Shenendehowa boys lacrosse nixes Niskayuna in blue-bloods battle

CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Shenendehowa boys lacrosse sent a message in its 12-7 win over fellow Suburban Council power Niskayuna Tuesday night.

"I think it shows that we're not a joke," said senior midfielder Freddy Hicks. "We should be taken seriously by everybody in the section, and in the state as well."

And Hicks' performance was no joke either. It took him just 9:42 of game action to record a hat trick - a hat trick which fueled a 5-0 run for the Plainsmen that broke the game open in just the first quarter, as Shen maintained a 7-1 edge.

"It's really important against good opponents to come out, set the tone early," said head coach Jason Gifford. "You know, we were a little bit worried about coming off a real physical game on Saturday, how our legs would be today. Kids responded great, played fast, played crisp."

Niskayuna managed to put an end to the run on a long-range goal from Tanner Williams with 27 seconds left in the quarter, trimming the margin to five. After both sides traded goals in the second quarter, Shen headed for halftime leading 8-3.

The Plainsmen put the game away in the third quarter, outscoring Nisky 3-1 with goals from Hicks, who finished with a team-high five points, and fellow seniors Mason Carroll and Nathan Wolfe.

"This shows, coming off of a loss on Saturday, that we're not satisfied," said Hicks. "We're 8-1 right now, but we just want to keep winning. These guys, the seniors - they're never satisfied. So, we're just gonna keep trying to play like this."

Carroll finished with a hat trick. Wolfe tallied four points on two goals and two assists. Rounding out the scoring for Shen was Nick Stockwell, Reid Metler and Michael Barbegelata.

Nisky was led offensively by Jackson Massaroni and Dillon Licht; they both notched two goals. Along with Tanner Williams, Sami Chowdhrey and George Angelopoulos also found the back of the net once.

Shen (8-1) will host Saratoga Springs Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Nisky (5-3) forges ahead with its three-game road trip; game two coming Thursday at Ballston Spa, with opening faceoff set for 4:15 p.m.