Cold Spring Harbor wins Long Island Class D boys lacrosse crown
Cold Spring Harbor's Luke Giarraputo (2 ) shoots while covered by Port Jefferson's Christopher Mark (21) in the third quarter during the Long Island boys lacrosse Class D final between Cold Spring Harbor and Port Jefferson on Saturday June 4 2022 at Hofstra University. Credit: Bob Sorensen
Five Cold Spring Harbor seniors had the chance to taste a Long Island Championship in 2019 only to fall short in the final. The memory of that stinging loss fueled their hunger to return to the final this season.
The Seahawks, led by senior captains Max Hawkinson, Luke Giarraputo, Patrick Pisano and Jesse Phelan, and fellow senior Spencer Will prevailed over Port Jefferson on Saturday at Hofstra University in a 9-3 win to claim the Long Island Class D boys lacrosse title.
Hawkinson, the 2022 playoff MVP, remembers the 13-12 overtime loss to Shoreham-Wading River as a heartbreaking experience.
“It’s always in the back of your head if you’re going to ever get the chance to take that opportunity back.” he said of a Cold Spring Harbor team that last year in the county final.
Take it back they did, but not without heavy pressure from Port Jefferson and an impressive performance by Royals goalie Peter Murphy, who totaled 12 saves.
Cold Spring Harbor opened the scoring with a strong shot by Giarraputo assisted by Hayden Calabretta with 2:21 left in the first period. Fourteen seconds later, it was 2-0 on a goal by Hawkinson. Murphy had stymied the first four shots by the Seahawks.
“We shook off the rust early,” Hawkinson said. “We started off shooting the ball low but quickly changed our plan on the shots by getting more of them up high over his shoulders.”
Port Jefferson’s Stephen Bayer responded with an unassisted goal with just over a minute left in the first quarter to cut the lead to 2-1. It wasn’t long until Giarraputo added an unassisted goal with eight seconds left, to make it 3-1 after one quarter.
Bayer opened the second quarter with his second goal, inching the Royals closer to the Seahawks, who countered with three goals in under two minutes to take a 6-2 lead into halftime.
“I told them at halftime that we just have to keep playing within the system,” Cold Spring Harbor coach Dennis Bonn said. “When we play out of the system, we’re an average team. When we play in the system, we’re a very good team.”
Pisano, Jake Rogers, and Hawkinson scored in the second half for Cold Spring Harbor. Bayer accounted for all of Port Jefferson's goals.
Next up for CSH: A state semifinal against Briarcliff in Albany on Wednesday.
