Nashua North's Jack Krulikowski (23) and Jack Peters (7) trie to stop Hollis Brookline's Ben Dufoe from getting a shot off during Thursday's game in Hollis. Dufoe had eight goals in a 17-10 Cavs win. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

HOLLIS – The Nashua High School boys lacrosse team isn’t exactly set to call the Hollis Brookline stadium its home away from home.

That’s because the Cavaliers, gracious enough to allow North to move Thursday’s game here due to a scheduling conflict at Stellos, made sure it came with a price in the form of a 17-10 win.

The game featured two of the area’s better players, HB’s Ben Dufoe, who had eight goals, and North’s Jack Peters, who had six after missing a game and a half with an injury. But neither is a one-guy team.

“We actually have fewer guys (than last year),” Cavs coach Dom St. Laurent said. “But again, we just play more as a team and everyone’s doing their share and then some.”

North certainly ran into a good HB team but also some bad luck with scheduling. Word was there weren’t enough available officials for the original Wednesday date, so not only did the move to Thursday force a change of venue, it forced a lineup change for the Titans as several players were scheduled for a school field trip yesterday. Oops.

“It was pretty much our entire starting defense,” North coach Matt Muser said. “Lot of new guys who just started playing lacrosse about a month ago (were playing instead). It’s difficult, but I don’t necessarily know if that was the problem today. Winning ground balls, winning faceoffs, trying to get extra possessions like that, that’s more of why we lost for sure.”

It was a close game early, tied 5-5, but the Cavaliers broke loose for five of the next six goals to take a 10-6 lead into the half.

“It was pretty much getting quality possessions,” Muser said. “We had possessions, but they necessarily weren’t quality possessions.”

“Came out flat,” St. Laurent said. “Not taking anything away from those guys, they definitely played real hard. But we had a lot of self inflicting stuff in those first few minutes. Guys not sliding, throwing sticks instead of taking the body, dropping passes, those kinds of things.”

Then they took complete control in the third quarter with three goals to take a 13-7 lead into the fourth. The period ended with Cavs netminder Charlie Dee making a point blank stop on North’s Alec Jenkerson.

HB ran with that to score the first three of the fourth – Dufoe, Noah Taylor and Tommy Anderson the shooters – and the Cavs led 16-7 to pretty much decide it.

Dee ended up stopping half the shots thrown at him with 10 saves.

“He’s pretty solid,” St. Laurent said. “I told him the beginning of the year, he doesn’t have the luxury of being a freshman, he’s going to have to play. And he’s been doing a good job so far.”

Anderson finished with five goals and an assist, while Taylor had a hat trick. Connor Cook added a goal while J.P.and Andrew Torgrsen had two assists each and Braden Treacy scooped up seven ground balls.

Austin Kaminaris scooped up four for North while also scoring a goal. Among North’s other single goal scorers were Alec Jenkerson and Austin Kaminaris. Jace Colon had eight saves in net.

But here’s the deal: Both teams are better than they were a year ago. North is 1-3 In Division I but the quality of play has improved; HB is 4-0 in Division II and has outscored teams 58-17 in that span.

“They’re a good team, they’re able to move the ball well,” Muser said of the Cavs. “And we’re definitely better than we were last year. This was a good game for improvement, and for all of our guys who hadn’t been playing as much the first couple of games to get some good live reps. I think it will benefit us in the end.”

“I think we play a little bit more like a team,” St. Laurent said. “The kids are really enjoying being together, they work hard every day in practice. Drinking the Koo-Aid so to speak. … We don’t try to look too far ahead, just try to go 1-0, get one percent better every day.”

And Muser is thrilled 100 percent to have Peters back.

“It’s always good to having that guy on the field,” Muser said with a grin. “Having him on the field is a massive difference maker for everyone.”

And with their respective difference makers, both teams hope for more good results and fewer scheduling curves ahead.

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