BRUNSWICK — If the Brunswick High School boys lacrosse team didn’t know Tom Lawson’s name before their Eastern Maine Class A semifinal tilt with Cheverus on Saturday, they sure as heck do now.

Lawson, a freshman attack, sent the game into overtime with his game-tying goal with 3:57 left in regulation, and then got the game-winner with 2:19 remaining in the first sudden-death overtime period.

The goals propelled the fourth-seeded Stags to a dramatic, nail-biting 9-8 win over the previously unbeaten and top-seeded Dragons.

Cheverus (10-4) will now meet No. 3 Deering 9-5) in Wednesday’s East finale. Brunswick finished at 12-1 and graduated seniors Chris Snyder, Seth Holmblad, Tom Purinton, Sam Bessey, Charlie Nau, Nick Toole, Blake Bodwell, Joe Coffey, Winston Sullivan and Theron Wilgus.

Sullivan was a game-long thorn in the Stags’ side with five goals and an assist and he converted a Cam Glover feed when he rolled around the left side of the Cheverus net and scored with 5:05 left in the fourth quarter to put Brunswick up 8-7.

However, Lawson converted a Spencer Amberson feed with 3:47 left and goaltender Colm Pusey also made a topnotch save down the stretch to help send the game into OT.

“I’m proud of these guys,” said Brunswick coach Don Glover. “They’re a great group and we had some excellent leadership from the seniors. I just wish that I wasn’t in the coach’s box and that I could’ve watched the game as a fan because it was so much fun to watch.

“This game came down to possession,” added Glover. “And they simply had more than we did. Give Cheverus all the credit with the way they played. And, they played very well as a group.”

Cam Glover finished with a goal and two assists, while Ryan Poag had a goal and assist, Seth Holmblad a goal, and Mitchell Cooney and Alex Croatti an assist each.

In the Cheverus offense, Lawson finished with three goals, while Brent Green and Jack Sutton had two scores each, Warren Murray and Cody O’Brien a goal each and Coleman Walsh an assist.

Brunswick, which held the biggest lead (two goals) at 5-3 and 6-4 in the third quarter, also trailed 1-0 and 2-1 early on.

Green (assisted by Walsh) scored on the Stags’ first shot of the day with 1:02 gone, but Brunswick’s Glover onetimed the ball for a 1-1 deadlock as he, Holmblad and Sullivan worked hard to keep the Cheverus goal surrounded.

Lawson got his first goal when he leaped over the Brunswick defense with 3:41 remaining in the first period and Sullivan hooked up with Glover with 2:22 left as he nailed the upper right side of the net. Green also hit the post late in the quarter.

That was it for scoring over a stretch of 11:44 as Sullivan scored off a Cooney feed with 2:58 left in the first half for the hosts’ first lead, 3-2

Cheverus, which led in first-half shots 17-12, tied the game up at 3-3 on a Sutton scored with 1:34 left, but Holmblad weaved through several Stag defenders and beat Pusey with 37 seconds remaining for a 4-3 halftime lead.

Sullivan (Poag) made it 5-3 with 8:34 left in the third quarter and he scored again off a Croatti assist with 6:19 left for a 6-4 lead.

Cheverus goals by Sutton (26.6 seconds left in the third period) and O’Brien at 1:09 of the fourth quarter tied things up and set the stage for the Stags’ stunning win.

No. 4 Cheverus 9,
No. 1 Brunswick 8

Eastern Maine Class A boys lacrosse
semifinal
Cheverus 21231—9
Brunswick 22220—8
Goals — (C) Lawson 3, Sutton 2,
Green 2, Murray, O’Brien; (B) — Sullivan 5, Poag, Holmblad, Glover.
Assists — (C) Amberson (2), Walsh;
(B) Glover (2), Poag, Cooney, Croatti,
Sullivan.
Records — Cheverus 9-5; Brunswick
12-1.
Up next — No. 4 Cheverus meets No.
3 Deering in Eastern Maine Class A
finale, Brunswick’s season is finished.