It was not "good to be the kings" on Friday, April 9th as the Thunderstickmen continued their roll with a 21-0 whopper over the first varsity lax team the BK Kings have fielded in over a decade. Parker Bonis' cousin Jenna Bruce delivered a red hot anthem, in stark contrast to the blowing snow and 40 degree temps. Thunder was red hot as well, racking up 14 unanswered goals by the half to force a running clock for the balance of the game. All tolled 16 of their 21 goals were assisted as Thunder racked up 37pts with several nice give/go's and even a few bang-bang-bang rallies.
Save a few players for grades and our 3rd cageman, the entire Thunder bench was able to get in on the action during the lopsided contest and as one would imagine there were numerous firsts. Joe Trimboli (1g-2a), Clay Wyzykowski (2g), and Eric Hostetter (1g) each scored their first varsity goal. Parker Bonis (midfield) and Joe Flores (attack) both made their varsity debut. Steve Cole (0s/0ga/13mins) took the baton from Zach Rudgers (1s/0ga/35mins) late in the third and held on for the remainder to preserve the shutout.
Thunder's starting attack combined for 23 points with 14 goals and 9 assists, as senior captain Dan Vyverberg (7g-4a) left his mark by the end of the 3rd quarter with a career high 11-points, freshman Anthony Merola (5g-2a) contributed 7-points, and senior Matt Keough (2g-3a) added 5. Owning the face-off circle and bolstering a potent offense from the midfield for Greece was sophomore Gino Prestigiacomo (3g-3a) with 6-points. Tyler Gorgione and Brandon Cheeseman each added an assist for 1-point as well. With this convincing non-league win, Thunder's overall record advances to 4-1.
Due to some scheduling mishaps and spring break, Thunder is on a 2.5 week hiatus until their next game when they will host the Spencerport Rangers, 5pm on Tuesday, April 27th at Athena. Hopefully by then the weather will have caught up with the heat Thunder has been bringing! Enjoy the break and we'll see you on the 27th, all nice and tan :)
Friday, April 16, 2010
GTLAX Game Report - April 6 vs East Rochester
The Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Varsity Boys Lacrosse team handed an 8-7 decision to the East Rochester Bombers, Tuesday April 6th, on the rain-soaked natural turf at Athena Stadium. After spending close to an hour in the broadcast booth garage, waiting out the rain, the Thundermen took to the field to watch Odyssey Alum Amanda Sherry part the skies and bring a little sunshine with her amazing anthem :)
Greece came out flat as a pancake as it took a while to adjust to the zone defense that ER was throwing at them, but they still managed to take an early command, 3-1 end of 1, on a pair of goals by Anthony Merola and one by Matt Keough, assisted by Nick Caracci, Tyler Gorgione, and Dan Vyverberg.
They widened their lead to 6-2 at the half with three tallies by Vyverberg (3g-1a), assisted twice by Keough (1g-2a) with a give-go from X and once by Gorgione (2a), who won a scrum near midfield to advance the ball to Vyper.
Bombers came to play in the second half with three quick goals to draw near at 6-5. Gino Prestigiacomo countered for Thunder with a face dodge and upstairs finish to make it 7-5. Bombers countered his counter to make it 7-6 Thunder at the end of three.
Jordan Michele tied it up for the Bombers with 10.26 to go in the game and then it turned into a defensive battle not unlike the Final Four Championship of the nite prior. Brandon Cheeseman (8gb, 1a) won the most important ground ball of the game late in the final quarter as he legged it out and hit Anthony Merola (3g) with a fast break to set up the winner by Merola at the 2.11 mark.
Thunder was a few tactical errors shy of really opening things up, but a win is a win and they happily advanced their MC3 record to 2-1 (3-1 overall) with this nail biter. Zach Rudgers (12s/7ga/48 mins) played extremely well in the cage to keep Thunder in the game. Dan Vyverberg led the scoring with 4 points, while Gino Prestigiacomo (1g, 9gb) won his fair share of face offs and ground balls. Thunder played the body well tonight - joining the hit parade for Thunder were Anthony Merola, Joe Trimboli, Tim Chase (varsity debut) and Nick "Caracci-Crunch" Caracci.
One TEAM, One FIGHT, One FAMILY. Go THUNDER. There is no OTHER!!!
Greece came out flat as a pancake as it took a while to adjust to the zone defense that ER was throwing at them, but they still managed to take an early command, 3-1 end of 1, on a pair of goals by Anthony Merola and one by Matt Keough, assisted by Nick Caracci, Tyler Gorgione, and Dan Vyverberg.
They widened their lead to 6-2 at the half with three tallies by Vyverberg (3g-1a), assisted twice by Keough (1g-2a) with a give-go from X and once by Gorgione (2a), who won a scrum near midfield to advance the ball to Vyper.
Bombers came to play in the second half with three quick goals to draw near at 6-5. Gino Prestigiacomo countered for Thunder with a face dodge and upstairs finish to make it 7-5. Bombers countered his counter to make it 7-6 Thunder at the end of three.
Jordan Michele tied it up for the Bombers with 10.26 to go in the game and then it turned into a defensive battle not unlike the Final Four Championship of the nite prior. Brandon Cheeseman (8gb, 1a) won the most important ground ball of the game late in the final quarter as he legged it out and hit Anthony Merola (3g) with a fast break to set up the winner by Merola at the 2.11 mark.
Thunder was a few tactical errors shy of really opening things up, but a win is a win and they happily advanced their MC3 record to 2-1 (3-1 overall) with this nail biter. Zach Rudgers (12s/7ga/48 mins) played extremely well in the cage to keep Thunder in the game. Dan Vyverberg led the scoring with 4 points, while Gino Prestigiacomo (1g, 9gb) won his fair share of face offs and ground balls. Thunder played the body well tonight - joining the hit parade for Thunder were Anthony Merola, Joe Trimboli, Tim Chase (varsity debut) and Nick "Caracci-Crunch" Caracci.
One TEAM, One FIGHT, One FAMILY. Go THUNDER. There is no OTHER!!!
GTLAX Game Report - April 3 @ Brockport
Sandwiched between Good Friday and Easter Sunday was a "great saturday" as the modified team sold hot dogs at Walmart to raise money and awareness for Greece Thunder Lacrosse, while the JV and Varsity squads traveled west to play Brockport under seriously sunny skies. The day proved to be a tremendous success on all fronts with the hot dog sale raising close to $600 for our program, the JV team beating Brockport 6-5 in their first outing of the season, and the Varsity team capping things off with a convincing 12-7 win over the Blue Devils to boot.
Remember how I said earlier that I did not know a lot about LAX vernacular? Well, after sitting in the stands immediately behind the varsity player benches at Brockport, I am now flush with new terminology like "orange-6", "ride the field", "don't iso him", "gotta be ____ (fill in the blank with your favorite color)", "pull the string", "who's hot", "keep it hot", "walk it up", "keep it tight", "feed the crease", and my personal favorite - "relax the ball" - to name a few. And from the opponents bench we heard some beauties like "that can't be your best look", " get on him or he'll take you to the rail every time" and "we're sick of playin D". But of course I digress, that's what I do best.
Caught in beautiful downtown Brockport rush hour traffic, this author was a little late getting to the field with some serious catching up to do, as Dan Vyverberg had already set the pace for Greece with the first 3 goals of the game, assisted by Matt Keough and Gino Pres-ti-di-jock-oh-moe (so say'eth the B-Port announcer) on the first 2 tallies. Vyper grew a shadow in the wake of his natural hat and that made room for Anthony Merola to walk out and wind up a shot that would beat Duthoy to make it 4-0 Thunder. Then it was time to feed the press as Vyper sailed a wing to wing pass over the middle to Gino who was hot for the money shot, 5-0 Thunder. Brockport eventually hit the board, but Gino came back iso with his second and it was 6-1 Thunder at the end of one.
Momentum shifted to the Blue Devils in the second quarter as they netted four to close the gap, but Vyper popped back up on the grid in the middle of their rally to finish off a fast-break feed from Nick Caracci that would secure Nick's first varsity point. It was 7-5 Thunder at the half, and in case you did not already hear the announcer mention it earlier, the concession stand is still open. Just ask Kim Cheese, who was spotted catching a leisurely ride over and back on EZ-Cart One. Her Thunder yellow crop pants were in alignment with the dress code, but she could seriously use a Thunder toe sock on that cast to complete the ensemble, just like those black, purple and gold beads did for me!
Third frame was all Thunder as Tyler Gorgione made it 8-5 with the lone goal, assisted by Dan Vyverberg.
Fourth quarter saw Matt Keough count his first goal of the season, assisted by Gino and then Gino came back iso on the next play with his third on the afternoon. Brockport scored the next goal on a nifty play in tight, and then Gino answered back with another iso attack for his fourth. Tyler Gorgione capped off the scoring for Greece to complete his pair, and Brockport added one more with a whimper for a 12-7 final in Thunder's favor.
Thunder's record advances to 2-1 overall (1-1 league) with this non-league win over Brockport. Vyper and Gino led the scoring with 4g+2a=6pts apiece. Tyler Gorgione had 2g for 2pts including the winner and Matt Keough had 1g+1a for 2pts as well. Anthony Merola (1g) and Nick Caracci (1a) added a point each with Caracci's assist marking his first varsity point, in case you didn't read about it earlier. I suspect that is only just the beginning and the flood gates will soon open for him!
Thunder played well defensively once again to bolster the win. Zach Rudgers had 10 saves (2/2/4/2). Gino and Cheese led the loose ball charge with 8gb and 7gb respectively, one of those being the battle of the 23's won by Cheese. Thunder's defense intercepted a lot of balls with their stix up to shut down the airways, nice work boys! Mufasa LoFaso showed off his wheels by legging a few the length of the field in transition. The Alexander & Catalano Heavy Hitter Award goes to Anothony Merola for laying out #18 with honorable mention going to Conway for stepping up on a long-pole bearing down on the crease and to the Pres bro's, Andrew and Gino, who took the body several times as well. One of those hits incited a bit of a riot as #12 for Brockport could not handle the truth and ended up retaliating on his teammates behalf, earning himself an early ejection. Vyper had to take one for the team and sit the non-releasable fighting foul for Thunder. It was like going to a lacrosse game and seeing a hockey game break out!
In closing, let's give a warm welcome and shout out to #29-Steve Spencer who made his varsity debut in this game.
Thunder is on a roll, so take a stroll out back behind Athena and catch a double-play on Tuesday, April 6th @ 5pm, when the JV team is having the BK Kings in for dinner and the Varsity Thunder is serving up ER Bombers. If that is not enough to satisfy your LAX appetite then head on over to Applebees on the Ridge (Rte 104, east of 390) for Dinner and Dessert with the Greece Thunder Lacrosse team. A percentage of all sales will go to support the Greece Thunder Lacrosse program if you present the attached voucher. Thanks in advance for your support.
One TEAM, One FIGHT, One FAMILY. Go THUNDER. There is no OTHER!!!
Remember how I said earlier that I did not know a lot about LAX vernacular? Well, after sitting in the stands immediately behind the varsity player benches at Brockport, I am now flush with new terminology like "orange-6", "ride the field", "don't iso him", "gotta be ____ (fill in the blank with your favorite color)", "pull the string", "who's hot", "keep it hot", "walk it up", "keep it tight", "feed the crease", and my personal favorite - "relax the ball" - to name a few. And from the opponents bench we heard some beauties like "that can't be your best look", " get on him or he'll take you to the rail every time" and "we're sick of playin D". But of course I digress, that's what I do best.
Caught in beautiful downtown Brockport rush hour traffic, this author was a little late getting to the field with some serious catching up to do, as Dan Vyverberg had already set the pace for Greece with the first 3 goals of the game, assisted by Matt Keough and Gino Pres-ti-di-jock-oh-moe (so say'eth the B-Port announcer) on the first 2 tallies. Vyper grew a shadow in the wake of his natural hat and that made room for Anthony Merola to walk out and wind up a shot that would beat Duthoy to make it 4-0 Thunder. Then it was time to feed the press as Vyper sailed a wing to wing pass over the middle to Gino who was hot for the money shot, 5-0 Thunder. Brockport eventually hit the board, but Gino came back iso with his second and it was 6-1 Thunder at the end of one.
Momentum shifted to the Blue Devils in the second quarter as they netted four to close the gap, but Vyper popped back up on the grid in the middle of their rally to finish off a fast-break feed from Nick Caracci that would secure Nick's first varsity point. It was 7-5 Thunder at the half, and in case you did not already hear the announcer mention it earlier, the concession stand is still open. Just ask Kim Cheese, who was spotted catching a leisurely ride over and back on EZ-Cart One. Her Thunder yellow crop pants were in alignment with the dress code, but she could seriously use a Thunder toe sock on that cast to complete the ensemble, just like those black, purple and gold beads did for me!
Third frame was all Thunder as Tyler Gorgione made it 8-5 with the lone goal, assisted by Dan Vyverberg.
Fourth quarter saw Matt Keough count his first goal of the season, assisted by Gino and then Gino came back iso on the next play with his third on the afternoon. Brockport scored the next goal on a nifty play in tight, and then Gino answered back with another iso attack for his fourth. Tyler Gorgione capped off the scoring for Greece to complete his pair, and Brockport added one more with a whimper for a 12-7 final in Thunder's favor.
Thunder's record advances to 2-1 overall (1-1 league) with this non-league win over Brockport. Vyper and Gino led the scoring with 4g+2a=6pts apiece. Tyler Gorgione had 2g for 2pts including the winner and Matt Keough had 1g+1a for 2pts as well. Anthony Merola (1g) and Nick Caracci (1a) added a point each with Caracci's assist marking his first varsity point, in case you didn't read about it earlier. I suspect that is only just the beginning and the flood gates will soon open for him!
Thunder played well defensively once again to bolster the win. Zach Rudgers had 10 saves (2/2/4/2). Gino and Cheese led the loose ball charge with 8gb and 7gb respectively, one of those being the battle of the 23's won by Cheese. Thunder's defense intercepted a lot of balls with their stix up to shut down the airways, nice work boys! Mufasa LoFaso showed off his wheels by legging a few the length of the field in transition. The Alexander & Catalano Heavy Hitter Award goes to Anothony Merola for laying out #18 with honorable mention going to Conway for stepping up on a long-pole bearing down on the crease and to the Pres bro's, Andrew and Gino, who took the body several times as well. One of those hits incited a bit of a riot as #12 for Brockport could not handle the truth and ended up retaliating on his teammates behalf, earning himself an early ejection. Vyper had to take one for the team and sit the non-releasable fighting foul for Thunder. It was like going to a lacrosse game and seeing a hockey game break out!
In closing, let's give a warm welcome and shout out to #29-Steve Spencer who made his varsity debut in this game.
Thunder is on a roll, so take a stroll out back behind Athena and catch a double-play on Tuesday, April 6th @ 5pm, when the JV team is having the BK Kings in for dinner and the Varsity Thunder is serving up ER Bombers. If that is not enough to satisfy your LAX appetite then head on over to Applebees on the Ridge (Rte 104, east of 390) for Dinner and Dessert with the Greece Thunder Lacrosse team. A percentage of all sales will go to support the Greece Thunder Lacrosse program if you present the attached voucher. Thanks in advance for your support.
One TEAM, One FIGHT, One FAMILY. Go THUNDER. There is no OTHER!!!
GTLAX Game Report - April 1 @ Eastridge
Nice road win for the Thunder as they beat down the Eastridge Lancers 9-8 on their brand spankin' new turf field while the sun was beating down on everyone in the hizzie. What a beauty day at 80 on April 1, is that some kind of April Fools? The stadium was still partially under construction so they had concessions on wheels and you could faintly hear the color commentator covering the game for Irondequoit Public Access at the top of the bleachers. I understand Dan Merola may be getting a copy of the game coverage so we will try and make that available on the Thunder Lacrosse website for those of you who were unable to make it out to the game.
It was a great contest for sure with Eastridge getting out to an early 4-1 lead and Greece responding well to take the lead at 5-4. Thunder never relinquished the lead enroute to their first win of the season. Gino broke the seal for Thunder as he rolled and pulled the trigger to prime the pump. Vyper added to it by sweeping Thunder's second marker across the goal line amidst a scrum atop the Lancers crease. Posted up in the slot, waiting for the feed from Gino after he won his face, Vyper turned and buried his second to draw near. Then came the Robitussin Sickest Play of the Game compliments of Anthony Merola as he caught a feed from Matt Keough on the wing, while cutting across the top of the crease, and then went over his right shoulder, John Grant style, for the equalizer. Gino walked in and notched the go-ahead goal for Thunder with just 5 seconds to go in the opening quarter, 5-4 Thunder.
Second frame was a goalie duel between Rudgers and Ennis as Thunder carried their 1-goal advantage to the half. Third quarter saw Thunder widen their lead to 6-4 with Gino's 3rd goal on the night, but the Lancers answered back with the next two tallies to tie the game. Fear not, as Vyperdasniper would restore the lead for Thunder at 7-6 on a delayed call. You could cut the tension with a spork in the fourth quarter as Eastridge tied it at 7's at the outset. Gino answered back with a sidearm laser to beat Ennis from the wing. Vyper rolled and finished with the eventual winner, although Eastridge made it interesting when they scored with less than 2 minutes to go. With 8 seconds left on the clock and a whistle, Eric "Lil'Hoss" Hostetter got the ball at midfield and killed it with evasive maneuvers as he rolled to the sideline and carried it deep.
Give it up for Zach Rudgers with 11 saves. And how about Mike "mufasa" LoFaso with 3 big hits. Dan "con man" Conway had a nice table-top and several strong clears.Nick Materise was in the Lancers face all game long, poking and slapping and jabbing to keep them on the perimeter. Cheese showed his muscle with several face-off wins, led the transition game with 10 ground balls and several pick-offs, but it was most entertaining to watch him containing the Lancer's go to shooter (#3-Moynihan). The Thunder back-end played extremely well from the net out to bolster the win. No challenge was too big. Take Andrew Prestigiacomo, who went up against a Lancer (#6-Palmer) with 5 inches and 50 lbs on him, and shut him down. Once again leading the way in the scoring department we had Gino with 4G+1A for 5pts and Vyper with 4G for 4pts. It was a solid team effort all the way around as Thunder advanced their record to 1-1. But where was the stix salute that Chris "bedroom voice" Caracci made us all wait around for?
Thunder continues their east coast swing with the next stop being on Sat Apr 3 @ Brockport. If in doubt, come on out and shout and see what its all about. Happy Easter!
It was a great contest for sure with Eastridge getting out to an early 4-1 lead and Greece responding well to take the lead at 5-4. Thunder never relinquished the lead enroute to their first win of the season. Gino broke the seal for Thunder as he rolled and pulled the trigger to prime the pump. Vyper added to it by sweeping Thunder's second marker across the goal line amidst a scrum atop the Lancers crease. Posted up in the slot, waiting for the feed from Gino after he won his face, Vyper turned and buried his second to draw near. Then came the Robitussin Sickest Play of the Game compliments of Anthony Merola as he caught a feed from Matt Keough on the wing, while cutting across the top of the crease, and then went over his right shoulder, John Grant style, for the equalizer. Gino walked in and notched the go-ahead goal for Thunder with just 5 seconds to go in the opening quarter, 5-4 Thunder.
Second frame was a goalie duel between Rudgers and Ennis as Thunder carried their 1-goal advantage to the half. Third quarter saw Thunder widen their lead to 6-4 with Gino's 3rd goal on the night, but the Lancers answered back with the next two tallies to tie the game. Fear not, as Vyperdasniper would restore the lead for Thunder at 7-6 on a delayed call. You could cut the tension with a spork in the fourth quarter as Eastridge tied it at 7's at the outset. Gino answered back with a sidearm laser to beat Ennis from the wing. Vyper rolled and finished with the eventual winner, although Eastridge made it interesting when they scored with less than 2 minutes to go. With 8 seconds left on the clock and a whistle, Eric "Lil'Hoss" Hostetter got the ball at midfield and killed it with evasive maneuvers as he rolled to the sideline and carried it deep.
Give it up for Zach Rudgers with 11 saves. And how about Mike "mufasa" LoFaso with 3 big hits. Dan "con man" Conway had a nice table-top and several strong clears.Nick Materise was in the Lancers face all game long, poking and slapping and jabbing to keep them on the perimeter. Cheese showed his muscle with several face-off wins, led the transition game with 10 ground balls and several pick-offs, but it was most entertaining to watch him containing the Lancer's go to shooter (#3-Moynihan). The Thunder back-end played extremely well from the net out to bolster the win. No challenge was too big. Take Andrew Prestigiacomo, who went up against a Lancer (#6-Palmer) with 5 inches and 50 lbs on him, and shut him down. Once again leading the way in the scoring department we had Gino with 4G+1A for 5pts and Vyper with 4G for 4pts. It was a solid team effort all the way around as Thunder advanced their record to 1-1. But where was the stix salute that Chris "bedroom voice" Caracci made us all wait around for?
Thunder continues their east coast swing with the next stop being on Sat Apr 3 @ Brockport. If in doubt, come on out and shout and see what its all about. Happy Easter!
GTLAX Game Report - March 30 vs Brighton
Welcome to the Wes Report, Lacrosse Edition. Admittedly, I do not know as much about Lacrosse as I do about hockey, but I am willing to learn as I go, so feel free to give me the business when I use improper LAX vernacular to describe what is going on out there on the field. I am a student of the game and looking forward to learning about the mystery of crease infractions, face-off violations, failures to advance, and the like. Frankly, there is no better time than the present to become a Thunder Lacrosse fan, what with last year's first 500 season since the program's inception, the return of Joe "the beast" Trimboli, the infamous Pres brothers, and a significant influx of new talent with a dozen players making the leap to Varsity this year. Add to that a thriving booster club, led by our colorful president - Chris Caracci - with her great vision, boundless energy & enthusiasm, and of course black, gold, and purple beads!
The Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Varsity Boys Lacrosse Team dropped their 2010 home opener 18-6 to the Brighton Barons, arguably the toughest team in their division, on the 30th of March at Athena. It was a mild 50-degree spring-like day with a fairly decent crowd on hand in the stands as the Thunder JV team wrapped up their practice early with a little pizza party and came out to watch the game. Players from Greece Storm and Hurricanes Youth programs were also in attendance to show their support by holding up the Thunder banner and chasing down balls at the half. Our booster club has built a solid connection with those two organizations, which represent the future of Greece Thunder Lacrosse. Due to technical difficulties with the campus flag pole, team manager Dwayne stepped in as the flag bearer, while Emily Pelletier and Sarah Deerstein delivered a bold, brave acappella anthem duet. And away we go!
Barons rallied 4 times in the opening frame before Dan "Vyper" Vyverberg beat his man and drove the net to answer back for the Thunder. Barons netted 2 more before the horn to make it 6-1 at the first break. Greece settled in on the back-end to hold Brighton at bay, allowing just 1 goal in the second, and it was 7-1 Barons at the end of two. Props to Brandon Cheeseman, Dan Conway, Nick Materise and everyone else who helped out on D.
Not much to report at the half, we gotta work on that. Any Athena or Odyssey students/groups out there wanna come out and put on a half-time show at an upcoming home game (next one is 5pm on Tuesday, April 6th)? Calling all cheerleaders, marching bands, sitting bands, standing bands, rubber bands, garage bands, dance troupes, dance groups, hula hoops! Anyone interested in a career in sports broadcasting or running the scoreboard or spotting for things like ground balls, goalie saves, big hits, political ambassadors or school dignitaries in the crowd (where's Waldo? Richard? Lacy? Canon?) and whatever else is deemed worthy of mention? Give Wes a call at 585-281-3399 or just come on up to the booth at the next home game to get involved. Back to the game at hand.
Brighton got right to it, bang-bang, notching their 8th and 9th goals early in the 3rd, but Thunder refused to roll over and wither away. Enter freshman Anthony Merola who would take a feed out front, from Vyper at X, to net his first varsity goal and get the fans on their feet. Barons rang the bell once more, before Tyler Gorgione got his own with an underarm ripper that beat the barons keeper low, assisted by Matt Keough. A short while later Vyper put his head down, battled his way through traffic and put one on cage that just barely trickled in to make it 10-4, but that was as close as Thunder would get. Barons finished off the frame with 3 more markers and it was 13-4 Barons going into the final quarter.
Gino Prestigiacomo took matters into his own hands, pushing cage and converting on two of his numerous face-off wins in the 4th. But the Barons would tally 5 more times to break the Thunder's back.
Zach Rudgers played well in the nets stoning several point blank chances by the Barons with a total of 10 saves (5/2/3/0) and allowing 15 goals against before passing the baton to Steve Cole for the final 5 mins of play. Dan Vyverberg led the scoring for Thunder with 2G+1A for 3PTS. Gino Prestigiacomo had a pair of goals and led in the ground ball department for Thunder with 7. Let's give a warm welcome and shout out to the following players who made their varsity debut in this game: #4-Nick Kraft, #10-Clay Wyzykowski, #16-Anthony Merola, #17-Nick Materise, #19-Eric Hostetter, #21-Jared Sangiorgi, #24-Joe Trimboli, and #25-Nick Caracci. One TEAM, One FIGHT, One FAMILY. Go THUNDER. There is no OTHER.
The Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Varsity Boys Lacrosse Team dropped their 2010 home opener 18-6 to the Brighton Barons, arguably the toughest team in their division, on the 30th of March at Athena. It was a mild 50-degree spring-like day with a fairly decent crowd on hand in the stands as the Thunder JV team wrapped up their practice early with a little pizza party and came out to watch the game. Players from Greece Storm and Hurricanes Youth programs were also in attendance to show their support by holding up the Thunder banner and chasing down balls at the half. Our booster club has built a solid connection with those two organizations, which represent the future of Greece Thunder Lacrosse. Due to technical difficulties with the campus flag pole, team manager Dwayne stepped in as the flag bearer, while Emily Pelletier and Sarah Deerstein delivered a bold, brave acappella anthem duet. And away we go!
Barons rallied 4 times in the opening frame before Dan "Vyper" Vyverberg beat his man and drove the net to answer back for the Thunder. Barons netted 2 more before the horn to make it 6-1 at the first break. Greece settled in on the back-end to hold Brighton at bay, allowing just 1 goal in the second, and it was 7-1 Barons at the end of two. Props to Brandon Cheeseman, Dan Conway, Nick Materise and everyone else who helped out on D.
Not much to report at the half, we gotta work on that. Any Athena or Odyssey students/groups out there wanna come out and put on a half-time show at an upcoming home game (next one is 5pm on Tuesday, April 6th)? Calling all cheerleaders, marching bands, sitting bands, standing bands, rubber bands, garage bands, dance troupes, dance groups, hula hoops! Anyone interested in a career in sports broadcasting or running the scoreboard or spotting for things like ground balls, goalie saves, big hits, political ambassadors or school dignitaries in the crowd (where's Waldo? Richard? Lacy? Canon?) and whatever else is deemed worthy of mention? Give Wes a call at 585-281-3399 or just come on up to the booth at the next home game to get involved. Back to the game at hand.
Brighton got right to it, bang-bang, notching their 8th and 9th goals early in the 3rd, but Thunder refused to roll over and wither away. Enter freshman Anthony Merola who would take a feed out front, from Vyper at X, to net his first varsity goal and get the fans on their feet. Barons rang the bell once more, before Tyler Gorgione got his own with an underarm ripper that beat the barons keeper low, assisted by Matt Keough. A short while later Vyper put his head down, battled his way through traffic and put one on cage that just barely trickled in to make it 10-4, but that was as close as Thunder would get. Barons finished off the frame with 3 more markers and it was 13-4 Barons going into the final quarter.
Gino Prestigiacomo took matters into his own hands, pushing cage and converting on two of his numerous face-off wins in the 4th. But the Barons would tally 5 more times to break the Thunder's back.
Zach Rudgers played well in the nets stoning several point blank chances by the Barons with a total of 10 saves (5/2/3/0) and allowing 15 goals against before passing the baton to Steve Cole for the final 5 mins of play. Dan Vyverberg led the scoring for Thunder with 2G+1A for 3PTS. Gino Prestigiacomo had a pair of goals and led in the ground ball department for Thunder with 7. Let's give a warm welcome and shout out to the following players who made their varsity debut in this game: #4-Nick Kraft, #10-Clay Wyzykowski, #16-Anthony Merola, #17-Nick Materise, #19-Eric Hostetter, #21-Jared Sangiorgi, #24-Joe Trimboli, and #25-Nick Caracci. One TEAM, One FIGHT, One FAMILY. Go THUNDER. There is no OTHER.
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