Crowley scores the winner for Scituate

By Kevin Edelson
Globe correspondent

After an often-frustrating game, it didn't take much extra time for Scituate senior attacker Kyle Crowley to put his stamp on the boys Division 3 lacrosse championship game.

Crowley, held without a goal for the final 47 minutes of regulation, scored his third goal of the game on Scituate’s first possession of overtime, giving the Sailors a 7-6 victory over Dover-Sherborn for their second straight state title.

‘‘Coach drew it up for me,’’ said Crowley, an All-American. ‘‘I just took the opportunity and went to the net and it worked out. Thank God.’’

Crowley scored a goal in each of the first two quarters, as the Sailors built a 3-0 lead. But after that, the D-S defense took over, not allowing a goal until Scituate tied it at 6-6 with 7:39 to go in the fourth.

‘‘We were getting opportunities,’’ said Scituate first-year coach Mark Puzzangara. ‘‘Crowley was getting his looks, [Greg] Reynolds was getting his looks. Their goalie made some huge saves. He really kept them in the game.’’

Dover-Sherborn sophomore goalie Jeff Williams was the player of the game, making 15 saves and holding the potent Scituate offense at bay.

‘‘The last two games he’s just been outstanding,’’ said D-S coach Brian McLaughlin. ‘‘His improvement this year has been unbelievable.’’

His goaltending turned into an offensive spark for the Raiders. They answered a 3-0 deficit with three straight goals to end the first quarter, including one following a Scituate man-advantage during which Williams made two huge saves.

Scituate goalie Matt Palubicki made 10 saves. ‘‘Matt played his best game of his career,’’ said Reynolds, a senior attacker.

‘‘A lot of people didn’t say he could do it,’’ said Puzzangara of Palubicki. ‘‘We graduated an all-league goalie. But he put a lot of those rumors to rest. He was our first star, by far.’’

The win was extra special for the coaching staff, which received criticism after a 5-5 start.

‘‘People were questioning what we were doing,’’ said Puzzangara. (above) ‘‘But as a staff, we had a plan and we set the goals high for these guys. Once we got to that 10-game mark, things just turned around for us.’’