GUILDERLAND — The final game took two days with one game in between. But the Guilderland boys’ lacrosse team finished its game with Saratoga and finished the regular season with a bang.

The Dutchmen beat the Blue Streaks, 13-4, in a game that was started last Tuesday and finished Friday. A lightning storm on Tuesday halted the game with 3:34 left in the third quarter. The game resumed from that spot on Friday afternoon.

With their Senior Night game postponed and playing a close game with Shaker on Wednesday, the Dutch could have been lethargic, but they weren’t.

The Dutchmen outscored the Blue Streaks, 6-0, in the final 15-plus minutes of the contest. With the win, Guilderland clinched the best record in the Suburban Council and secured the league championship.
"My assistant coach Kris Bremmer said before the game it would be 6-0," Guilderland Head Coach Sean McConaghy said. "That’s what he wanted in the final 15 minutes. And we did it. With our offense, we took some time and had a specific practice for this 15 minutes. And it paid off. We had a bunch of open looks. We were able to do a lot of things."

With the win, the Dutch wrapped up the regular season with a 14-4 overall record and a 12-1 mark in the Suburban Council.

Guilderland beat Shaker, 10-9, in a rain-soaked contest last Wednesday.

However, the Dutchmen got the number-two seed in the Class A Section II playoffs. Niskayuna, which the Dutch split with this season, is the number-one seed. Guilderland will play a quarterfinal game on Friday on Don Snyder Field at Guilderland High School.

"We finally did it"
"It feels great," said Guilderland senior Scott Raffensperger about being league champions. "We finally did it. This is the first time we did it."

The season had a tough beginning as the Dutch dropped a non-league game to Bethlehem and then lost their first league game against perennial champion Niskayuna, 14-2.
"The beginning of the season was rough," Raffensperger said. "But the seniors took over and we got on a roll. We knew going into this week we had two games left and we had to win both of them to win the championship. We want to get a banner in the gym.
"It’s been an amazing season," Raffensperger added. "But for me it’s all about the playoffs. We have some kids that are not going to be playing in college so this is their last run and I know they will play hard."

Raffensperger, who is in his third year on the varsity, will be playing lacrosse in college. He will be a member of the University at Albany team next spring. The Great Danes lost in the NCAA quarterfinals to Cornell University on Saturday.

Matt Stillman will be going to St. Michael’s College in Vermont next fall and he capped off his final high school regular-season game in resounding fashion.

Stillman scored four goals, all on Friday, as the Dutchmen cruised to seal the win over Saratoga. Stillman’s best goal was a one-handed catch and shot near the crease.

Stillman scored the 12th goal of the contest after grabbing a high pass from Uriah Myrie with one hand on his stick. Stillman flicked the ball into the goal with one motion to score one of the most impressive goals of the season.
"I didn’t know I did it," Stillman said after the game. "I caught it and then I stuck it [into the goal]. I didn’t really know."

Before the lightning

Guilderland was leading the contest, 7-4, on Tuesday when lightning ended play. After a half-hour, when the lightning did not let up, it was determined the game would be finished on Friday.

The Dutchmen got goals in the first quarter from Chris Conway, unassisted, and Aaron Cahill, with Conway making the assisting pass.

The first frame ended in a 2-2 tie, but Guilderland took the lead early in the second quarter.

Quinn Connell scored an unassisted goal just over a minute into the frame.

Raffensperger, a defenseman, scored an unassisted goal after picking up the rebound of his missed shot on a fast break.

Guilderland took a 5-3 lead into the halftime break with a goal from Myrie. He was assisted by Conway on the tally.

Saratoga scored its final goal with 7:44 left in the third quarter. Then Guilderland scored two more goals before the delay.

Rory Nunamacher scored off an assist from Connell, and Cahill scored his second goal of the game with an assist from Myrie.

After the lightning

Guilderland dominated play against a worn-down Saratoga team when play resumed on Friday.

Stillman scored less than a minute after the game re-started with an assist from Connell.

Connell scored with an assist from Nunamacher and Stillman scored his second goal with 13 seconds left in the period. Cahill had the assist on the second tally.

Nunamacher, from Conway, Stillman’s one-handed shot, and another Stillman goal assisted by Travis Moore wrapped up the scoring for the Dutchmen.

Junior Nick Koss made eight saves for the Dutch. Senior Nick Stefani, who started and played the first half on Tuesday, made six saves.

The Dutchmen dominated all the vital categories. They picked up 56 groundballs to Saratoga’s 30, took 48 shots to Saratoga’s 31, and won the face-off battle, 15-5.

Senior Jordan Dubose, who will also be playing at the University at Albany, won most of those face-offs.
"It’s a good way to end the season," McConaghy said. "We lost just one Suburban Council game. And we’ve won every game since we lost to Lakeland."

The Dutch lost to Section I foe Lakeland on April 28. They have won seven games since.
"We were crushed by Niskayuna and we had some guys that came and went," McConaghy said. "We brought up two new kids from the junior varsity and they stepped up. And Nick Koss has been tremendous."

Koss has been solid in goal, replacing Judd Robinson who was a Suburban Council all-star and is now playing for the State University of New College at Oswego.
"Losing Judd was a big hit for me," Raffensperger said. "Judd and I were close and I didn’t think I could ever play with another goalie. But Koss has done an amazing job. He is just a saver."

Winning the league championship is nice, Raffensperger and Stillman said, but there is more to accomplish. After being in the Section II finals for the past two years, the Dutchmen want to win it.
"We’re firing on all cylinders," Stillman said. "The gears are clicking. We’re all ready for the sectionals"We want to finish it."