WATERVILLE — Twice this season, the Brunswick boys’ lacrosse team squandered late leads and lost in overtime.

Not a third time, though.

Senior Andrew Eno completed his hat trick with 1:06 remaining, snapping a tie and thwarting Messalonskee’s fourth-quarter comeback and giving the Dragons a 12-11 win in a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B game at Thomas College on Wednesday.

Messalonskee twice tied the game in the final three minutes, but Brunswick responded each time.

“We came off a rough night against Greely (an OT loss on Friday), and we just did not want that to happen again,” Eno said. “We wanted to finish off strong.”

Brunswick (7-2) also got two goals and four assists from junior captain Aiden Glover and two goals each from Henry Doherty and Jack McDiarmid.

Messalonskee (4-4) lost for the third time in six days despite four goals and two assists from senior midfielder Austin Pelletier and a 14-save performance from junior Wade Carter.

Colin Kinney had a hat trick in the loss, the Eagles’ second one-goal loss this season.

“It was a challenge against them, but going into the playoffs we’re going to play more games like this – close, down-to-the-wire games,” said Messalonskee senior defender Chase Warren. “We’re a veteran group, we’re a smart group. We just have to take this as a learning block and move forward.”

Brunswick held a 10-8 lead with less than five minutes remaining. Dawson Charles scored to pull the Eagles to within one, then helped tie the game with 2:56 left when he separated Dragons goalie Connor Pendergast (eight saves) from the ball behind the cage, leading to an easy goal for Kinney.

“It’s a test of mental fortitude and desire, but also a test of their I.Q.,” Brunswick Coach Don Glover said. “The piece is there where you’re up by one or tied with possession and a short period of time (remaining), you don’t want to get greedy and don’t get unintelligent. That was the piece that I was able to walk away and say to them, ‘Thank you. You proved you can adjust at that pivotal point and do the right thing.'”

That test did not come without it’s nervy late moments.

McDiarmid scored with the man advantage to put Brunswick back on top, only to see Kinney score again 16 seconds later.

It set the stage for Eno’s winner off a quick-paced possession for the Dragons. In all, the teams traded four goals inside the final three minutes, including a span of three 1:32 apart.

“We know we can close games out,” Eno said. “We’ve just got to give it our all at the end.”

Glover might be the focal point of the Dragons’ attack, but he’s far from their only option. Seven players scored in the win.

“You have to learn to play team defense with these guys, because you can only shut off one guy, really,” Messalonskee Coach Tom Sheridan said. “You can’t shut off two or three.”

“We have a lot of work to do,” said Warren, who was tasked with keeping tabs on Glover. “We outplayed them in the second half but just couldn’t finish the job.”