then at 2:42 Alex Forehand took advantage of Boca’s only penalty for the first three quarters to face dodge off the left wing and to the crease and finish in the low left corner.  With 23 seconds left on the clock Kurt Sisco picked up a rebound and found the high left corner to mercifully end the period. Boca finally got one back as Parker Giarratana played ‘bull in a China shop’ and pushed through much of the LM defense before getting off an underhanded shot that found net with 6:26 to go in the second.  But any hope for a Boca momentum change was immediately dashed just 21 seconds later as Forehand took advantage of an isolation off a re-start from the back left corner and beat his defender to the net before scoring in front and at 4:45 Sisco stepped into one from the left wing and found the low short side to make it 9-1 at the half.  

  Boca scored two early goals in the third to try to get something going but the rest of the period was lethargic and LM was able to hold off anything else as Harrison really turned it up.  Credit also to Romano as he stepped up his game too as he faced a number of in-close looks.  Boca started with possession off a late penalty and Michael Clinton took a lower left wing feed from his brother Ryan further up on the wing and found the short side to make it 9-2 and at 10:37 Zach Frey took Giarratana’s right GLE skip pass on the left wing and hit the low far corner for 9-3. But at 10:31 of the fourth LM’s Garrett Gile took Castillo’s top middle feed in the middle of the defense and was able to turn right and find the low left corner for 10-3. Boca then made one final small flurry to get it to 10-5 as Logan Kigar split 2 defenders on the right wing and got off a low shot at 5:20 and at 4:14 Ryan Clinton took Michael’s pass on the left wing and he finished between Harrison’s legs on the EMO.  Unfortunately Ryan then was injured on the ensuing faceoff and missed the rest of the game. LM put the game away as Sisco took Connor Carbone’s feed at 3:43 and at 1:53 LM put their final stamp on the game with the best goal of the game as they wheeled the ball around the left side with 5 very quick passes resulting in a Gussman finish off the left wing.  Boca’s Chris Seeley ended the game scoring with 11 seconds left on the clock as he went down the left alley and placed a bounce shot just under the top right corner.     For Lake Mary, an upcoming test with St. Thomas Aquinas that will certainly require a 48-minute effort.  One that I am looking forward to as part of the weekend Central Florida-South Florida package for bragging rights, at least for a few days . . . For Boca Raton, a lot of soul searching to get back on track.  Last season was so magical for them but that was then and this is now.  I could not help but notice how sparse the crowd was for last night and while spring break is in full bloom that is not the full story.  There are a lot of students at the school and a real fan of the team/program shows up when the team needs it, not just when it is a trendy thing when the team is winning.  There are kids out there who deserve to be supported and who have not quit and that deserve better.  This area of the state sometimes gets a reputation for being front-runners when things go well for the professional teams and not bothering when the team loses.  There is no excuse for that behavior when it comes to high school sports.  This coaching staff gave you your first district championship ever last season, and a final Top 5 ranking in the state, playing to big crowds.  The team has fought through injuries to key players and has some excellent wins this season.  I challenge the entire Boca Raton High community to get off your butts and put down the ‘whine’ glasses and get down to St. Thomas next Wednesday. Let’s see if you really care or not.       Team Statistics   Faceoffs:  LM  13 – 8 Shots:  LM 34 – Boca 27 Shots on Goal:  LM 21 – Boca 15 Turnovers:  Boca 18 – LM 15 Penalties:  LM 4 – Boca 2   Individual Statistics   LM Zach Gussman and Kurt Sisco  3G each  (sorry Zach, my evil twin hacked the article . . . ) Alex Forehand  2G/1A Charlie Ragault  2G Tyeler Castillio  2A Daniel Dreifus and Garrett Gile  1G each Connor Carbone  1A   Boca Parker Giarratana, Michael Clinton and Ryan Clinton  1G/1A each Zach Frey, Logan Kigar and Chris Seeley  1G each   Chandler Harrison and Kyle Romano each made 9 saves   Thanks to Coach Holly and Coach Robinson for talking to me before and after the game