By Nathan Max
WSL Executive Editor

ROHNERT PARK, Calif. -- The Saskatoon Scorpions made the 1,800-mile trek to Northern California worth it for the second straight summer.

Middie Regan Harding scored the game-winning goal with 1:30 remaining in regulation to give the Scorpions a thrilling, 8-7 victory over NorCal Sniper EBAL in the 2009 Adrenaline Shootout Boys High School Division championship game Sunday morning at Sonoma State University.

Harding fought through several checks at the top right corner of the box before he cut across the middle of the field and fired home a bounce-shot from about 10 yards to put the third-seeded Canadians ahead to stay.

“I just thought this was a good opportunity to just bang one right at the crease and get a nice goal,” said Harding, who scored a co-game-high four goals. “I just banged her in there.”

Saskatoon (9-0) won the ensuing face-off and briefly held possession before turning it over on an illegal touch with 30 seconds remaining. Top-seeded Sniper (8-1) had one final chance, but the hometown Northern Californians couldn’t get a shot off and lost possession in the waning moments.

With the victory, the Scorpions claimed their second straight Adrenaline Shootout High School Division title. Saskatoon, which comes to the event to prepare for its national tournament in Canada, has won 18 straight at the Adrenaline Shootout.

“Last year, we were expecting to do really well, but this year a lot of people were really skeptical,” said middie Tommy Newton, who scored a pair of goals, including the equalizer with 2:30 remaining in regulation.

“We have a really young team this year compared to before, but we just worked a lot harder and kind of relied on the vets we did have. It was a lot bigger rush this year.”

Harding and Newton were the stars for Saskatoon on Sunday. The two combined to score six of the Scorpions’ eight goals, and they also combined to go 11-of-16 on face-offs. They won all seven face-offs in the first half.

“We work on it a lot,” said Harding, who went 6-of-9 on face-offs. “We work on hand speed, so that really attributes to how we get off to the goal.”

Added Newton, who won 5-of-7 face-offs: “We work on a bunch of different kinds of face-offs. We just really focus on it, because possession is so key in field lacrosse.”

Other offensive contributors for Saskatoon included attackman Matt Saunders, who finished with a goal and an assist, attackman Riley Lander, who dished a pair of assists, and attackman Kale Wudrich, who scored once.

Defensively, goalie Jesse Harrison saved nine shots.

For Sniper, attackman Casey Hock registered a game-high five points on four goals and one assist, middie Cody Soberanes scored three goals and middie Jim Little had three assists.

In the cage, goalie Niko Dutra saved seven shots.

The Scorpions twice led by three goals, at 4-1 in the first half and at 5-2 after Wudrich scored in the opening minute of the second half. Sniper pulled within 5-4 after back-to-back rips by Soberanes, but the Danville Monte Vista rising senior took a non-releasable penalty for taunting after the second goal when he pointed at his defender.

Saskatoon took advantage with a man-up goal by Harding to go ahead 6-4 with 17 minutes to play.

Sniper, however, fought back thanks to tough play around the crease by the diminutive Hock, who scored three unanswered goals in a 3:30 stretch, two off feeds from the Dominican-bound Little. Hock’s final goal of the run with eight minutes remaining gave Sniper its first lead of the game, 7-6.

The teams played more than five minutes of scoreless lacrosse before Newton fired home an unassisted goal with 2:45 remaining to draw the Scorpions level, and Harding finished the job 75 seconds later after yet another Saskatoon face-off win.

“They have amazing stick skills, and they’re really smart with the ball,” Hock said. “You’ve just got to give it to them.”

Saskatoon Scorpions (9-0) 4 4 -- 8
NorCal Sniper EBAL   (8-1) 2 5 -- 7
Goals: SS: Regan Harding 4, Tommy Newton 2, Matt Saunders, Kale Wudrich. NSE: Casey Hock 4, Cody Soberanes 3.
Assists: SS: Riley Lander 2, Matt Saunders. NSE: Jim Little 3, Scott Francis.
Saves: SS: Jesse Harrison 9. NSE: Niko Dutra 7.
Shots: SS: 21. NSE: 19
Face-Offs Won: SS: 11. NSE: 5
Man-Up Opportunities: SS: 1-2. NSE: 0-1.