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04/29/2018 12:00 AMThe North Branford boys’ lacrosse team started the 2018 season with a plethora of injuries, but its athletes are progressively returning to action, and the T-Birds are now riding a three-game winning streak. North Branford stands at 5-5 with six games left in the regular season and needs two more victories to qualify for the Class S State Tournament.
“The injury bug hit early, and they were all significant,” Head Coach Dave Carpenter said. “By the third game of the season, I had five starters out with injuries.”
After winning its first two games, North Branford endured a five-game losing streak to drop to 2-5. With more regulars back in the fold, the T-Birds defeated Cromwell (15-11), Old Lyme (14-13), and Old Saybrook (7-2) last week to level their record.
“They really never lost confidence. We were in some close games and we were battling, so our young guys stepped up. We were patient, knowing we have to get some guys back, but nobody was hanging their heads, which was nice to see,” Carpenter said. “It’s good to get three wins in a row. Guys are back, they’re healthy, and we’re coming together as a whole. With a full roster, we’re 5-0.”
North Branford claimed a 15-11 victory at Cromwell on April 22. Tyler Dinapoli led the way with six goals and three assists, while fellow freshman Alex Clinton pitched in with three goals and an assist. Junior Dylan Martinik scored a pair of goals, plus Peter Taylor, Nate Raymond, Matt Pedersen, and Jacob Montanaro each scored once. Alex Grimm and Xavior Cognata combined to make eight saves in net. Nine of the T-Birds’ 15 goals were assisted, and Coach Carpenter loves seeing that type of teamwork on the field.
“Assisted goals show you that you have good team chemistry,” said Carpenter, whose lone captain is senior Nick Phillips. “You can’t just give the ball to one guy and let him dodge through the other team. It won’t work against most teams in the state.”
On April 24, the T-Birds hosted Old Lyme and came away with a 14-13 overtime victory. The Wildcats held a late 13-12 lead, but North Branford scored the final two goals to come away with the win.
Dinapoli scored both the tying and winning goals for North Branford and finished the contest with six goals. Martinik had three goals and three assists, Montanaro scored two goals, while Taylor, Raymond, and Clinton all finished with one. Cognata, a sophomore, played an outstanding game by making 23 saves to preserve the victory.
“It was incredible. We were down one goal with 1:13 left, and they had the ball,” Carpenter said. “We double-teamed the ball, got it back, went down on offense, and scored to force overtime. It was a well-executed play by the boys.”
North Branford closed out last week by notching a 7-2 home win over Old Saybrook on April 26. Dinapoli, Martinik, and Taylor all scored two goals apiece, and Pedersen added a goal. Cognata made five saves for the win in net.
After going 13-6 and making states two years ago, North Branford went 6-10 and missed the playoffs last spring. Coach Carpenter said that his squad is focused on getting back into the bracket in 2018.
“Seven [wins] is the magic number, but I think we should definitely win more than two,” said Carpenter. “We have to keep the momentum going. We have our excitement back.”