TOPSHAM — Owen Lyons may own the headlines, but it was his kid brother who owned the glory Tuesday night.
Freshman Jacob Lyons scored 1 minute, 10 seconds into overtime as top-seeded Maranacook/Winthrop overcame an incredible effort from Morse/Boothbay goalie Michael Martin in a 10-9 win in a Class C boys lacrosse semifinal at Mt. Ararat High School.
The Hawks (15-1) will play No. 3 Wells for the state title Saturday at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland. The teams did not meet in the regular season.
Martin made 28 saves for the fourth-seeded Shipbuilders (9-7), who appeared to be on the verge of a major upset after they scored three straight goals, including two by Payton James, to grab a 9-7 lead late in the third quarter. But the Hawks’ Owen Lyons and Caleb Morgan scored in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 7 and force overtime.
After Maranacook/Winthrop coach Dan Brannigan called timeout just 12 seconds into the extra session, Jacob Lyons scored a wraparound goal past Martin to send the Hawks to the title game.
“I looked around, and I didn’t see much options,” said Lyons, whose three goals tied for the team lead with Owen. “But I knew I could take a dodge from X (behind the net) and potentially put in behind the net, and that’s what happened.”
Jacob Lyons, who has 76 points this season, is continuing a family tradition at Maranacook/Winthrop. Owen Lyons, a senior, scored his 100th career goal earlier in the season, and another brother, Wyatt, is an assistant coach.
“We have ridden him hard over the last few games and he’s done nothing but impress,” a jubilant Brannigan said.
The teams combined for 17 penalties, which enabled Morse/Boothbay to score six goals with the man advantage.
“Morse came out ready to play,” Brannigan said. “They have amazing players. Their goalie played out of his mind. We were able to do enough. We hurt ourselves with some penalties that we should not have taken. … But at the end of the day all that matters is that we’re going to Portland this weekend.”
Morse/Boothbay led 5-4 at the half as Alcide Demers and Jason Rowan each scored twice.
Martin, meanwhile, kept the Shipbuilders in the game with his goaltending. With time running out in the second period, he dropped to his knees to make a dramatic stop as the clock reached zero. Late in the third period, he made a diving save of Jacob Lyons’ long-distance line drive.
“He’s a lights-out senior,” Morse/Boothbay coach Cooper Quenneville said. “We’re going to miss him next year. He’s awesome. He carried our team for most of the season.
“I don’t think many people expected Morse to be here this year. We haven’t been a contender in years past, and this group worked really hard to get here.”
But for all of Martin’s acrobatics, Maranacook/Winthrop’s defense had the final say, holding the Shipbuilders scoreless for the game’s final 15:12. Goalie Lucas Woodruff made 10 saves.
“My defense is great; they don’t get caught out of position very often,” Brannigan said. “They’re unreal, and the crazy part is that I have only one senior back there. They stay in position; they don’t get beat. So I told them, ‘Stop trying to take the ball away and just be patient, and eventually they’re going to hurt themselves.’ And that’s what we did.”
Caleb Morgan scored twice for Maranacook/Winthrop, and Ethan Hilton had a goal and three assists.
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