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Sports

Sudden End To Bobcats Season

Boys LAX Suffers 1st Round Sudden Death Overtime Loss To Avon In State Tournament.

A back and forth game played at Brookfield High School that had eight ties came down to sudden death overtime.  The Brookfield (11-6, 8-4) boys lacrosse team held possession of the ball for the opening few minutes of the four-minute extra session, but couldn't generate a good shot. 

Avon (9-8, 5-5), who had outshot the Bobcats all day, finally took control of the ball and won the first round Class M State Tournament game 9-8 on their first shot of overtime with 39.8 seconds remaining.  Junior Kurtis Skelly delivered the game-winner for the visiting Falcons.

"We've played tight games all year," Avon head Coach Scott Kossibiel said.  "We've won and lost games by one or two goals, we are used to situations like this and we took full advantage of that experience."

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It was a sudden and painfully final end to a season.  And for the 15 seniors who play for Brookfield it was also an end to their high school playing careers.

"All the seniors played good all year," senior captain and leading goal-scorer Tom Gilligan said.  "This was the best season we had in a while.  Although we didn't win a game in the SWC playoffs or in states, there were good highlights from the season and positive things we can always look back on."

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The game started slowly with neither team finding the net in the first quarter, playing to a 0-0 tie.  From there the action would intensify. 

Avon broke through first in what would be a trend in the game.  They took a 1-0 lead at 11:17 of the second quarter, scoring off a turnover.  Brookfield responded when Gilligan made an individual move to get free for a goal from behind the net at 10:20 for the 1-1 tie.

The game would seesaw back and forth through the next two periods as Avon continued to take one goal leads only to see the resilient Bobcats respond to tie it up. 

Avon held a 2-1 lead at halftime, outshooting Brookfield 17-9 in the half.  Senior captain goaltender Mitch Fenton was solid in net as he had been all year, keeping Brookfield in the game.

"Mitch has been under-looked all year," Gilligan said of his co-captain.  "He made it possible for us to win."

Senior Matt Bonavita tied the game at 2-2 early in the third quarter before Brookfield junior Justin Dobosh suffered a scary injury in a mid-field collision.  No penalty was called on the play and Avon retook the momentum of the game with a goal 17 seconds later for a 3-2 lead at 10:01.

Bonavita took a great cross-field pass from Gilligan at 6:02 of the third quarter to tie the game again at 3-3.  Falcons senior Ian Mack retook the lead for Avon, scoring on a no-look over the shoulder shot at 5:14.  Gilligan responded at 2:31 to tie the game at 4-4 only to see Avon go back up 5-4 at the 1:40 mark of the third quarter. 

With 47.9 seconds remaining in the third quarter Brookfield's Travis Pastor scored what would be the first of three straight goals for the senior captain to send the teams into the fourth quarter tied at 5-5.

"Travis did a great job," Gilligan said.  "He stepped up."

Brookfield's defense picked up in the fourth quarter holding Avon to only five shots on goal after allowing 11 in the third.  Still the Falcons were able to retake the lead at 9:25.  Pastor tied it at 7:08 with a low liner of a shot, then Pastor gave Brookfield its first and only lead of the game by scoring at the 3:50 mark.

Avon responded by tying the game 20 seconds later and then taking an 8-7 lead at the 2:04 mark.

Bobcats senior captain Matt Bonn gained possession off the ensuing face off and drove right down the field for the equalizer just 10 seconds later.  The Bobcats gained possession again and held the ball for the final two minutes but were unable to get off a shot to try and win the game in regulation.

"Defensively we have a lot of older guys who've been there and done that," Kossibiel said.  "I was confident they could get a stop and they did."

Not being able to give themselves a chance to win the game in regulation set the Bobcats up for their sudden defeat in overtime.

"We couldn't get ahold of the game," Gilligan said.  "We didn't take advantage of our opportunities.  We gave it our all."

First year coach Tim Oelgoetz was deeply disappointed with the loss but still felt the season was a success.

"I'm satisfied with the way the season turned out," he said.

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