FALMOUTH – Until this spring, Mike Kane and Dan Hanley only have been able to watch each other play for the Falmouth boys’ lacrosse team.
That has changed.
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This season, the two high-scoring midfielders are playing together on the same line, and that could spell trouble for the Yachtsmen’s opponents.
“We thought we’d load up that line and make people have to think about how they’re going to handle both Dan and Mike at the same time,” Falmouth Coach Mike Lebel said.
Kane was on the first line last season and, Lebel said, “All you had to do was put a long stick (middie) on Mike and it would neutralize that whole line.”
Despite that, Kane, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior, found enough operating room to score a team-high 25 goals.
Hanley, a 6-foot senior, teamed a year ago with Kyle Lucas to help form a potent second line of middies. He wound up scoring 23 goals and had 15 assists to lead the Yachtsmen in points.
“We play together all the time outside of practice, but we’ve never been on the same line for a game,” Hanley said. “I think it’s going to be great. I really like playing with Mike. I think we complement each other real well. I’m excited.”
Because of Kane’s size and strength, most teams have trouble matching up defensively with him; Hanley’s speed presents a different kind of problem.
“It’s going to be hard to cover both of us, no matter which one of us is covered by a long pole,” said Kane, who will go to Division III power Salisbury State in Maryland next year. “Dan is definitely a hustle player. He’s got a great shot on the run.
“He’s a smart lacrosse player and it’s going to be a lot of fun playing with him this year.”
The presence of Lucas on the same line with the two high-scoring midfielders poses yet another problem.
“With Kyle Lucas on the line, we have three guys who can all dodge,” said Hanley, who plans to play hockey and lacrosse at Bowdoin College next year. “Most teams put their best long-stick middie on the best offensive middie, but we’ve got three guys who can all score.
“It doesn’t really matter. If they try to shut one down with the (long) pole, the other two can score.”
Falmouth played in the Western Class B championship game for the first time last season. This season, the one-two scoring punch provided by Kane and Hanley could help the Yachtsmen advance to the next level.
“When I first took over, we were looking for one good middie,” said Lebel, in his fourth season at Falmouth. “Now we’ve got six good middies, and our third line is pretty good, too.”
In last Friday night’s opener, Hanley scored five goals to lead Falmouth to an 11-4 win against Cape Elizabeth. It was the Yachtsmen’s first win against the Capers in the 10-year history of the lacrosse program.
“Our strength is going to be our depth at the midfield,” Lebel said. “I think we’re going to have more depth at the midfield than other teams.”
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at: pbetit@pressherald.com
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