The Hawkeyes capped off an incredible season in the Upstate Collegiate Box Lacrosse League with a thrilling 9-7 win Thursday night. The win completed a two-game sweep of the Rapids in the first-ever best-of-three championship series.
The Hawkeyes made history by becoming the first team to advance to three straight finals and win back-to-back Mearns Cup championships. The victory was also the Hawkeyes’ record ninth of the season and its toughest test of the year.
“When the target is on your back, it becomes harder,” said Hawkeyes head coach Dan Coates. “It’s just a testament to the character we have in our locker room and how we prepared. Tonight wasn’t easy. You have to give them credit, from their goaltending to their defense to their offense. That was a tough team.”
“That was by far the toughest game we played all season,” he added. “But you have to give our guys credit. Our captain stepped up late and scored the game-winner.”
EAST AURORA, NEW YORK – AUGUST 3: UCBLL :: Rapids v Hawkeyes :: August 3, 2023 in East Aurora, New York, USA. (Photo by Micheline Veluvolu)
Rocco Santillo’s goal with just 52 seconds to play proved to be the game-winner and held off a late rally from the Rapids, who scored three straight times to tie the contest at seven. Santillo finished the contest with two goals and one assist.
“Honestly, I saw I had a lot of space, and I just felt if I am ever going to shoot, I might as well shoot now and hopefully, it fell,” he said. “It did and felt great.”
Hawkeyes added an empty-net goal as the Rapids forced a turnover to set up one last chance to tie the game. Austyn Kelly picked off the pass in the slot and played it to Jake Piseno, who raced down the floor and scored.
The goals ended a crazy fourth quarter that featured a three-goal Rapids run and a big save from Hawkeyes backup goalie Taylor Jungermann. The Rapids had evened the game late in the fourth. Christian Watts netted his second of the contest at 3:33 to reduce the deficit to 7-5. Then with 9:39 to play, Hawkeyes goalie John Jacobs exited the game after being shaken up. Jungermann came in and immediately made a kick save to preserve the two-goal lead.
EAST AURORA, NEW YORK – AUGUST 3: UCBLL :: Rapids v Hawkeyes :: August 3, 2023 in East Aurora, New York, USA. (Photo by Micheline Veluvolu)
When Jacobs returned, he made several big stops before Ben Mitrano connected to make it 7-6 with just 4:36 to play. The Rapids pulled their goalie with under two minutes left, and Watts ripped a shot in with 1:21 to play. Watts finished the two-game series with four goals and two assists.
Jacobs was named the Crossbar Athletics Player of the Game as he finished with 27 saves. In the UCBLL Finals, he stopped 54 shots and allowed just 12 goals.
“That was huge for us. That shows how deep we are and how much heart we have on this bench,” said Jacobs about the stop by Jungermann. “It’s an unbelievable feeling going back-to-back.”
The Hawkeyes gutted out the victory in Game Two. After falling behind 2-1 after one quarter, the defending champs outscored the Rapids 3-1 to take a 4-3 advantage into the second half. Nick Cartmill raced through the slot and scored in the final minutes to break a 3-3 deadlock.
EAST AURORA, NEW YORK – AUGUST 3: UCBLL :: Rapids v Hawkeyes :: August 3, 2023 in East Aurora, New York, USA. (Photo by Micheline Veluvolu)
In the third quarter, Kellen Pulera notched his second of the game to even the game at four. That’s when Ian Kane picked off a pass and scored on a breakaway to spark a three-goal run for the Hawkeyes. Zachary Terry added the next two goals to give the Rochester team a 7-4 edge.
“It was amazing (to score that goal),” said Kane. “We couldn’t get it past the goalie for a while. Being able to get one and get up by one was good for the team.”
Rapids goalie Adam Brennan was stellar again, making 45 saves to complete the Finals with 87 stops in two contests. He and the Rapids’ defense shut down the Hawkeyes’ offense for a stretch of 12:32 in the fourth frame.
The Hawkeyes advance to their second straight National Collegiate Box Series (NCBS) National Championships. The four-day event will take place from August 13-16 at the 1,200-seat Utica Nexus Center in Utica, NY.
“Last year was a learning experience with how much lacrosse you play in a short amount of time. It reminds you of your minor days,” said Coates. “It’s a great stage for our players and coaches to go and learn and see what’s out there. You have guys looking to get drafted from these teams. I am sure there will be some eyes watching them. It will be an unreal experience for them.”