HINGHAM — For some reason or another, the Hingham boys lacrosse team always found themselves on the short end of the scoreboard consistently whenever the annual Coaches Cup reached its conclusion.
On Saturday, they finally were able to end their proverbial curse, while earning some payback in the process. Senior captains Charlie Packard and Joe Hennessey each registered a hat trick, while junior Nate Hoffman racked up 16 saves in the cage as Hingham avenged last season’s loss to Lincoln-Sudbury in the title game with a thrilling 9-8 victory over the Warriors.
“We’ve been there banging on the door a ton,” said Hingham lacrosse coach John Todd. “Great programs there with L-S and Coach Vona, and the guys on his coaching staff. We respect the hell out of them. That’s why we created this tournament in 2010, for guys like him, John Pirani, Wayne Puglisi, Tommy Dalicandro and Brian McLaughlin…now the new guys with Matt Connolly, Nate Kittler, etc. …
“The bottom line is that we saw a lot of great lacrosse today. Overtime game, a one-goal game, but that’s kind of what it’s all about. The Cup means a lot, because you’re playing great programs with great coaches, with great kids that play the game the right way.”
It was the first Coaches Cup title for Hingham since 2018, and the second for the school since the tournament was founded 13 years back. However, for most of the first half, the Harbormen (6-1) struggled to get anything going offensively.
Meanwhile, Lincoln-Sudbury (5-2) continued to fire one shot after another at the net, but Hoffman stood firm during the initial two quarters by recording a few massive stops, helping his team enter the half trailing only 4-3.
Then, the Harbormen found another gear behind some of their established veterans. Packard got things going for Hingham in the second half, as he notched his second goal to cut it to a 5-4 game with 6:38 left in the third quarter. Hennessey and Connor Lasch proceeded to bury a pair of tallies in quick succession, as Hingham took its first lead of the afternoon at 6-5 with 1:07 to go in the frame.
“Obviously, they’re a really good team,” said Hoffman. “By having a few momentum saves, it got us really back into the flow of the game. It helped us establish ourselves, because obviously, they came on strong.”
Packard notched the eventual game-winner for Hingham, as he completed his hat trick with 8:59 left in regulation to make it 9-6. While Lincoln-Sudbury potted two quick goals in the final minute, the deficit was too steep of a hill to climb. Joe Winters carried the Warriors, finishing with four goals in the effort.
After seeing his group come up just short to Lincoln-Sudbury in past championships, the win had added meaning for Packard.
“This goes back a long time for me personally,” Packard said. “I was at the game in 2018 when (we) won it. I was there in 2019 when they lost it, and then I was on the team last year when we lost it again. Finally, getting it for myself. I knew I wasn’t going to go through high school without getting this cup in my hands. It feels really, really good. We have all the respect in the world for that program too, so a win against them is a little bit more sweet.”