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Orono's victory requires role playing

By Loren Nelson, Editor, 05/27/10, 11:23AM CDT

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Defensive stopper Graphenteen shuts down MontiQuois star Hesse in second half

It was well before game time, and already Orono defenseman Joe Graphenteen had MontiQuois attackman Evan Hesse cornered.

They were taking a break from pregame lacrosse warmups to talk hockey. Both are stick and puck standouts who have played together on postseason all-star teams, so it was only natural that they had some catching up to do.

Turns out they would have plenty of face time with each other during the game, too.

With Hesse treating the Orono defense as if were nothing more than a slice of  Swiss cheese in the first half of the teams’ key Varsity West Conference matchup of top-five Minnesota Boys Scholastic Lacrosse Association teams on Thursday, May 27, Graphenteen at halftime was given the order to affix himself to his old hockey buddy like so much duct tape.

With Graphenteen all but joining Hesse in his cleats, MontiQuois’ offense coughed and sputtererd in the second half of host Orono’s 11-8 triumph that clinched the conference title.

“That was the turning point right there, putting my best defender (Graphenteen) on Evan Hesse, because Evan Hesse is a fantastic player,” Orono coach Josh Scott said. “You saw him.”

Merely a blur when he is running at top speed, Hesse went from three first-half goals to zero in the second as Orono broke away from what was a 4-4 halftime tie.

“When (Scott) puts me on their leading scorer it really fires me up,” said Graphenteen, who also has effectively shadowed the state’s No. 2 scorer, Kieran Gallagher of St. Paul.

Daniel Stephenson scored three of his four goals in the second half for Orono, and teammates Derek Alford and Bo Maki each added three goals as the No. 4-ranked Spartans (6-2) completed their first game since losing to St. Paul by a goal on May 3.

The loss was the second in three games for No. 5-ranked MontiQuois, which lost to St. Paul on by a goal on May 21.

”That’s Orono,” MontiQuois coach Dave Maurer said. “That’s a good team.”

The defending MBSLA state champion Spartans scored the first four goals of the second half to lead 8-4 and MontiQuois could get no closer than two goals the rest of the way.

The loss assures Orono of the top seed in the upcoming Varsity West playoffs, which means MontiQuois most likely will have to beat surging Buffalo to earn a berth in the eight-team state tournament.

“It was a big game for us,” Maurer said about the loss. “The biggest game of the year so far.”

Loren Nelson

Loren Nelson

MN Lax Hub Managing Editor

Phone: 612-379-1030 (ext. 126)

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THREE STARS

1. Joe Graphenteen, Orono
It's not often a defenseman gets the first star (OK, never until now) but without the stellar second-half shutdown work of Graphenteen, a junior, on MontiQuois speed demon and top scorer Evan Hesse the outcome of the key Varsity West Conference matchup very likely would have been different.

2. Daniel Stephenson, Orono
The Spartans' senior midfielder scored four goals, with three of them coming in the second half as the Spartans took control of what had been a 4-4 game at halftime. Stephenson now has 15 goals in seven games.

3. Evan Hesse, MontiQuois
Hesse, a junior who also is a standout hockey player, scored all three of his goals in the first half, including two in the final 7 minutes as MontiQuois rallied from a 4-2 deficit to forge the halftime tie. Hesse (pictured below) has 24 goals in nine games this season.

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