Spotlight
Lacrosse teams strive for more Monday, June 11, 2012 By Nick Robert
Yet again, the South Hadley Tigers lacrosse teams have proven to be successful this season. They have both excelled in regular season play and have earned top seeds in this year’s tournaments. Each team has won their first round of playoffs. For the Lady Tigers, they have finished the regular season with an 11-6 record and have finished in fourth place in an outstanding Valley Wheel League. “We play in a very tough league with Minnechaug and Longmeadow, who are two of the best teams in Western Mass,” said junior Amanda Lachat. The Lady Tigers have certainly held their own, proving to be more than worthy of their playoff win. The team has seen great contributions from numerous players on the team this year. Leading in points are juniors Maddie Brandts and Brooke Marion. Other key top scoring players this season include sophomores Meghan Ginley, Kelly Pouliot, and Rachel Harrington. The Lady Tigers team has young talent that can prove to be pivotal in the years to come. The team hopes to take down Minnechaug in round two, a team they have lost to in the regular season twice. Just as successful, the boys’ team crushed East Longmeadow 14-5 in their first postseason game. As a first year coach, Kyle Cloutier lead the team to an impressive 13-5 record this year, placing them second in their division behind Longmeadow. The young men have proven yet that they are an elite team that has a chance to run the table. They are out for blood after falling short in the Western Mass final last year against Longmeadow. The team is led by senior stars such as All-American Chris Menard, goalie Doug Sattler and defenseman Evan Mariani. They have also seen large contributions from juniors Evan Marcus, Ryan Dickison, Alec Plotnikiewicz, and sophomores Tom Crotty and Devin Hoagland. “I feel that we are a solid team,” said Sattler. “I like our chances to make a deep run in the playoffs this year, and hopefully take home a Western Mass title.” With the first round behind them, both teams are working hard in practice to ensure round two victories and a spot in the Western Mass finals. Robert may be reached at narspotlight@gmail.com. |