The top D3 boys lacrosse games to keep an eye on in 2023

The spring sports preseason started last week, but the games won’t start for real for two more weeks, so it’s the perfect time to start circling some dates on the calendar.

Here are some of the top games to look out for in 2023 in Division III boys lacrosse, in chronological order. Schedules are subject to change, so check with your respective teams to make sure a date or time hasn’t changed.

April 11: Laconia at Bow

• The defending champs open the season on the road against one of the division’s newcomers. The Sachems begin their title defense taking on a Falcons group that won just two games a year ago in D2, but has a new coach in Devin Calkins and a good enough returning group to be competitive in D3.

April 11: Coe-Brown at Hopkinton

• The division’s other “new” team gets to open its season on the road against last year’s runner-up. The Bears return to D3 after playing the last handful of seasons in D2, where they were a playoff team a year ago. The Hawks have played in four of the last five championship games and should let Coe-Brown know just where it’s at in its new division.

April 14: Plymouth at Laconia

• Perhaps the best rivalry within the division. Last year, they played twice, with Plymouth winning 4-3 in overtime at Laconia in the first week of the regular season, and the Sachems returning the favor with a 5-4 win over the Bobcats in the finale. This is the only scheduled meeting between the two this season.

April 17: Lebanon at Bishop Brady

• One team (the Raiders) is looking to build off a successful 2022 with a young, but talented, roster. The other (the Giants) is hoping that a senior-laden group can find its way back into the postseason for the first time in a while. This game should go a long way to telling each side where its at on those journeys.

April 19: Trinity at Campbell

• These two have quite the budding rivalry going. Two years ago, Campbell won both regular-season meetings with Trinity, but in the playoffs, it was the Pioneers getting the win on the way to a D3 title. Last year, the Cougars got their revenge, winning their only meeting by 11 goals.

May 12: Laconia at Hopkinton

• A rematch of last year’s championship game, it also ends quite the stretch for the Hawks. They’re scheduled to play six games in 12 days to start the month of May, including Trinity, Bow (twice), Bishop Brady and Milford before taking on the Sachems.

May 15: Stevens at Milford

• The second year in a row that these teams will meet in Milford, and also the second meeting between Spartans coach Rick Urda and his oldest son, Harrison, who coaches the Cardinals.

May 17: Laconia at Campbell

• Another playoff rematch, this one of last year’s semifinal won by the Sachems. The Cougars went into the game undefeated, averaging 14.5 goals per game, but Laconia held them to just six in one of the biggest upsets of 2022.