East Lyme — East Lyme, which has beaten Waterford in the Eastern Connecticut Conference tournament boys' lacrosse final each of the last three seasons, keeps trying to find a way to hold off the successful Lancers, each time the teams play taking on the electricity of a rematch and a rivalry.

This game was no different, a final margin of 13-12 in East Lyme's favor, with the Vikings dispatching previously unbeaten Waterford.

The final 7.6 seconds of the game were waved off, as the two teams, now in the same division of the Eastern Connecticut Conference, began to scuffle intermittently.

The difference for East Lyme in this one: a decisive second-quarter charge led by faceoff specialist Scotty Galbo.

Galbo, a junior, generated opportunity after opportunity for the Vikings in the second quarter, tipping things irreversably in their favor as they claimed a four-goal lead — going from 6-6 to 10-6 — that would stand up despite a late Waterford attack.

"It's just the chemistry I have with my wing guys," Galbo said, naming his brother Richie Galbo, as well as Alex Jakubczak on the wing. "I know where they're going to be every time. ... It's always a close game (with Waterford). It's usually a one-point game."

"That was a huge key to the game: possession," said East Lyme coach Gary Wight, whose team is 5-2 overall, 3-0 in ECC Division I. "... Waterford picked it up, but we finished it out. Waterford's a rival. They're in our division now, so every game counts. It's (traditionally) been a great contest."

The score was tied 6-6 with 4 minutes, 39 seconds remaining in the second quarter on Mason LaForte's third goal of the game for Waterford, a sidearm shot.

But East Lyme began its roll on a feed from James McCoy to a cutting Scotty Galbo, the first of the Vikings' four goals in a span of 1:35. East Lyme got the ensuing faceoff and Richie Galbo fired a ball 20 yards to Rob Swenson in stride to make it 8-6 just nine seconds later.

Matt Valakos scored 18 seconds thereafter and Valakos finished the first-half scoring on a feed from McCoy.

Waterford (7-1, 2-1) began the third quarter with a jolt of energy, however, scoring the first goal of the half after Kyle Jacobson intercepted an East Lyme clearing pass, setting up a goal by Ryan Huta assisted by Caleb Holdridge.

The Lancers killed a penalty against them and came back with a goal from Holdridge, who came from behind the goal, shaking a defender, to make it 10-8. But East Lyme's Alec Kosinski scored with the Vikings a man up to push the margin back to three goals and East Lyme would head to the fourth quarter still up 12-9.

Waterford's Peter Lincoln scored his only goal of the game with 1:40 to play to carve the Lancers' deficit to 13-12.

McCoy finished with three goals and two assists for East Lyme and Valakos had three goals and one assist. Rob Swenson added two goals and an assist. Holdridge had four goals and five assists for Waterford and LaForte and Huta had three goals each.

v.fulkerson@theday.com