Thanks to Paul DeCecco for sending in the pictures!   I really wish I had kept either the Hatfield/McCoy reference or the Ghidrah/Godzilla one handy for last night . . . In what I can only describe as one of the most scintillating games I have ever witnessed Cypress Bay goes to 11-0 on the season with a 13-12 overtime win over district rival Archbishop McCarthy, who falls to 6-2 on the season. Fans, if you get a rematch of this in the District 29 final and you are in the area, GO TO THE GAME. This one had EVERYTHING. A high speed, high risk, run and gun feel to it. Two teams that know each other very well . . . they play home and home in this district (Administrators, you really need to rethink that decision). 58 Turnovers between them as both teams made a TON of mental errors on passing choices, some of which was due to each team running themselves into the ground by the end of the game. One team going ahead with a minute to play and then allowing the other team to tie it with 6 seconds left after some truly head-scratching decisions in the last minute. A FRESHMAN for AM scoring 6G/1A in his coming out party.  Kyle Noble.  Let the bidding begin . . . Lacrosse IQ is beyond Mensa. A 4G/3A response by Cypress junior Shane Kreutzer.  One of the sweetest fakes at the end of a half you will ever see. (One note Shane, there is only one Lyle Thompson . . . be the first Shane Kreutzer.) A dominant game by a freshman faceoff specialist in Ryan Marek Numerous caused turnovers by the superb Anthony Courcelle . . . I’m not much of a Zombie film connoisseur but put the long pole in his hands and let him chase the Zombies around and that will likely solve that problem. TWENTY FIVE penalties, including 2 for each team after the game for a pull-apart donnybrook that thankfully didn’t get out of hand. 7 EMO Goals A couple of long scoring runs that offset each other. The only thing missing was the 5 golden rings and the partridge in the pear tree . . . Maybe I can come up with one more comparison . . . The Outlaw Josey Wales . . . some times you just have to get plumb, mad-dog mean . . . Last night that fit. All game long. Really wish I could get a copy . . . ———-  

  The game started hot and fast.  The teams traded four goals in the first 2:30.  At 11:00, on an EMO, Cypress took the lead as Jacob Couvertier took Kreutzer’s behind the net feed on the left crease and finished low.  AM’s Noble responded at 10:30 as he cut down the right alley and took Ty Espada-Murtha’s behind feed and used his right hand to go high short side.  CB regained the lead 32 seconds later as Will Welch took a pass in the middle, dodged a little right hit the left side with a bounce shot from 10 yards.  And only 27 seconds after that Alex Orfanedes tied it up at 2-2 by splitting three defenders up top and finding the low left corner at 9:31. And we were only just getting started . . . Cypress Bay then went on a four-goal run in a little over 4 minutes to take the lead.  At 6:42 Couvertier cut down the middle and Kreutzer found him from left behind with Couvertier hitting the high right corner.  Then at 3:06 Ryan Morris took advantage of Kreutzer’s work behind the net, taking a right crease feed and finding the open net. Morris scored again 11 seconds later, as Dylan Pulitano took advantage of a fast break off the faceoff to go down the left wing before finding Morris on the right crease for 5-2.  Kreutzer finished off the run at 2:34 as he took Anthony Courcelle’s long pass and finishing near the crease.  McCarthy got one back with 1:06 left in the period on the EMO as Michael Mancini stepped into a bounce shot perfectly placed into the top left corner off a Sean Murray feed and the period ended at 6-3. McCarthy came out strong in the second, aided by SEVEN Cypress penalties and NINE Cypress turnovers in the quarter.  The run continued at 8:58 on the EMO as Murray took a Noble right behind feed on the wing and hit the low left corner for 6-4.  At 4:33 Noble continued the run as he worked the wing towards the middle and turned into a left-hand shot that found the low left corner.  Then at 3:20 AM tied the game at 6 as Noble converted another EMO by taking a left wing feed from Matthew Willson in the middle and quickly firing between the legs of CB goalie Christen Wisneski.  AM took their first lead 35 seconds later as Espada-Murtha was found on the left crease by long pole Anthony Zarilli and only 19 seconds later the six-goal run was complete as Noble scored on a two-man EMO by duplicating his last shot on a Ryan Marek feed and suddenly it was 8-6 McCarthy. Not that it was enough for the first half . . . At :32 CB’s Pulitano cut the lead to one as he split two defenders on the left wing and got to the middle, where he bounced one in on the left side of the net. Still not done. At :24 Marek won the faceoff, took down the right alley and hit the low right corner for 9-7. Not yet. After a quick penalty on the next possession . . . With 3 seconds on the clock Kreutzer started coming out from behind the left side of the net and when most players were content with taking the second half possession Kreutzer decided to drift to GLE, then faked a pass up top and when the defender froze he scooted out to the side crease and found the lower net with an underhand shot for 9-8 McCarthy at the half. Okay, taking a breath.  17 goals on only 24 shots on goal.  15 penalties in the half. On an empty stomach too.  

  The second half actually calmed down some.  AM missed the net 8 times in the 3rd on 12 shots and CB only got off 7 shots in the period.  The teams traded 2 goals each in the quarter to make it 11-10 after three.  AM took the lead to two at 8:45 as Noble scored his fifth off a fast break, taking Espada-Murtha’s left GLE pass on the right crease and finishing easily with the left hand.  CB got back within one at 4:26 as Pulitano took a pass at left GLE and was able to maneuver to the crease and finished with the right hand to the upper right corner.  AM again went up two at 2:52 as Espada-Murtha hit the top right corner from the left wing and just 46 seconds later it was one again as Kreutzer curled from behind the left side of the cage and cut to the front, scoring sidearmed into the top right corner for 11-10. The teams traded possessions throughout the fourth as AM looked to add on and CB pushed for the equalizer and the passing really started to break down (19 turnovers combined in the fourth and most on pass attempts).  Finally, at 4:16 Cypress tied it up as they took advantage of another EMO, as Kreutzer was able to scoop a low Welch pass on the left crease and finished between the legs. Then with only 1:05 left Welch gave CB it’s first lead since the first quarter, finishing Pulitano’s left wing feed in the middle, going hip high on the right side and AM goalie Nick Iturregui got a piece but not enough and it looked like CB would finally put this one away after regaining possession. Not in THIS game. After throwing away possession one of the attackmen decided it was a good idea to draw a penalty on a clear attempt instead of defending and that set up one more EMO, this time with about 15 seconds left. And sure enough, young Mr. Noble did it again. With :06 on the clock he snuck down the middle from up top and took a feed from the left wing, once again firing low with a quick release . . .   Overtime . . . probably the only way this game could end.   After a decent look by AM a save by CB goalie Christen Wisneski gave possession over to CB and after a scramble Pulitano was able to scoop up a loose ball on the left side and bounce a shot into the right side of the net to end this instant classic . . .  

  Of course this couldn’t QUITE end with this.  A few scrums broke out but after a little bit the officials and coaches were able to get everyone separated and that was it.  Four more penalties for the score book.   Sometime in early April . . .   Cypress Bay is back in action Friday, travelling to Spanish River and Archbishop McCarthy faces Pines Charter next Tuesday. This author will take today off on games . . .   Team Statistics Faceoffs:  AM 16-6 Shots:  AM 41 – CB 33 Shots on Goal:  CB 25 – AM 23 Turnovers:  CB 30 – AM 28 Penalties:  AM 13 – CB 12   Individual Statistics   CB Shane Kreutzer  4G/3A Dylan Pulitano  3G/2A Will Welch  2G/1A Jacob Couvertier and Ryan Morris  2G each Anthony Courcelle  1A   AM Kyle Noble  6G/1A Ty Espada-Murtha  2G/2A Sean Murray and Ryan Marek  1G/1A each Alex Orfanedes and Michael Mancini  1G each Matthew Willson  2A Anthony Zarilli  1A   Nick Iturregui made 12 saves for AM and Christen Wisneski of CB made 11 saves   Thanks to Coach Swinerton and Coach Hilsabeck for talking to me before and after the games.