Hall wins its third consecutive game heading into a crosstown rivalry matchup with Conard.
By Marlon Pitter
It may not have been their last home game of 2018, but the Warriors put on a performance to remember against Southington on Senior Day.
Three players recorded hat tricks as the Hall boys lacrosse team dismantled Southington, 16-6, Monday afternoon at home in West Hartford.
Griffin Smith (five goals), Max Congdon (three goals, two assists), and Jack McHale (three goals, one assist) lead the way offensively in Hall’s win over the Blue Knights. Graham Kennedy (one goal, three assists) also contributed with a four-point effort of his own.
Hall head coach Ben von Mayrhauser gave praise to the leadership and effort of his seniors after their final regular season home game.
“It was really nice for these seniors to come out and put their best foot forward on Senior Day,” said von Mayrhauser. “This is an incredible senior class. I feel lucky [and] blessed to be coaching these guys. … They do the little things and it’s translated into success.”
Southington struck first, but three different Warriors found the net to give the hosts a 3-1 lead after the first quarter.
Hall continued its run with four consecutive goals in the second quarter to take a 7-1 advantage. The Blue Knights answered with 1:15 remaining, but the Warriors scored with 34 seconds on the clock to take an 8-2 lead into the break.
The third quarter yielded little resistance for the Warriors’ offense. Smith completed his hat trick just 45 seconds in, and Hall scored four goals over the first 10:25 of the period before Southington answered with 15 seconds left to bring the score to 13-3.
The Warriors grabbed their largest lead of the game when McHale scored his hat-trick goal at the 7:52 mark to put Hall up 15-4. Congdon notched his third goal of the contest with 1:33 to play, scoring Hall’s final goal of the game.
Hall dominated in the faceoff circle, winning 20 of 22 draws. The Warriors converted on four of six man-up opportunities.
The Warriors improve to 12-2 and will close the regular season on the road against crosstown rival Conard (7-7). Hall has also clinched a home game in the first round of the CIAC tournament slated for Wednesday, May 30 at 4:30 p.m., but von Mayrhauser says the team’s only focus is the next game.
“Conard is always a huge game,” he said. “Conard is a well-coached, great team, and we’re looking forward to the game.”
Coach von Mayrhauser lauded Conard’s strong season as something to add excitement to an ever-important rivalry matchup.
“We’re rooting for Conard in every game except one, so we celebrate their success,” he said. “The state of lacrosse in West Hartford is good right now. It’s a good thing for everybody.”
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