Brunswick traveled to western Massachusetts on a chilly spring afternoon and dropped a hard-fought contest to Deerfield, 9–8, on Saturday. 

Deerfield opened the scoring and built an early 2–0 lead, but the Bruins responded well, battling back to even the score at 3–3 by the end of the first quarter.

The Big Green regained momentum early in the second, pushing ahead 5–3, but Brunswick’s defense settled in and held firm for the remainder of the half. The Bruins chipped away offensively and tied the game at 5–5 heading into the break.

Brunswick came out strong in the third quarter, fueled by key faceoff wins from senior Owen Gibbons and goals from senior Rick Giordano and sophomores Sawyer Bligh and Hunter Hanford. Senior goalie Will Connell came up with several clutch saves, while senior Ryan Baxter made his presence felt across the field with ground balls and forced turnovers. The Bruins also successfully killed a two-man-down penalty and carried an 8–6 lead into the fourth quarter.

In the final frame, Deerfield capitalized on transition opportunities to tie the game and eventually scored the go-ahead goal with 21 seconds remaining. Brunswick won the ensuing faceoff and generated one final chance, but the last-second attempt just missed.

The Bruins return home Wednesday to host nationally ranked Malvern Prep at Cosby Field, with faceoff set for 5:30 p.m.