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06/11/2018 12:00 AMFor the fourth straight year, the Hand boys’ lacrosse squad was one of the last two teams standing on the state’s biggest stage in the Class M State Tournament championship game. Although the Tigers once again finished their season as the runner-up, they still gave an undefeated opponent everything it could handle in the title bout.
Hand took a 13-11 defeat versus top-seeded New Fairfield in the Class M State Tournament final at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk on June 9. The No. 6 seed Tigers finished their season with a record of 14-7, while New Fairfield posted a mark of 22-0 for the campaign.
Hand held a 7-4 advantage over New Fairfield at halftime, but the Rebels scored four goals in a row to go ahead in the third quarter. The game was tied 8-8 entering the fourth and final quarter, when New Fairfield netted a pair of goals to go ahead. The Tigers got as close as a goal on a few occasions, but New Fairfield added a few insurance goals on its way to winning the title.
Offensively for Hand, junior Tom Swank paced the Tigers by scoring four goals, while senior John Ruggerio and sophomore Liam Regan both scored a pair of goals for Head Coach John Orlando’s squad. Senior co-captain Nate Palumbo had a goal with an assist, while juniors Tripp Bordiere and Jack Flanagan also scored goals for Hand. Junior Griffin Fitzmaurice made 10 saves in net for the Tigers, who were outshot by a slim 34-32 margin.
New Fairfield took the initial edge with 5:55 left to play in the opening quarter and then made it 2-0 by scoring its second goal with 4:08 to go in the frame. The Tigers cut it to a 2-1 game by netting a goal as the final buzzer sounded.
In the second quarter, Swank delivered two straight goals to put Hand ahead 3-2 with 8:37 remaining until halftime. Swank later scored his third goal of the day to help cap off a 5-0 run that gave Hand a 5-2 advantage. The teams traded goals throughout the rest of the first half and the Tigers went into intermission with a 7-4 lead. Hand won nine of its 10 face-offs in the first half and won 20 of its 27 face-offs for the game.
New Fairfield scored the first four goals of the second half to take an 8-7 lead with 5:12 left on the clock in the third period. The Tigers ended the Rebels’ run by grabbing a goal that made it 8-8 entering the final frame.
In the fourth quarter, New Fairfield scored two quick goals to take a 10-8 lead with 9:18 remaining in the game. Following a New Fairfield goal, Ruggiero scored consecutive goals for Hand to cut the Tigers’ deficit to one at 11-10. After another Rebels’ goal, Swank made it 12-11 by scoring with just less than three and a half minutes to play. The Rebels added an insurance score by converting the final goal of the game with 26.5 seconds remaining and held on to win the title.
Previously, in the semifinal round of the Class M State Tournament, Hand defeated No. 2 seed Waterford by a 15-5 score on June 6 at West Haven High School. Swank tallied four goals and two assists, while Jack Flanagan added four scores and an assist for Hand in the victory. Additionally, junior Tom Ferrick scored three goals, Palumbo notched two goals and two helpers, and Ruggiero scored a goal. Fitzmaurice made a dozen saves in net for the Tigers.
From the Sidelines
The Hand boys’ lacrosse team’s roster is comprised of senior captains Nate Palumbo and Kevin Hughes; fellow seniors Will Sobran, Adam Hendrick, Mark Hartmann, John Ruggiero, Matt Tracy, Tyler Boris, Charles Jensen, Ryan Coady, Scott Roberts, Mason Feiner, Kyle Stolpe, Van Docker, and Sidney Feld; juniors Tom Ferrick, Liam McParland, Tripp Bordiere, Clay Hayden, Jack Flanagan, Brian Flanagan, Ian Rice, Ryan Flynn, Tom Swank, Griffin Fitzmaurice, Conner Bergere, Ryley Brohel, and TJ McNeil; and sophomores Jack Hughes, Liam Regan, Ben Corniello, and Luke Watkins.
The Tigers had made four previous appearances in the Class M state final. Hand lost 13-5 to Darien in 2006. The Tigers took a 10-5 defeat to New Canaan in 2015, lost a 13-2 contest against New Canaan the following year, and then took a 9-6 loss to New Canaan in 2017.
Hand finished 11-5 for the regular season. The Tigers defeated Foran (13-4), Conard (8-6), Amity (11-2), Cheshire (9-8), Hamden (18-0), Xavier (13-11), Guilford (11-5), Simsbury (15-3), East Lyme (14-4), North Haven 914-4), and Fairfield Prep (9-6). The Tigers’ losses came against Glastonbury (8-5), Weston (6-5), Barlow (9-8), Notre Dame-West Haven (11-8), and Longmeadow, Massachusetts (5-4 in OT).
The Tigers made the SCC Tournament, dropping a 9-5 decision to Cheshire in the semifinals.
In the Class M State Tournament, Hand defeated No. 6 seed Ellington (18-3) in the first round, No. 3 Weston (11-4) in the quarterfinals, and No. 2 Waterford (15-5) to reach the final for the fourth year in a row.