It can’t be called a subway series, but maybe we can crown it the Greyhound Bus series. The annual spring break battle with some of New York’s best high school lacrosse teams got underway on Friday night at DHS, as the Dragons wore down Christian Brothers Academy of Albany while on their way to a 10-3 win.

It can’t be called a subway series, but maybe we can crown it the Greyhound Bus series.{sidebar id=4}

The annual spring break battle with some of New York’s best high school lacrosse teams got underway on Friday night at DHS, as the Dragons wore down Christian Brothers Academy of Albany while on their way to a 10-3 win.

In the first of five consecutive games being played in Duxbury and two neutral sites (Quinnipiac and Tufts), the Dragons showed why they are the class of Massachusetts high school lacrosse.

Despite a somewhat lethargic first quarter, the Dragons used their depth the rest of the night to wear down the visitors for their fifth straight win of the season.

CBA took the opening face-off and moved into the Duxbury end, only to lose possession of the ball; a problem they seemed to have all night long.

Just two minutes into the game, the Brothers tested sophomore goaltender Mickey Zaverucha, who made a great save on a bouncing shot and kept the visitors from gaining any kind of momentum.{sidebar id=1}

Duxbury would score the first goal of the game at the 8:32 mark when senior Derek Sweet broke free of his defender and came out of the corner to the right of CBA goaltender Shane Hans, firing a shot from close range over the netminder’s shoulder to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

It turned into a defensive struggle for the remainder of the quarter, as neither team could gain possession long enough to get its offense in gear.

Zaverucha saved his teammates again at the start of the second quarter, as he deflected a bouncer away from the net after a solid CBA possession threatened to tie the game.

After the Dragons squandered a man-up situation with 8:55 left in the half, the Brothers got a big break when Gus Quinzani and Scott Austin were sent off for infractions at the same time, giving CBA a two-man-up advantage.

Thirty-eight seconds later, John Bourne tied the game at 1-1 when his shot deflected off the stick of Zaverucha and dribbled over the goal line.

Duxbury Coach Chris Sweet had seen enough, or for that matter not enough from his team, and called a timeout to reacquaint them with the art of running the plays.

“I didn’t think we were focused, nor did I think the effort was there,” said the Duxbury coach. “I think they thought that all they had to do was show up tonight.”

They apparently got the message, as junior attack Jake Harvey, senior attack Matt Landry, and Sweet found the back of the net in a four-minute span to grab a 4-1 lead with 4:15 to go in the half.

It took Jordan Sherman just 21 seconds to keep his team in the game when he made it 4-2, but Quinzani got it right back 26 seconds later when he beat Hans from 15 yards out to the goalie’s right.

Coach Sweet continued his goalie rotation by inserting Dan Buonagurio in the second half, and the sophomore never missed a beat, as he made two big saves in the opening minutes to preserve the comfortable Duxbury lead.

With the defense tightening up on both sides, offense was at a premium until CBA broke the ice on a Sherman goal that bounced off the post with 4:56 to go in the quarter making it 5-3.

A CBA timeout was intended to discuss strategy with 2:57 on the clock, but instead it gave the Dragons some time to contemplate why they allowed the visitors to stay in the game.

Coming back on the field with a new attitude, Duxbury scored two goals in the final two minutes to just about put the game away. A Harvey goal on a beautiful feed from Quinzani, and an Austin tally off a feed from Hakeem Lecky made it 7-3 at the end of three quarters.

Duxbury’s depth has been a key ingredient in all their wins, and they showed why in the fourth quarter by reeling off three more goals and keeping the Brothers off the scoreboard.

A spectacular interception and rush up field by Quinzani accounted for the first score, as he found an open Austin at the 9:33 mark. Thirty-six seconds later Lecky found the top corner for a 9-3 lead, while Grant Marston netted the final Duxbury score as he moved right to left near the top of the slot and buried his shot past Hans.

“We’ve got a long way to go and we need to iron out some things,” said Sweet. “But so far for this time of year I like what I see. I think some guys are still trying to figure out what their role is on this team and once they do we’ll be in good shape.”

After taking on Niskayuna and John Jay, the Dragons will travel to Tufts on Wednesday  to take on Hewitt, before ending their five-game NY series on Saturdaπy afternoon in Duxbury against Holy Trinity at 3.{sidebar id=6}