HOPKINTON – Colby Quiet didn’t have to be the star scorer of the Hopkinton boys’ lacrosse team last season when he was a freshman. The Hawks had plenty of other options with the most prolific offense in Division III.
Quiet made the most of his chances when he got them, including a goal in the Hawks’ championship win. But he spent most of his time observing the upperclassmen, knowing that his sophomore campaign would be his chance to break out.
If he flew under the radar in 2017, his scoring prominence is certainly out in the open now, as illustrated by his seven goals in the Hawks’ 13-6 slashing of Pelham in a meeting of D-III heavyweights.
“Last year was a really good learning experience to see how guys pass and work the ball,” Quiet said. “I was really just a crease middie, not dodging as much like I am this year. So I was able to learn how to move off-ball and see how last year’s seniors could dodge. I could learn from them and put in some of my stuff.”
Quiet scored six goals in the first half, including four unanswered in the second quarter, as the Hawks (12-0) exploded for a 9-1 lead at halftime over the previously undefeated Pythons (9-1).
“He gives us huge sparks on offense and gets the guys pumped up,” Hopkinton coach Deacon Blue said of the sophomore. “He’s definitely got stuff he needs to work on, but in terms of dodging, transition play, ground balls and faceoffs, he’s really dominant.”
Quiet scored off feeds from his teammates and at other times on his own. He scored using both hands. He scored using quick feet in tight space around the crease. Players and coaches on the Pelham sideline called out to their long poles to watch for No. 6, but he was coming from all directions.
“He’s a good athlete and he’s strong with both hands,” Pelham coach Will Delanoy said. “You want a two-handed player and we knew they had that going in. We tried a couple of different things. We’ll change it up definitely.”
Delanoy is anticipating another meeting with the Hawks in the playoffs. Friday’s result has Hopkinton sitting comfortably atop the standings with the only undefeated record. Second is Laconia at 11-1, and both Laconia and Hopkinton have two games left on the schedule.
It depends on how the final week of the season shakes out to determine when Pelham and Hopkinton could face off again.
If another meeting is set, Delanoy and his players will be ready.
“It was good just to physically see how they play and see what we can take advantage of in the playoffs,” he said.
Pelham struggled to find advantages Friday. They were a step behind in the defensive end as the Hawks snapped quick passes and created paths to the crease for close-range shots. In the offensive end, they ran into an especially sharp Hawks goaltender in senior Alex Rousseau, who finished with 12 saves.
Rousseau has served as a JV and backup goalie in previous seasons. As a varsity starter this spring, he has helped Hopkinton attain the lowest goals-against average (4.00) in the division.
“Alex has been huge this year,” Blue said. “He worked hard all offseason and he’s been a great goalie all along on JV. He’s really stepped up and has been huge for us.”
Pelham found an answer with 54 seconds left in the first half when Evan Haskins finally got one by Rousseau, his first of two in the game. The Pythons won the third quarter, outscoring Hopkinton, 2-1, while cutting the deficit to 10-3, and scored the first two goals of the fourth to bring their team within five.
That was as close as they came. Quiet scored on a pretty off-hand snipe to put the Hawks back in front by six goals with seven minutes left.
Hopkinton co-captain Jake Tomlinson scored a pair, including Hopkinton’s first goal of the game about two minutes in. Corey Breault also recorded two goals, while Pete Sintros and co-captain Paul Molnar each had one.
“I think we’re peaking offensively at the right time,” Blue said. “Our defense has been strong the whole time, but we’ve been trying to find that groove offensively and I think we did that today.”
Hopkinton plays at Bishop Brady (2-10) on Monday and then at Milford (7-5) on Friday.
(Nick Stoico can be reached at nstoico@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickStoico.)
John Stark 17, Alvirne 5
Key players: Stark – Matt Bennetter (5 G), Kayden Easter (4 G, 2 A), Noah Bellemore (3 G), Mason Dame (G, strong faceoffs)
Coach’s quote: “We’ve had some rough luck of late so it’s nice to get a win any way we can.” – Stark’s Howard Roever
Records: John Stark 5-8; Alvirne 2-10
Laconia 11, Monadnock 6
Key players: Laconia – Jake Steele (3 G, 4 A), Riley Roy (2 G, 3 A), Ryan Chiasson (3 G, 2 A)
Highlights/key moments: The Sachems took a 6-1 lead into halftime and pushed it to 8-2 in the third quarter. Monadnock responded with a three-goal run to make it 8-5, but Laconia closed the door in the fourth for its fourth straight win.
Coach’s quote: “This is a big team win for us moving into the last week of the regular season.” – Laconia’s Andy Paronto
Records: Laconia 11-1; Monadnock 7-4
Keene 12, Concord 10
Key players: Concord – Nicole Toler (3 G), Brenna Vandersea (3 G), Ananya Nadeau (2 G), Johanna Nichols (G), Erin Doherty (G), Hannah Waite (defense), Jill Curley (defense)
Coach’s quote: “It was a close game, and the team played hard. We got down by a few goals and were able to come back and tie it up, but they scored a few quick goals to gain the lead.” – Concord’s Steph Johnson
Records: Concord 4-9; Keene 3-9
Windham 8, John Stark 7, OT
Key players: Stark – Autumn Nelson (defense), Allie McKean (defense), Jill Douzanis (G, A)
Highlights/key moments: The Generals fell behind early, but fought back to cut the deficit to one, 4-3, at the half. Windham opened up a two-goal lead in the third, but Stark came back and eventually took the lead on a goal from Abby Brandt with 3:40 left. The Jaguars found the equalizer a minute later and scored 30 seconds into overtime for the win. It was the fourth game, and second loss, of the week for the Generals, who were 9-0 when the week began.
Coach’s quote: “This was a tough game. Windham has a good, aggressive team and has a great center draw player, but we committed unforced errors throughout the game, giving the Jaguars multiple chances to score. Our defense played well, but we just did not possess the ball well enough to win.” – Stark’s John Warner
Records: John Stark 11-2; Windham 12-5
Kingswood 14, Merrimack Valley 8
Key players: MV – Abby Grandmaison (4 G, 2 A), Kerragan McNeil (2 G), Julia Ricard (G), Alexa Prewitt (G), Trinity Patrick-Bond (12 saves)
Records: Merrimack Valley 1-11; Kingswood 6-7
Pembroke 12, Alvirne 8
Key players: Pembroke – Victoria Mabie (4 G), Kerra Vallee (2 G), Savannah Wallace (2 G), Ali Corriveau (2 G), Kelly Wagner (G), Lindsay Hawkins (G), Haley Brown (15 saves), Laurel Klawes (defense), Iso Gill (defense), Maddie Gaskell (defense), Taylor Monterio (defense), Alysse Cleasby (defense)
Records: Pembroke 4-8; Alvirne 3-8