SANDWICH — They reached 12 wins, snagged the No. 7 seed in their division, and won two tournament games – not bad for the injury-riddled Pioneers.
Sometimes, however, you just meet your match. In Friday’s Elite 8 matchup, No. 2 Sandwich ended Lynnfield’s season in a 15-4 final.
“We are disappointed with the loss, but very thankful for the great leadership put into this year and the past seasons by our captains and seniors,” Lynnfield coach Pat Lamusta said.
Despite its bus heading towards Cape Cod, it was a business meeting in Sandwich for the Pioneers. Even with the loss, Will Norton (2 goals) and Owen Considine (2) netted Lynnfield’s goals.
“Specifically for this game, it was great to see our young guns Norton and Considine get a pair of scores,” Lamusta said of his sophomores.
And, of course, Jack Calichman dished out two assists to end his legendary Lynnfield career passing the ball.
“It wouldn’t be a game without Calichman lending the feeds with a couple of assists to cap off his record-breaking career,” Lamusta said.
Ben Pimentel made 14 saves between the pipes, while Steven Dreher and Kelan Cardinal also registered helpers, but it wasn’t enough for Sandwich’s offensive firepower.
Overall, it was a roller-coaster few months for Lynnfield. The Pioneers started 4-0, but had two three-game losing streaks this season.
“[We] saw a ton of adversity this season and our team kept clawing back into it,” Lamusta said.
Adversity, indeed. There are seven sophomores on the roster, which was also without star players Calichman and Drew Damiani for a bulk of the spring.
That said, Lamusta said it was great having the pair back for the playoffs. Lynnfield scored 17 and 10 goals in its first two tournament games.
“Calichman and Damiani both pushed through injuries this year and kept our offense churning,” Lamusta said.
Let’s not forget the “bash brothers” as Lamusta calls them: James Sharkey and Dreher on defense. The physical, yet skilled pair was the team’s heart and soul most nights.
“Dreher and Sharkey were the captains of the defense and brought the physicality we needed,” Lamusta said.
Sandwich faces the winner of Dover-Sherborn and Nantucket in the Final Four, while Lamusta and company look to launch a productive offseason.
“Overall, [I’m] thankful for how far we were able to come,” Lamusta said. “Back to work this offseason for a deeper push next year.”
