Seahawks Make Long Island History

Photo/Instagram/NYSPHSAA
The Cold Spring Harbor boys lacrosse team is pictured after making Long Island history on Saturday by winning a third straight state championship.

By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com

Stay calm. Follow the plan. Take it one goal at a time.

Those were some of the strategies Cold Spring Harbor’s boys lacrosse coaching staff dished out Saturday as Seahawks faced a 3-0 deficit early in the state Class C championship game, said coach Dennis Bonn.

They worked.

Fighting back and enduring a back-and-forth battle, it was ultimately Kane Jaklitsch who scored what would become the game-winner with minutes left to play, sealing Cold Spring Harbor’s place in Long Island history with its third straight state title.

Cold Spring Harbor, which beat upstate Jamesville-DeWitt, 11-9, became the first Long Island boys lacrosse program to accomplish the feat.

But it took some hard work to get there. Soon after taking the field at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, Cold Spring Harbor was faced with the early deficit. Bonn said this wasn’t the first time the Seahawks had to battle back, referencing the state title game from two years ago, when they trailed Cazenovia 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Senior attacker Ian Laviano said Bonn reminded the Seahawks of this during a timeout.

“We were worried,” Laviano said. But “he pulled us in and he brought us back to our first state championship game.”

Bonn told the Seahawks, “Good things happen if you keep fighting.”

Laviano said he and his teammates “kept fighting and it paid off.”

Cold Spring Harbor chipped away at Jamesville-DeWitt’s lead and trailed 5-4 come halftime. Bonn said the Seahawks’ experience as a team helped keep them in the game.

Laviano said the atmosphere in the locker room come halftime was full of energy and positivity, as the Seahawks motivated each other to buckle down and keep the focus up.

“Once the fourth quarter hit and we tied the game up we had so much momentum and it was so awesome,” he said.

With 10 minutes left in the fourth, senior middie Taylor Strough scored to tie the game, 8-8. Senior middie Matt Licciardi gave the Seahawks their first lead of the game with a goal less than 30 seconds later.

“I think that might have been where [Jamesville-DeWitt] lost the wind in their sails. We gained even more confidence and we went on a little bit of a run,” Bonn said.

With less than seven minutes left, senior attacker Kane Jaklitsch sealed the win with two goals in the span of 41 seconds, putting the Seahawks ahead, 11-8.

“Complete and utter pandemonium” is how Bonn described the scene after Cold Spring Harbor made history.

Laviano said, “Long Island is like a big hotbed for lacrosse in the country so it’s crazy to think how many good teams Long Island has seen, with tons of great players. To be the first team on Long Island to win three is a huge honor.”

Laviano finished the game with two goals to his name. Meanwhile, Strough had four goals; Licciardi had two goals and two assists; junior middie Teddy Bentley had one goal; and senior attacker Will Reed and junior attacker Kevin Winkoff had one assist each.

Junior goaltender Chris Porzelt played outstanding, finishing with 12 saves, according to Bonn.

“He made 10 saves in the first half and kept us in the game,” Bonn said. “When you’re not playing well and you’re not scoring goals, it could’ve been over if Chris wasn’t basically standing on his head.”

The Seahawks season concludes with an undefeated, 21-0, record. They’ve won 28 straight games dating back to last season.

Laviano, who will be playing lacrosse at University of Virginia in the fall, added, “We knew that we came here to make history… Our guys worked so hard throughout the whole season, in practice, being competitive, never resting on our success, and always wanting to get better.

“It all paid off.”