Lacrosse.htm

(The Lacrosse Team is a composed of both Classical HS and English HS Students

LYNN -- It had been a very long time in between wins for the St. Mary's boys lacrosse squad. The Spartans entered Saturday's affair with Lynn with just one victory, and had been 0-for-May. Yet St. Mary's received a four-goal performance from midfielder Brian Griffin, and teammates Andrew Markham and Matt Molloy each added a pair, as St. Mary's knocked off Lynn, 10-2, at Manning Field.

"It's good to finally be back in the win column," stated Spartans coach Dan Ritchie. "The guys know we're looking at the big picture, as we're a young team and looking forward to the next couple of years."

Neither team could muster anything in the first few moments of the opening quarter, as it was more of a feeling-out process for both squads. Griffin hit a post midway through the period, yet Markham would give the Spartans a 1-0 edge with just over a minute remaining in the quarter. He took a feed, and beat goalie Riley McManus from inside the 30 for the game's first score.

St. Mary's (2-14) broke the game open in the second. Griffin netted his first score less then two minutes into the stanza with a 20-yard strike. Both teams went scoreless for the next five minutes before Spartans attacker Steve Poliskey increased the lead to 3-0. Teammate Aaron Reddick raced downfield through the Lynn side of the field, and to the left side of Lynn's net. He hit Poliskey with a short pass, and he fired the ball past McManus for the score. St. Mary's added two scores late in the half, just over a minute apart, for the 5-0 halftime edge.

"The first quarter was a feeling-out process for us, getting to know our opponents," Ritchie said. "But we were able to turn it on in the second (with the four goals)."

Lynn (2-12) came out the aggressor in the second half, storming the Spartans net with several chances. Midfielder Ricky Bigwood was robbed by goalie Chris Delvecchio from in front, and teammate Ricky Duggan had an opportunity gloved by Delvecchio moments later.

Griffin added his second score of the contest midway through the period with a shot from just inside the 20. Duggan broke the shutout 34 seconds later, but Molloy got that goal back near the end of the period by flinging the ball from the 30 past McManus for a 7-1 lead. Griffin completed his hat trick with less than a minute remaining in the stanza to give St. Mary's an 8-1 advantage heading into the fourth period.

Goals by Griffin and Markham sandwiched a score by Lynn defenseman Robbie Nelson in the final quarter to round out the scoring.

"Robbie's been playing for three years, and scored his first-ever goal on his first-ever shot," aid Lynn coach Peter Pappagianopoulas. "(Attacker) Jared Chen and McManus played well for us."

Saugus 9, Lynn 4

At Manning Field, the Sachems (4-12) had four players with two goals each: Dylan Hartigan, Nick Taylor (2 goals, 2 assists); Dan Sheehan (2 goals, 1 assist) and freshman Nick Benoit (2 goals, 2 assists). Mike Venizia (16 saves) took care of things in net.

Lynn Goes Wild over Malden, 12 - 10

At Malden, Demetrius Polk scored four goals to lead Lynn (2-10). Josh Delgado, Paul Strakas and Mike Duggan all scored a pair of goals. Christian Cyr and Neil Whittridge scored solo goals.

"It was just a great all-around effort from everybody tonight," Lynn coach Peter Pappagianopoulas said. "I'm very proud of the guys. Positives all around."

Riley McManus had another very strong effort with 13 saves.

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SALEM -- Swampscott's boys lacrosse team put an end to a four-game losing streak by handing Lynn a 12-2 defeat at Salem State on Thursday.

"We were really trying to rush the play (during the four-game losing streak)," Big Blue coach Josh Field said. "We needed to start playing our game and control the pace of the game. We did it well today, but we need to continue that going forward."

Sean Lannon led the Blue's (5-8) offensive attack with four goals and three assists. Patrick Kennedy scored three goals. Colby Wollerscheid was a force early on and netted a pair of goals. Aiden Lang, Tommy Ball and Richie Sullivan each scored a goal apiece.

"When we play like this, opportunities will present themselves," said Field. "I thought we did a good job (on the offensive side of the field) and moved the ball around nicely."

Sullivan's goal may have been the most impressive on the day. He came up field with the ball, spun around a defender to earn some open field and placed the ball directly over the left shoulder of the goalie, Riley McManus.

The real story of the game was the dominant play of Tim Bradley in net. The sophomore, a first-year starter, made 13 saves and only allowed one of the goals (he was pulled with a little more than four minutes remaining in the game).

"(Bradley) has gotten progressively better as the season has gone on," said Field. "He is settling in nicely."

McManus also had a very strong performance. He turned away 12 shots. Robbie Nelson and Mark Ernsberger played well defensively for Lynn. Rick Bigwood used his size to create havoc in the offensive zone. However, players such as Tony Silva and Tyler Faulkner still delivered strong performances to stall Lynn's attack.

"I think we're really starting to come around," Lynn coach Peter Pappagianopoulas said. "We played them even for a while and then had a lull period in the middle of the game. But I'm happy with the effort that they put forth."

Christian Cyr and Jared Chen scored the goals for Lynn. It was Chen's first career goal.

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Danvers 12, Lynn 2

At Manning Field, hustle and solid play were not enough for Lynn to overcome a strong Danvers squad. Scoring for Lynn (1-8) were Josh Delgado and Demetrius Polk.
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Marblehead 15, Lynn 0

At Lynn, Pat Grady led the Magicians with five goals, while Jacob Naselek added three. Ellery Smith, Ian Maag, Joe Aronhime, Brian Gellert, Alex Whitmore, Sam Tenney and Garrett Callahan all chipped in with a goal. Matt O'Neil made 11 saves.

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LYNN -- Swampscott's boys lacrosse team put on an absolute clinic in a 12-0 win against an undermanned Lynn squad at Manning Field on Tuesday.

"We really got back into the flow of things," Big Blue coach Josh Field said. "We took some good shots and they are starting to find the back of the net."

Swampscott spread the scoring around its attackers. Senior Tom Ball and junior Sean Lannon each chipped in with three goals. Dynamic sophomores Aiden Lang and Patrick Kennedy each chipped in with a pair of goals. Senior captain Colby Wollerscheid took the ball from midfield to the net and delivered a beautiful goal.

Sophomore Adam Samborn may have delivered the most impressive goal of the game. He looped around the net and leaped in the air, and fired the ball just over the shoulder of goaltender Riley McManus.

"We were able to maintain possession," said Field. "That is always our main part of our game plan. Now we need to keep working on face-offs and we will be in a good place."

Tim Bradley picked up the shutout for the Big Blue, turning away eight shots.

McManus had a fine day for Lynn . He turned away 20 shots.

"(McManus) was outstanding today," Lynn coach Peter Pappagianopoulas said. "We got some great effort from the younger kids. But sometimes effort only goes so far and talent takes over."

Lynn has been severely plagued with injuries, especially with its attackers. In fact, only one attacker who was slated as a starter in the first day of practice is active at the moment.

"I'm happy with the effort," said Pappagianopoulas. "But it has been a nightmare losing all of the players that we have."

4/12 - The Lacrosse Team vows to beat Saugus the next time they play. They lost 8-5 this time.

Early in any sports season, a team can learn about its character in a hurry. After winning Thursday's tilt against Malden, 7-4, the Lynn boys lacrosse team learned it can win on the road, throw punches in a back and forth game, and do it without its full complement of starters.

In the first half, Lynn found itself in a dogfight, trading goals with Malden. At halftime, Lynn trailed 3-2. Coming out for the second half, Lynn's defense clamped down and the offense rattled off five goals to grab the win.

Leading the scoring for Lynn was Demetrius Polk with three goals. Junior Josh Delgado, playing in his first varsity game, scored twice, while Paul Strakus and Jack Carter each scored once. Playing a very strong game at midfield was Neal Whitridge.

Lynn (1-1) started this game without three of its normal starters as a result of injury.

"I am very proud of my guys," said Lynn coach Peter Pappagianopoulas. "We had lots of guys step up, and got big games out of them."

Improved numbers and depth should help the Lynn lacrosse team this season, coach Peter Pappagianopoulas said.

"The numbers seem to be growing at both schools, which is great to see," said Pappagianopoulas, whose team draws students from both Classical and English. This is the third year of the merger and the numbers look good with 50 players splite between the varsity and junior varsity.

"Hopefully it's a resurgence of excitement in the game," Pappagianopoulas said. "A lot of football players seem to have an interest. It helps our program quite a bit."

Pappagianopoulas said the numbers are the best he's seen.

"I coached Classical before the combination, and this year by far blows away the numbers," he said. "Most years, we were lucky if we had 35 combined."

The coach credited "a couple of young big guys" with adding strength to the team, including newcomer Ricky Bigwood of Lynn Classical. He added that Jared Dwyer, who plays football for English, provides "a little bit of strength to the field," while Neil Whittredge, who is junior class president at Classical, has brought more speed.

Whittredge's speed will complement that of English junior Bucky Surette, a midfielder and faceoff specialist, and fellow Bulldog Jordan Morelli, who transferred from St. Mary's last year but did not play lacrosse.

"We have a couple of strong returnees back," Pappagianopoulas said.

He said that Surette and Classical senior Mike Duggan, a midfielder and faceoff specialist, headline that list. He also mentioned English player Tyler Slepoy, who played defense last year, and noted that Jack Carter, an honor student at English who took year's lacrosse season off, is now back and has stepped up as a leader. All of them are hockey players. So pleased is the coach with his tryouts that he has delayed choosing captains until today.

"I had them show me what they were going to do in the first two weeks," he said. "The captains would depend on what comes out of it. With the work ethic this week, it's going to be tough."

Next Saturday, on Easter eve, the team begins its regular season at Salem. The game was initially scheduled for 7 p.m. but was changed to 12:30 p.m.

Lynn will play 18 regular-season games in 2010. In addition to its Northeastern Conference slate, the team will face St. Mary's, Nashoba Tech, Malden, Medford and Georgetown.

"Going into every year, you hope it winds up as a tournament season," Pappagianopoulas said. "We shall see." He also listed as goals "just to support and continue to promote the game in the city, improve on last year and draw more students into the game."

Lynn struggled in 2009, going 3-13, and the team graduated all three starting attackmen, all three starting defensemen and the starting goalie. The coach cited inexperience as a weakness this season.

However, he said, "The team this year seems a lot more together. This year, it seems to be working hard in a positive direction."

He also praised the academic work of his student-athletes, including his new goalie, Riley McManus of Classical, who is also an Upward Bound student in the City of Lynn.

"He's another great kid and a very good student," Pappagianopoulas said. "We have quite a few good students on top of great kids in our program, which you like to see." And in general, he said, "Grades are better this year. I put a focus on grades as a teacher (he teaches biology and anatomy at English). A student-athlete's not just an athlete."

The coach said that team numbers are "fairly balanced" between Classical and English, "slightly leaning towards English, partly because I teach at English."

Pappagianopoulas himself is a Classical graduate who played lacrosse for the Rams and then at Salem State College for a couple of years. He coached JV lacrosse at Classical for three years, then took over the Rams varsity and then the combined Lynn team.

His assistants also have local ties. Kevin Driscoll is a former English coach and Adam Saltzman played at English for Driscoll and another former coach, Bill Rafuse.

Lynn 10, Saugus 9 (overtime)

At Saugus, Sean Crowley scored the game-winning goal. On the day he had four goals and an assist. Mike Lynch was Lynn's only other player with multiple goals (2). Tim Shirley, Sean Winchell, Bucky Surette and Jeff Gaudet each scored a goal. Chris Dellazoppa and Zach Houghton added an assist each.

Classical/English Lacrosse Trying to Regain Early Season Form

The 2009 season got off to a promising start for the Lynn Classical/Lynn English lacrosse co-op, but has since fallen victim to the kind of frustrations experienced in previous years. The team won two of its first three games, but is still looking for that elusive third victory.
“The team is coming along – some good, some bad –but we’re still building,” said head coach Peter Pappagianopoulas. “Confidence is our biggest thing. Our guys have the ability and some very high skills, but nobody wants to take over during the game. A little more confidence here or there could put us over the top.”
The team suffered a 9-1 setback on Friday against North Reading. The loss was particularly upsetting to the coach and his players as it came a day after a game in which the team held its own against Swampscott, one of the top lacrosse teams in the area this season.
Lynn played almost neck-and-neck with Swampscott throughout the first half of Thursday’s game. The Lynn defense, led by senior co-captain Dan Lucier, limited the Big Blue attackers and, in general, allowed goals only in man-down situations. Lynn trailed 6-3 at halftime and went on to lose 12-5. Sean Crowley finished with three goals in the game, and Sean ? and Matt Lunden added a goal apiece.
With four games remaining on the season, Coach Pappagianopoulas is hoping that his team can return to the kind of play that made them successful in the first week of the season. To do so, the offense must take advantage of the outstanding performances it has been receiving regularly from Chris Donofrio, who was credited by his head coach as being the backbone of the team.
“He’s done an excellent job all season,” said Pappagianopoulas. “He hasn’t waivered. He’s showed no frustration with the losing streak and has been putting his work in every day.”
Another win or two in the final weeks of the season would go a long way towards encouraging players to work even harder to get ready for next season. The team has benefited from the emergence of Mike Duggan and Chris Surette, who been dominant on face-offs and are both expected to return in 2010. The major goal for the two middies in the coming months will be to find ways to translate more of those face-off wins into scoring opportunities.
Lynn will host Salem High tonight at Manning Field, and will hit the road on Thursday to play against Saugus High, whom they beat, 8-7, earlier this season.

Salem 13, Lynn 4

At Manning Field, Lynn (2-11) had goals from Sean Crowley (2), Sean Winchell and Paul Strakus, who had his first varsity goal. Chris D'Onofrio played well in net.

North Reading 9, Lynn 1

At Lynn, Lynn dropped to 2-10 on the year with a desultory effort. Lynn plays at home against Salem on Tuesday.

Peabody 20, Lynn 1

At Peabody, the Tanners (6-3) dominated with Derek West (4 goals, 1 assist); Marc Jesi (3 goals, assist); Derek Savage (goal, 3 assists); Mark Daddario (3 goals); Matt Rodgers (goal, 2 assists); Greg Shidler (2 goals, assist); Greg Durant (2 goals) and Dan Jennings, Tony Cappella, Justin Provencher and D.J. Henrick (1 goal each) doing the damage. Sean Winchell was the lone scorer for Lynn.

Beverly 15, Lynn 5

At Manning Field, Lynn took on one of the powers of the league and came out on the short end. Chris DellaZoppa, Bucky Surette and Mike Lynch each had a goal and Tim Shirley had two.

Lynn (2-5) is home Friday (4) against Gloucester .

Jeff Gaudet scored a goal for the Lynn lacrosse team against Marblehead on Tuesday. (ITEM PHOTO / OWEN O'ROURKE)

At Marblehead, Jeff Gaudet, Chris Surrette and Sean Winchell were Lynn's goal-scorers. Max Cohn outscored Lynn by himself, withfour goals. Jay King notched a hat trick. Aaron Reny added a pair of his own. Matt O'Neil turned away five shots for the Magicians.

It was a little too close for comfort, but the Lynn lacrosse team was able to get its first win of the season Wednesday thanks to an 8-7 decision over Saugus at Manning Field.

"It was a great effort," Lynn coach Peter Pappagianopoulos said. "The defense played excellent."

Sean Winchell led the Lynn offense, recording a hat trick and an assist. Sean Crowley scored twice while Tim Shirley and Bucky Surette had a goal and an assist each.

Joey Leblanc had the other Lynn goal with Jeff Gaudet handing out four assists.

Medford 6, Lynn 5

At Manning Field, Sean Crowley scored twice for the hosts but penalties proved to be Lynn's downfall in its opener.

"A couple of bad penalties really hurt us," Lynn coach Peter Pappagianopoulos said.

Mike Lynch, Bucky Surette and Jeff Gaudet also had goals for Lynn.

When the Classical/English boys lacrosse team opens its season today, there will be a new face on the sidelines.

Peter Pappagianopoulas has taken over as head coach after serving as the junior varsity coach last year. Pappagianopoulas, who teaches at English, will have his work cut out trying to turn things around. The Lynn team only won two games last season.

The good news for the first-year head coach is that he'll have a large group of seniors who have played for the last few years. This is the second year for the combined team. Pappagianopoulas said his numbers are running in the high 30s (varsity and junior varsity combined).

Among the returning players he'll be counting on are defenders Tom Meany, Dan Lucier and Chris Della Zoppa, and attackman Sean Winchell. Chris D'Onofrio will provide a veteran presence in net. Pappagianopoulas is also looking for hockey players Sean Crowley, Tim Shirley and Chris "Bucky" Surette to help out.

Lynn will play Medford today at Manning Field (5).

Saugus 9, Lynn 6

At Manning Field, Sean Winchell led Lynn (2-14) with two goals. Jeff Gaudet, Joe LeBlanc, Titany Louep and Sean Crowley had a goal each.

John Poth had four goals and assisted on three more to help the Swampscott boys lacrosse team defeat Lynn, 12-6, Thursday at Manning Field.
"The Lynn team played very aggressive," Swampscott coach Josh Fields said. "We did a lot of good things against a good team. I though our defense played great."
The Big Blue (8-8) also had scoring from A.J. Zarinsky (3 goals, 2 assists); Ben Wollerscheid (2 goals) and Sam Phillips, Pat Flynn and Charlie Fischer, one goal each. Matt Nutter (11 saves) was in net.
Sean Crowley was the big gun for Lynn with four goals. Mike Lynn and Tim Shirley added the other two and Chris Donofrio (11 saves) was in net.

Peabody 16, Lynn 2 Daily Item Roundup

At Lynn, Peabody improved to 8-2 (7-0 in the NEC) on the season with a runaway victory over Lynn.

Lynn's record dropped to 0-10 (0-8 NEC).

The Tanners jumped out to a 9-0 lead at halftime. Billy Daly led the Tanners with four goals and two assists in the contest. Michael Pennachio, Rich Grillo, Derek West, and Mark Jessi all scored two goals apiece for the Tanners. Justin Famigletti was in goal for Peabody.

Kris Murphy and Sean Crowley each scored one goal for Lynn.

Swampscott 12, Lynn 5

At Swampscott, A.J. Zarinsky scored five goals to help the Big Blue improve to 7-6. Ben Wollerscheid had three goals and Pat DeChillo, Emerson Rukowski, Pat Flynn and Charlie Fisher chipped in one each. Matt Nutter was in net.

Lynn (0-9) had three goals by Titeny Louep and one each from Liam Bransfield and Mark Moise. Chris Donofrio was busy in net with 23 saves.

Salem 8, Lynn 7 4/18/08

At Manning Field, Lynn's Sean Crowley and Titany Louep each scored three goals, but the Witches fought back from a 6-4 deficit after three quarters to send the game to overtime, where they won it. Kris Murphy also had a goal for Lynn and Chris Donofrio made 15 saves.

Marblehead's Will Beringer had five goals and an assist with teammates Jay King and Tucker Cohen each contributing two goals. Matt Williams, Nick Tobin, Jackson Barber, Ellery Smith, Mike DiFilippo and Aaron Reny had single goals for the Magicians (2-2).

Saugus 10, Lynn 6 4/11/08

At Saugus, Anthony Howell and Gilson Fernandez each had a pair of goals, and six other players, Mike Scuzzarella, Hudson Henriques, Craig Copper, James Donovan, Corey Laderbush and James Sparks, added one each for the Sachems, who are 2-0 under new coach William Robinson. Eric Knibbs (11 saves) got the job done in net.

Lynn (0-3) found itself down 8-1 at the half. Tatany Louep had two goals and an assist; Sean Winchell (goal, 2 assists) and Mike Lynch, Kris Murphy and Sean Crowley (single goals) also did well. Chris D'Onofrio (15 saves) was in net.

The combined Classical/English boys lacrosse team came up short in its debut Thursday at Manning Field.

Lynn led 4-2 at the half, but Bishop Fenwick came to life after the break to pull out a 6-5 win and improve to 2-1.

"We had a couple of opportunities we didn't quite finish on," Lynn coach Chris Simbliaris said. "But it definitely was good today. The kids were all fired up."

Titenny Louep and Sean Crowley each had two goals for Lynn with Kris Murphy accounting for the other goal. Chris D'Onofrio was in the net.

"D'Onofrio played an outstanding game," Simbliaris said. "The saves he made were just unreal. He made a lot of point-blank saves when the game was close."

Fenwick's Pat Doliber (2 goals, 2 assists) tied the game with about eight minutes remaining and Bobby Tarr (goal, 2 assists) supplied the game-winner three minutes later. Eamon Barrett (2 goals) and John Baker (goal, assist) also helped out offensively. Craig Forrest (16 saves) was in net.

"The Lynn kids, they took it to us," Fenwick coach Jay Richards said. "They came out like they've played three or four games already."

Lynn captain Al Lewis, left, and junior Tim Shirley work out at practice Wednesday at Manning Field. (ITEM PHOTO / REBA M. SALDANHA)

LYNN -- The imaginary line that separates East Lynn from West Lynn blurred a little this winter with merger of the English and Classical hockey teams, and it's even fuzzier this spring now that the rival schools have also joined forces in lacrosse.

The Lynn lacrosse team (there is no team nickname) hit the Manning Field turf running this week with 63 players (51 from Classical and 12 from English) showing up for tryouts. Coach Chris Simbliaris has since trimmed the list to 54.

Simbliaris is excited about the team's prospects this season, despite the fact neither Lynn team fared well last year. Classical finished 2-16, but Simbliaris said he knew it would be a rebuilding year. The team lost 11 seniors from the 2006 squad that qualified for the state tournament for the first time in the history of the program.

Simbliaris had many underclassmen playing last year, and he's hoping the year of experience, combined with the influx of players from English, will translate into some success this year.

"It's definitely going to be a good year for the program," he said, "I think it's a win-win situation for both teams."

Simbliaris said many of the players already knew each other through other sports, like hockey, baseball and soccer, so it hasn't been much of an adjustment.

"The kids really don't care (about the team being merged). They just want to play the game," he said.

Simbliaris is still sorting through the talent, but there are several players from both teams who he expects will be key in the team's success. He has three senior captains, defenseman Alex Lewis and midfielder Kris Murphy from Classical, and junior defender Dan Lucier from English. Senior defender Chris Voyiagis (Classical), attackman Tim Shirley (English) and goalie Chris D'Onofrio have also stood out in the pack.

When the Classical and English hockey teams merged for the 2007-08 season, one of the big questions involved team colors. Combining maroon and gray with green and gold was a challenge, so the hockey team went with a neutral color scheme in red, white and blue. The hockey team also went with a neutral nickname, the Jets.

The lacrosse team will forgo a nickname, according to Simbliaris. The team will wear green helmets and green gloves. The home jersey will be gray and the away shirt will be black; the shorts will also be black.

The one semi-casualty of the merger is the Lynn tournament, which featured all four teams (Classical, English, St. Mary's and Tech) last year. Tech coach Brad Tilley has opted to not have his team play in the tournament, leaving only the combined Lynn team and St. Mary's.

Simbliaris said the Lynn team will play the Spartans for the championship, and next year, there will be two new teams in the tournament to bring the total back to four. In addition to its Northeastern Conference schedule, the Lynn team will play non-league games against Bishop Fenwick, North Reading, Wakefield, Pentucket and St. Mary's. Lynn opens the season Thursday, April 3, at home against Fenwick.

Joining Simbliaris on the bench will be Ed Brandt, a former Waltham High varsity assistant coach. Peter Papagianopoulos, who teaches at Classical's 9th-grade academy, will also help out. The team will tune up for opening day with scrimmages against Manchester-Essex and Burlington.

Chris Simbliaris will coach the new combined Classical-English lacrosse team this spring.

Simbliaris interviewed for the job Monday and was notified Wednesday that he had been hired. Simbliaris has been the Classical head coach for the last six years. English head coach Kevin Driscoll did not apply for the job.

The merger of the two lacrosse programs marks the second such Classical-English collaboration. The hockey team merged under a new name, the Lynn Jets, and is midway through its inaugural season. Like the hockey merger, the lacrosse arrangement is for two years and will then come up for review.

Simbliaris said the details of the merger are still being worked out. Although the hockey team adopted a neutral set of colors (red, white and blue) and a new nickname (the Jets), Simbliaris wasn't sure how these issues would be handled with lacrosse. He said he initially thought the team would still be called Classical and the English athletes would be welcome to play, but now he's hearing it will be called Lynn. He said at this point, the team will wear Classical helmets and gloves, but he wasn't sure about the rest of the uniform.

"There isn't enough money in the budget to buy new uniforms and equipment," he said.

Despite the uniform alterations, Simbliaris said, "The merger pretty much doesn't change anything." He added that the only real difference is that he'll have English players on the team.

Simbliaris said he hopes to be able to have more practices at Manning Field so that English players wouldn't have to make the trek to Classical every day, but that would depend on field availability. If the team doesn't practice at Manning, it will use the field behind Classical, with the junior varsity games being played at Hood Park.

The team will play the Classical schedule, although Simbliaris said he'll have to pick up a couple more games to compensate for the English games.

Although the Classical-English hockey merger was prompted by low numbers at both schools, particularly at Classical, the lacrosse numbers at Classical are still good. Simbliaris said he's expecting around 40 returning players. The English numbers had dropped off considerably last year. Simbliaris said he's expecting around eight to 10 returning players from English.

Both programs were starting to feel the effects of a lack of a youth lacrosse program in the city. The Lynn Youth Lacrosse league folded, and Lynn youngsters who want to play lacrosse must go to Salem.

Driscoll said when lacrosse was first introduced at many area high schools, most communities were in the same boat as far as getting players who had never played the game before. That has changed. Youth lacrosse is thriving in many neighboring communities, while it's nonexistent in Lynn.

"Numbers are definitely low in the city," Driscoll said. "With no more youth program, it's tough to support two teams."