Jun 02, 2009 - 03:56 PM

By Shawn Cayley

NEPEAN -- On the surface, it appears the Clarington Green Gaels simply chalked up another pair of easy road victories last weekend.

But there's more to it, Green Gaels coach Jason Crosbie insisted.

Sure, scores of 19-1 over Kahnawake and 11-5 over Nepean depict an accurate story of the mismatch between the Gaels and their opponents, but that wasn't Crosbie's focus when he dissected the weekend.

What hit home was his team's ability to play solid lacrosse outside of the friendly confines of the Garnet B. Rickard Recreation complex.

"You have to learn how to play road games," he said, while noting his 13-0 team is 7-0 away from home. "To play a road game is a lot different. You're very comfortable at home in your own surroundings, own room. A road game you're just looking to get yourself established in the first and keep it close because every home team comes out with a lot of juice and a lot of energy in the first period. You've got to kind of weather that storm.

"It helps in ways you don't really know on the mental side," he added, of having success on the road.

If weathering the storm consists of outscoring your opponents 12-2 combined in the first periods of games, then the Gaels did their part, holding leads of 7-0 on Kahnawake and 5-2 on Nepean after 20 minutes.

Crosbie was also encouraged by his club's ability to fight to the end Sunday. Up 9-5 after two periods, and playing for the second time in as many days, Clarington began to tire and Crosbie was a little worried.

"We were a little tired and mentally fatigued," he said. "But it was good win because we came up in the third period with a good effort. I had just told them to give me a good third period and at that point they were into the game and really dominated the third."

Now it's back to the home floor, and another Thursday tilt with Newmarket, whom the Green Gaels disposed of 9-5 last Thursday.

While his team continues to ride the undefeated wave, the coach warned against a letdown.

"They give us trouble," Crosbie said. "They are a very old team, very experienced, very rough and tough. They know what to do, especially offensively."

NOTES: Zach Palmer, Lucas Perri, Mike Lum Walker and Matt Chamois among others, missed recent games attending high school proms, according to coach Jason Crosbie. "It's an important part of their lives and they need to experience that," he said ... Ryan Serville holds the team and league lead in scoring after scoring 18 points in the last three games, upping his season totals to 30-32-62 in 13 games ... Serville (2), Connor Latimer, Jordan Saunderson, Emerson Clark, Mitch Wilde, Jesse Austin, Shayne Jackson and Palmer had goals Thursday, while Serville (5), Clark (3), Wilde (2), Dan Pogmore (2), Mike McCusker (2), Curtis Knight (2), Jackson (2) and John Lafontaine scored Saturday. Serville, McCusker, Knight, Lafontaine and Jackson each with two and Mike Power with one scored Sunday ... Goalie Zack Higgins won Thursday and Saturday, while Chamois beat Nepean ... Ryan Degerdon broke his leg last month in a game against Newmarket and he'll be out roughly eight weeks.