YARMOUTH — Coming into Tuesday’s Class B semifinal against Yarmouth, Brunswick head coach Don Glover knew the Clippers were full of athleticism. And like any other game, he also knew that holding the momentum early on was key. 

After a Dragons goal to open the scoring, the Clippers grabbed the momentum and never gave it up, scoring six unanswered goals building a seven-goal lead at the half and pulled away for an 18-6 victory in boys Class B high school lacrosse action. 

No. 2 Yarmouth (10-4) will square off with No. 1 Greely (11-3) on Friday at Fitzpatrick Stadium. 

The loss to the defending Class B State champions, and two-time including a Class A title in 2017, was also the last game for Glover, who is stepping down after 22 seasons in Brunswick. 

“I’m proud of our guys, they dug in, we did a few things differently along the way and tried to make it as close as a game as we could,” Glover said. “They stole the momentum on a several occasions and we just didn’t have a response to what they were doing.” 

After Nolan Lyne opened the scoring just over two minutes into the contest, Kurt Heywood took a pass from Andrew Garrett and beat Brunswick goalie Connor Pendergast for the equalizer 45 seconds later. 

Anders Corey gave Yarmouth the lead at 7:04 when he charged through the Dragons defense and fired one in. Little did anyone know that this gave the Clippers the lead for good. 

Corey scored again off a Gavin Hamm helper after a Brunswick penalty gave the Clippers a man advantage. Garrett closed out the quarter with the first of his five goals and a 4-1 Yarmouth lead as the home team outshot the Dragons, 12-3 in the opening frame. Yarmouth’s Griffin Primeau won all six faceoffs at midfield. 

“We were bleeding at the ‘X’,” Glover said. “You start giving the ball away and you lose momentum.” 

If Yarmouth didn’t already feel like it had the momentum, it certainly grabbed it over the first three minutes of the second quarter. 

Hamm scored eight seconds in and Garrett followed 30 seconds later to build a 6-1 lead. 

Senior Aiden Glover scored an unassisted goal for Brunswick (11-3), but Yarmouth won its 11th straight faceoff and answered with another Garrett score when he picked up a rebound off a Hamm shot for a 7-2 Yarmouth lead at 9:25. Garrett scored his fourth of the half, this time off a Michael Guertler assist a minute later. Guertler worked his way through a hit to the face and scored the final goal of the half with three seconds remaining to give Yarmouth a 9-2 lead. 

Pendergast had 14 saves on 23 first-half shots. Yarmouth keeper Spencer King had eight stops, including six in the second quarter. 

Along with the nine goals on 23 shots, Yarmouth owned the faceoffs, where Primeau won all 13 faceoffs. 

Second Half 

Brunswick opened the half a man down but was able to fight off the Clippers to get back to even strength. But at 10:23, Corey scored his third goal of the evening, an unassisted score. 

On the ensuing faceoff, Primeau won yet another and carried the ball down the field where he beat the Brunswick keeper for his only goal on the evening. 

“We came out firing,” Primeau said about opening the half strong, not wanting to let Brunswick back into the game. “That’s happened to us a few times this season and we’ve improved. It’s something we’ve worked on and shows great strength of the team to keep firing like that.” 

Yarmouth continued to pepper Pendergast with shots, totaling 10 more in the third quarter, and it was Corey again who found the back of the net with two more goals, lifting the Clippers to a 13-2 lead with four minutes remaining in the third. Corey finished with five goals and one assist. 

Brunswick took its first faceoff of the game gaining possession after a goal for the first time. Jacob Belanger then blew some wind in the Brunswick sails with two goals in a 19-second span off assists from Aiden Glover and Lyne. But once again Yarmouth answered with a Hamm tally for a 14-4 lead through three quarters. Hamm had three goals and three asissts. 

Heywood hit the post and bounced if off Pendergast’s back for the next score before assisting Garrett three minutes later to send the game into running time. Heywood followed with his third goal at 6:22 for a 17-4 lead. 

Aiden Glover registered his last high school goal at 6:07 before Hamm and Brunswick’s Finn Mitchell traded goals to round out the scoring. 

“It’s been an honor playing here with these boys,” Aiden Glover said, who finished with two goals and two assists. “I can’t complain, walking off the field for the last time with my dad. We played against a hell of team out there today.” 

Yarmouth finished with 39 shots on goal, with Pendergast turning away 21 in a losing effort. 

“He’s an exceptional player,” coach Glover said of his goalie. “He stood on his head at the end of his career and I’m excited for him for the next step.” 

The Clippers held the advantage in faceoffs by a 21-6 margin, something Glover didn’t expect. 

“We just could grab any momentum and losing 98 percent of the faceoffs doesn’t put you in a good position,” the coach added. 

Yarmouth’s King made 12 saves in net in the victory. To go with his five goals, Garrett also had a pair of assists. 

These seniors may have gone out with a loss in their last lacrosse game, but with a pair of state titles under their belt, they’re leaving a program in its peak, and coach Glover made sure to remind them of that. 

“I basically said I’m proud of them. We have 18 seniors here where most have been playing together since they were little kids. I can remember watching them as third and fourth graders,” Glover said. “I told them I want them to remember that there are a ton of people on the other sidelines that love them. They have done a lot for the town of Brunswick and this program.  

“I don’t want them to think about the score and losing the last game of the season. I want them to remember all the memories, the friends and the good times together.” 

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