With the returning talent slated to be on both rosters, many are assuming that the CAL Kinney title in boys lacrosse this spring is going to come down between Pentucket and Newburyport.
Well … we got Round 1 in Game 1.
And on Tuesday evening, the new season got off to an absolute thriller between the two heavyweights.
Led by three goals each from Charles Rec and Nate Stys, it was Pentucket earning the massive season-opening victory over Newburyport, 12-11. The Panthers found the winning goal with 40 seconds left, then junior goalie Louis Martiniello made the last of his 24 total saves with one second remaining on the clock. Stys scored 56 goals with 19 assists as part of a Daily News All-Star season a year ago, and the fellow junior is already off to a strong start to the new campaign.
Pentucket (1-0) opened up a quick two-goal lead early on, and was able to hold it going into halftime up 6-4. The Panthers then opened the third quarter with another goal, before Newburyport (0-1) came storming back to take a 9-8 lead. And from there, both team’s traded goals until the final buzzer.
For the Clippers, it was Luke MacIsaac — now a two-time Daily News Hockey All-Star — leading the way with four goals and one assist. Returning Daily News All-Star and Connecticut College commit Carter Scott poured in a hat-trick, and senior stalwart Davis Pons finished with a 2-goal, 2-assist night. Two-time Daily News All-Star and faceoff specialist Matt Page scored a goal directly off a faceoff win, Ryder Bonner scored the final goal for the Clippers, and both Henry Waddell (2) and Wes Young had assists.