Greatness predicted for Brighton lacrosse freshman who had hat trick in regional win

BRIGHTON — Brighton freshman Joey Skoczylas doesn’t strike an imposing figure on the lacrosse field.

He stands only 5 feet, 6 inches tall and still wears braces.

It would be tempting for opponents to overlook him and focus their attention on attackers who look the part.

But preconceived notions of what Skoczylas is capable of against bigger, older players on the varsity level disappear the moment he fires the ball.

Skoczylas had three goals and two assists for the host Bulldogs Wednesday during a 16-3 victory over Plymouth in a Division 1 regional semifinal.

Skoczylas began the season on Brighton’s varsity B team, but was called up permanently to the main varsity squad a few weeks into the season.

Playing in 10 of Brighton’s 19 varsity games, he’s scored 18 goals and six assists. His 40.5% shooting success rate coming into the game is the highest on the team among the 13 Bulldogs who have at least four goals.

“He’s going to be a great one,” Brighton coach Jim Carl said. “He’s a really great player. It took him a little time to adjust to the speed and the pace and the physicality of the game. As you saw tonight, he can play anywhere.

“He’s probably got the best stick in our program. He’s a little undersized, but he’s a freshman. He’s going up against some big boys, but he plays well, he plays smart, he plays really unselfishly. I think he’s going to be one of the great players to come through the program.”

While adjusting to the high school varsity level took time for Skoczylas, he felt comfortable immediately coming into the program. With two older brothers who have played for Brighton, he’s been around the program for years. Jake Skoczylas graduated last year and Matt Skoczylas is a junior on this year’s team.

“I’ve known a lot of them since I had a lot of brothers play at this school, so I have good chemistry with them,” Joey Skoczylas said. “I know everyone. I don’t feel like a newbie or anything.”

Skoczylas didn’t expect to make this big an impact as a freshman.

“I was expecting to play a lot, but I didn’t really expect to be on varsity A as a freshman, but it’s nice to be,” he said.

Aurandt provides early spark

Junior Lukas Aurandt scored four of his game-high five goals in the first quarter, as Brighton jumped out to a 6-0 lead. A goal by Ryan Bell with 8:18 left in the second made it 8-0 before Plymouth scored its first goal.

“We just brought a lot of energy,” Aurandt said. “We were ready for this game. The boys were having fun. It fed off on me. It was a team effort that allowed me to get my goals early on.”

Aurandt’s fifth goal with 7:48 left in the third quarter was his 50th of the season.

“It means a lot to me,” he said of the milestone. “I put in a lot of work during the offseason. It’s nice to see that’s paid off.”

Stingy defense

By holding Plymouth to three goals, Brighton (15-4) has held 14 of its 19 opponents to six goals or less.

The Bulldogs have allowed only six goals in their last three games.

“Defensively, we’re very, very good,” Carl said. “We’re deep. We’ve got guys that are not playing that could start for a lot of schools. Our defense has kept us in some games. Our offensive has struggled a little bit compared to years past.”

What's next?

Brighton will face Ann Arbor Pioneer (11-6) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at home in the regional championship game.

The Bulldogs have a chance to win back-to-back regional titles for only the second time. Brighton won championships in 2017 and 2018.

They will face a Pioneer team that was 0-3 against KLAA teams before winning 14-7 over Salem in the first regional semifinal Wednesday at Brighton.

“We watched them the game before,” Carl said. “The goalie looked fantastic. He looked really athletic and he commands and directs that defense pretty well. … They’re going to be tough to beat. We don’t always shoot the greatest and he’s a really good goalie, so I think it’ll be a good matchup.”

Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Fast start propels Brighton past Plymouth in boys lacrosse regionals