Tupper Lake got on the board early, with senior Loran Kavanagh scoring the first tally on a corner kick that took a favorable bounce off a St. Regis player and into the net.

Kavanagh then sent a ball to sophomore Izabella Stalhammar, who found the back of the net to give the Lumberjacks a 2-0 lead, which they carried until late in the first half.

With 9:36 left on the clock, Saints forward Emily Arcadi put a shot past Tupper Lake goalie Libby Gillis on an assist from Kaitlyn Arcadi. As the half wound down, the home team had two more chances to regain a two-goal lead, but one shot went high and the second bounced off the crossbar and was cleared out of harm’s way, leaving the Lumberjacks with a 2-1 advantage at the half.

As the second half got under way, ominous clouds began to fill the horizon. Tupper Lake kept up the pressure with the Saints making only occasional forays into the home team’s defensive end. But neither squad could get a shot past Gillis or Saints keeper Mikayla Brockway.

Tupper Lake’s Loran Kavanagh cuts the ball away from St. Regis Falls defender Calista Fraser early in the second half of Thursday’s game in Tupper Lake. (Enterprise photo — Justin A. Levine)

Stalhammar had the perhaps the best opportunity of the second half, as she put a shot on net that slipped through the hands of Brockway. Brockway recovered it before two Lumberjacks forwards could get their foot on the ball.

With 4:03 left on the clock, a crack of lightning from the approaching storm caused players and spectators to scramble for cover. When hail, rain and lots more lightning and thunder came, the game was called.

First-year varsity coach Brittney Willett said her young team, which has 10 sophomores on it, has been steadily improving as the season has gone on.

“I think they played fantastic; the hustle was there, the effort was there,” Willett said as hail continued to fall from the sky. “Off-the-ball movement was great and they were playing their positions well. They played phenomally well.

“The effort was there by everybody, so that was nice to see. I think in the beginning of the season we started off really strong, but then we kind of plateued a little bit. We were holding our own against some bigger teams, but overall, the communication is better, the passing is better, the hustle is much more visible. So everything is coming together as a team.”

Tupper Lake defender Emma Robillard gets ready to clear the ball as Reina Boyea, of St. Regis Falls, closes in. (Enterprise photo — Justin A. Levine)

The Lumberjacks improved to 2-6 on the season with the win, and will travel to Parishville-Hopkinton on Monday.