Junior midfielder Lanny Ellis took a pass from senior middie Gary McKay just seconds into the first 4-minute sudden-death overtime, rifling the ball into the St. John's Prep net and lifting the Billerica High boys lacrosse team to a pulsating 11-10 MIAA Division 1 East quarterfinal-round victory over the Eagles yesterday at Calabrese Field.
The pivotal tally was Ellis's second goal of the game for the No. 2 seed Indians, who improved to 18-2 overall, including a 16-9 victory over archrival Chelmsford in the first round.
Also contributing 2 goals and 2 assists each for BMHS were sophomore attack Greg Melaugh and senior attack Keith Merluzzo. Other goals scored by Mike Hurley, Jeff Scarfo, Adam Foss, and Mike Slatton (all four players also had an assist each). Gary McKay won 20 of 21 faceoffs.
The loss left upset-minded No. 10 seed SJP with a 12-8 final record, including a 12-6 opening victory against Lexington.
Billerica now has the daunting task of playing three-time reigning state champ Duxbury in a Sunday semifinal at BMHS (3 p.m.).
No. 3 Duxbury (16-4) has not lost to a Massachusetts public high school opponent in almost four years, including earlier tourney wins this spring over Weymouth, 12-5, and Beverly, 9-5.
Xaverian and Andover play in the other semi-final game. Winners will meet on Wed Jun 13th for the Final.
Preliminary Game (MIAA Tourney) vs Chelmsford June 2nd, 2007
Sophomore Greg Melaugh had 5 goals and 4 assists, senior Keith Merluzzo had 4 goals and 5 assists, and Billerica defeated Chelmsford 16-9 in an MIAA East Div. 1 first-round playoff game.
"We started playing together last year," Merluzzo -- a 5-foot-4, 140-pound right-handed attackman -- said about Melaugh, a 5-foot-6, 150-pound sophomore left-handed attackman. "We kind of have the same style of play. So it's easy to find each other."
Merluzzo, headed to Southern New Hampshire University in the fall, and Melaugh were the top two scorers in the Merrimack Valley Conference this season. Their analyzing and undoing opponents' defenses is among the sweetest sounds to Billerica High coach Chris Burns' ears.
"You probably can't hear them from the stands," said Burns. "But they are constantly communicating about what they should be doing to get open. It's really fun to watch and hear."
Jeff Scarfo and Adam Foss each had 2 goals and 1 assist for the Indians. Mike Hurley also had 2 goals. Lanny Ellis had 1 goal and 1 assist. Also, Gary McKay won nearly every face-off as Billerica handily defeated its rival for the third time this season, having won the regular-season meetings by scores of 12-2 and 16-5.
"We're always fired up for Chelmsford," said Merluzzo. "We seniors thought we were done playing them. But we got another chance here in the tournament."
Three times in the early going yesterday, No. 15 seed Chelmsford (13-10) grabbed a one-goal lead. But Billerica led 6-4 at halftime, then outscored the Lions 9-3 in the third quarter when Merluzzo scored all four of his goals.
"We really got our transition game going in the third quarter," said Burns, "and (senior midfielder) Gary McKay was again great on face-offs."
Six of Billerica's goals were scored with a man advantage, a fact that left Chelmsford coach Tom Gallagher unhappy about the officiating. Couple that with the five times his Lions hit posts behind Indians' goalie Pat O'Loughlin (13 saves), and Gallagher believed Chelmsford was closer to Billerica than the final score.
"They're a good team," he said. "They deserve to move on. It's not the officials' fault that we lost this game."
Marc Novaco led Chelmsford with 3 goals and 1 assist. Brad Reid and Chris Smart each scored 2 goals. Goalie Mike Hibbard made 14 saves.
2007 Season Game Summaries
Game Summaries Courtesy of Tom Merluzzo
Game 18 vs Xaverian May 24th, 2007
The Indians battled back from a three-goal deficit to force overtime in yesterday's showdown with Xaverian -- but that was as close as they would come (losing 11-10 in OT). Lanny Ellis scored his third goal of the game with 1:53 in regulation to force the extra frame after Jeff Scarfo and Steve Murray scored 19 seconds apart to bring Billerica (16-2) within one. "We came back and scored two goals in 19 seconds and came back from down three to put it into overtime," Billerica coach Chris Burns said. "We got a couple of good shots in overtime and they got a good shot to end the game." Knowing how strong the Hawks could be, senior Gary McKay spent the last three days leading up to the game studying the film of last year's game to be better in faceoffs. The studying paid off, McKay went 20 for 24 in the circle for the Indians. "He earned the respect as a faceoff (specialist) tonight," Burns said. "He just gave us great opportunities today because he continued to win and get us possession. It's a great feeling to have when you're expecting to win every faceoff." McKay said he owes his success to assistant coach Nolan Godfrey. "I did faceoffs with him yesterday and he's taught me so much and I appreciate that," McKay said. "For him to come on his free time to help with me, Peter (Vacca) and Adam (Foss); it's just unbelievable." The Hawks led Billerica 6-4 at the half and scored just 24 seconds into the third to make it a three-goal lead. The Indians constantly battled back but couldn't tie it up until they scored the three unanswered goals in the fourth. Keith Merluzzo led Billerica in scoring with one goal and five assists with fellow attacker Greg Melaugh scoring a goal and three assists on the night. Adam Foss and Scarfo each scored two goals. Burns said despite the loss, his team always puts themselves in a position to win. "The kids have shown a lot of character all year," Burns said. "We've been down in games and we always put ourselves in a chance to win at the end. That's all we can ask." The Indians may have lost the game, but Burns told his squad it's not over. "This is not the end of the season," Burns said. "It's the end of the regular season. We finished 16-2 and the kids should be proud of that." And get ready to meet up with Xaverian again in the tournament.
Game 17 vs Winchester May 22nd, 2007
Billerica improved to 16-1 despite being down 7-2 at halftime to Winchester (11-7). Mike Hurley (2 goals, 1 assist) scored to tie the game 7-7 in the third quarter, and the Indians got goals from Keith Merluzzo (3 goals, 1 assist) and Greg Melaugh (3 goals, 1 assist) to secure the win in the fourth. Jeff Scarfo assisted on both fourth-quarter goals. Lanny Ellis (1 goal, 2 assists) and Gary Mckay (15 of 20 in faceoffs) also had big days for the Indians, and junior goalkeeper Pat O'Loughlin (13 saves) had another solid game in net.
Game 16 vs Lexington May 21st, 2007
Greg Melaugh rifled home 6 goals and set up 2 others, while the Billerica High boys lacrosse team broke open a close non-league game with a 7-0 second-quarter run on the way to a 15-4 win over visiting Lexington High yesterday at soggy Alumni Field. The victory was the seventh straight for the Indians, who improved to 15-1 overall, including 9-1 as undisputed Merrimack Valley Conference Division 1 Champions. Among Melaugh's collection of points in this one were his 49th goal and 75th total point of the spring. Keith Merluzzo added 2 goals and 4 assists against a strong Lexington team, now 12-4, while Lanny Ellis netted a hat trick and added 1 assist. Steve Murray and Jeff Scarfo contributed 1 goal, 2 assists each, while Adam Foss and Mike Slatton were solo marksmen. Alex Lavalle, Eric Blais and Bill Frevold distributed an assist each, while Eric Blais, Sam Anderson and Mike Shaw were defensive standouts. Junior Pat O'Loughlin played the majority of the game in net, making 13 saves and allowing only 1 goal.
Game 15 vs Andover May 18th, 2007
Billerica Wins MVC with a Dramatic Finish 9-8
Friday, May 18th, 2007, will be a day to remember for this special team of Billerica’s finest athletes and coaches. After three consecutive losses by one goal to Andover, victory was finally had.
Gary McKay was outstanding in the face-off circle winning 18 of 20 face-offs. Steve Murray had the first goal of the game and 1 assist, Lanny Ellis had 2 goals and 2 assists, Keith Merluzzo had 2 goals and 2 assists, Mike Hurley had 1 goal and 2 assists, Greg Melaugh had 2 goals, one of which was the game winner, and Jeff Scarfo scored the goal to tie the game, giving Billerica an opportunity to win.
As usual, Billerica started very conservative, allowing Andover to control the first quarter and outscore Billerica 3 goals to 1. In the second quarter, Billerica started to take over the game, controlling time-of-possession and out-shooting the opponent 10 shots to 0. In the third quarter, Billerica again controlled the play out-shooting Andover 10 shots to 6, yet, due to outstanding play by the Andover goalie, could not get a lead finishing the quarter with the score 4-3, still behind by 1 goal. The final quarter turned out to be quite the nail-biter as both teams exchanged goals and Andover took an 8-7 lead with just over 2 minutes remaining in the game. Still down by one goal with less than a minute left in the game and with Andover in possession and trying to run out the clock, outstanding defense by Sam Anderson and Billy Frevold caused an Andover player to step out of the box causing a loss of possession. Billerica realizing that if they kept a cool head and played like they could, this game was not over yet. With 19.5 seconds remaining and the ball in Andover’s defensive zone, Jeff Scarfo made a beautiful looping run to the top of the box causing the goalie to have to slide across the crease, and with precision and confidence Scarfo found the back of the net, tying the game with 10.2 seconds left to play. That was all Billerica needed. Gary McKay won the last and most critical face-off he has ever needed to win, he found Ellis in the open field, who then made a perfect pass to Greg Melaugh, who made an awesome angled shot to score the WINNING GOAL with 1.3 seconds left in the game.
If this isn’t a classic example of not giving up, I don’t know what is. These guys deserved to be the MVC CHAMPIONS, not based on the score of the game, but based on all the aspects of the game, and because of their commitment and dedication, their level of sportsmanship, and their camaraderie.
One of the interesting things in the game was, on many occasions, the Andover defensemen were referring to the Billerica players by their first names, not their numbers. How nice it is to have a friendly rivalry, where the players of opposing teams know and respect each other. Another interesting thing was the number of fans that came to this game, in the rain, to show their support for the team. I am sure there were as many Andover parents as Billerica parents, but more impressively was the number of students that came to watch their team surely outnumbered the other teams fans; and then to see them rush the field to congratulate the team is something I’ll watch on the game film many times.
Game 14 vs Tyngsboro May 14th, 2007
Billerica defeats Tyngsboro 18-4
Greg Melaugh had 4 goals and 5 assists as Billerica improved to 13-1. Jeff Scarfo had 4 goals and 2 assists. Mike Hurley had 4 goals and 1 assist. Also contributing to Billerica's offensive outburst were Keith Merluzzo (1 goal, 5 assists), Mike Slatton (1 goal, 1 assist), Adam Foss (1 goal), Gerad Jacobs (1 goal), Tyler Tripodi (1 goal), Brandon Oliver (1 goal) and Gary McKay (2 assists).
Game 13 vs Tewksbury May 7th, 2007
Scoring by many players gave the Varsity a 14-1 Victory
Game 12 vs Chelmsford May 4th, 2007
Billerica defeats MVC Rival 16-5
Junior attackman Mike Hurley had 2 goals and 2 assists, and senior attackman Keith Merluzzo uncorked 6 goals and 2 assists for Billerica (11-1, 6-1 MVC). Other scorers for the Indians included Greg Melaugh (2 goals, 3 assists), Steve Murray (2 assists), Jeff Scarfo (1 goal, 3 assists) and Lanny Ellis (2 goals, 3 assists). Billerica junior goalkeeper Pat O'Loughlin made 18 saves.
Game 11 vs Lowell May 1st, 2007
Billerica blows-out Lowell
After a battle for victory against Peabody, Billerica regained its’ confidence and played a strong game against Lowell outscoring their opponent 13-4. Billerica has now improved their record to 10 -1. Billerica controlled the game and until the last minutes of the game only allowed Lowell to score twice.
The defense of , Sam Anderson, Eric Blais, Mike Shaw, and Tom Todd, along with Brent Loveless Chris Phillion-Cole, Ryan Osler, and Jim Holland shut down the Lowell offense. Joe Dangelo played extremely well rounding out a strong defensive unit. Adam Foss stepped it up in the face-off circle and won 14 of 18 face-offs. This new coach must know something about face-offs, and can teach it, as we have three very successful face-off specialists in Gary McKay, Adam Foss, and Peter Vacca.
Scoring for Billerica was Keith Merluzzo with six goals and two assists, Greg Meleaugh with two goals and three assists, Adam Foss with two goals, Mike Hurley with one goal and two assists, Lanny Ellis with one goal and two assists, Jeff Scarfo with one goal and one assist, and Mike Slatton with an assist.
It is sometimes difficult to list the scoring of the games in these summaries because I am the parent of one of these players that has been very successful but, it is very exciting to see a long list of different players on this list, especially players that don’t have the same opportunity as others. I feel that the depth of this team is a significant factor in its success and will ensure the strength of the team next year and for years to come.
Game 10 vs Peabody April 30th, 2007
Billerica defeats Peabody in a close game
Billerica came back from its’ first loss with a 5-4 win against Peabody. After the heartbreaking loss in overtime to rival Andover, Billerica was able to find their way to defeating Peabody in a hard fought game. Peabody certainly felt that they could play against Billerica, and showed up wanting a victory, but Billerica kept their heads in the game and stuck to a game plan that works resulting in the win. Scoring for Billerica was Lanny Ellis with 2 goals and two assists, Mike Hurley and Al Lavalle with one goal each, Keith Merluzzo with one goal and one assist, and Adam Foss and Jeff Scarfo with two assists each.
Game 9 vs Andover - April 26th, 2007
Billerica had a difficult time getting it going in this game. Without enough offense and a defense that Andover found a way to penetrate, Billerica has down 7-2 at the half time.
But, the second half was a different story. Lead by Gary McKay, who showed an outstanding effort, the Billerica players outscored their opponent 10-5. Scoring for the team was Greg Melaugh with two goals and one assist, Keith Merluzzo with one goal and three assists, Lanny Ellis with three goals and two assists, Adam Foss with two goals, and Steve Murray with two goals. Gary McKay also had two goals but more importantly Gary Won 26 of 28 face-offs.
Without Gary’s effort Billerica would not have had the chance they did at the end of this game. He was a significant factor in Billerica’s gallant second half comeback. With less than three minutes left in the game, and still down by two goals, Billerica scored to bring the game to within one. Then with only seconds left, Billerica scored yet again to tie the game and force an over-time. The face-off, to start the overtime, was again won by McKay and Billerica controlled the play in the offensive end of the field. They managed to get off five shots in OT before a clearing pass by the Andover goalie found an open middie who passed it off to an attack-man who found the back of the net…… final score 13-12.
As “off” as these players were in the first half, they found what it took to outplay and outscore their opponent 10-5 in the second half of the game showing that no matter what they are up against, they never quit. Unfortunately, this time all the effort did not yield the result we would have liked but we are very proud of their determination and never say die attitude. Sometimes we recognize (in the big picture) that “Winning is not everything but making the effort to win is”.
Game 8 vs Haverill - April 23rd, 2007
Lanny Ellis added 3 goals and 1 assist and Jeff Scarfo had 3 goals and 2 assists as unbeaten Billerica improved to 8-0. Steve Murray and Adam Foss each had 2 goals and 1 assist. Brendan Farrell had 2 goals. Gary McKay and Mike Slaton each scored 1 goal. Mike Hurley had 3 assists. Greg Melaugh had 2 assists. Chris Smith and Tyler Tripodi each had 1 assist. Brent Loveless, Billy Frevold and Tom Todd were outstanding defensively in front of goalie Pat O'Loughlin (5 saves).