RallyNorth.net

ANDOVER — Andover defender Jimmy Johnson threw his stick to the turf and stared at the trees in disbelief.

That dejection permeated the team after the Golden Warriors fell to fellow unbeaten Billerica 10-9 in a triple-overtime thriller.

"The last seven times we’ve played them it has been a one-goal game including tonight," said Andover coach Wayne Puglisi. "I don’t think we’ve ever been to triple overtime before, but it’s just the nature of the beast at this point. Every game comes down to one goal."

After falling behind 3-1 nine minutes into the game Andover (5-1) rattled off six of the next seven goals to take a 7-4 halftime lead.

"We knew the monsoon was coming," said Puglisi, whose club was ranked No. 7 in Eastern Mass. in the preseason while Billerica was No. 2. "We knew they weren’t going to feel sorry for themselves."

Jake Gostanian kept the Golden Warriors ahead with stellar work in net. Joe Lamagna scored his fourth goal of the game with 7:21 left in the game to extend the Andover lead to 9-6.

Billerica (5-0), however, stormed back with three consecutive goals including Grant Whiteway’s laser that tied the game at nine with 53 seconds left.

After 48 physical minutes the two undefeated teams played on for 8:15 more.

"I told them to just keep fighting," said Puglisi. "At that point its a war of attrition. Everyone’s physical abilities are declining, and God bless our guys; they played as tough as I’ve ever seen a team play."

The Warriors had their chances in the overtime periods.

Lamagna grabbed a loose ball and lofted a 60-foot shot over the out-of-position Billerica defense but it sailed just wide. John Fiorentino later fired a shot that beat the goalie but skimmed over the net.

The end came during a scramble in front of the net. Chris Smith scooped up the ball in a scrum and fired it into the open net 15 seconds into the third overtime.

"It was a tough game," said Lamagna who upped his goal total to 22 on the season. "Everyone could tell that it was a helluva game. They’re our biggest rivals."

Billerica, which lost to Duxbury in OT in the 2008 state final, was held to six goals under its average. Gostanian made 14 saves in the loss.

Andover is at rival North Andover Monday at 7 p.m. Andover will get another shot at the Indians on May 15 in Billerica.