Losses are never fun, but Chris Gaudreau can’t deny early-season setbacks have benefitted his Bow boys lacrosse team the last two years.

Despite losing 10 seniors from the 2008 Division II championship squad, Gaudreau, who coaches the Falcons with his brother Steve, said this year’s unit has shown significant improvement following an 8-6 defeat at Timberlane in its fourth contest.

Since that stumble, Bow has won five straight games and improved its record to 8-1.

On Friday, May 15, the Falcons traveled to Dover, where the Green Wave moved the matchup from afternoon to evening.

“I think they were looking for a playoff atmosphere under the lights,” said Gaudreau.

It certainly provided a litmus test for both squads.

After allowing Dover to score first, the Falcons took a 5-2 lead into the second quarter, held a 7-5 advantage at half time, traded two goals apiece with the Green Wave in the third, and pulled away in the final period for a 12-8 victory.

“That was a real dogfight of a game, but I feel we’ve been playing better and getting better every time out since that early hiccup (against Timberlane),” said Gaudreau. “The challenge is going to be keeping that going and making sure we’re peaking at the right time.”

That’s a reasonable expectation, he said, thanks to the leadership and postseason experience of senior goalie David Bucchino, classmate Sean Dippold, an attacker, and junior backfielder Griffin Sandler, Bow’s three captains.

“All three know what it takes and know what we expect,” said the coach. “They know how to win.”

While Dippold has accumulated 15 goals and 19 assists through nine contests, Alex Davies and Christian Calkins have really sparked Bow’s attack.

Davies, who split time all over the field last season, leads the current squad with 35 goals and 19 assists, while Calkins, who was not with the Falcons in 2008, has contributed 20 tallies.

Junior speedster Greg Bueddeman, on the other hand, has stepped out of the offensive limelight to become a playmaker as the team’s center midfielder.

“For someone who didn’t have a whole lot of experience taking faceoffs in the past, his success in that area is one of the main reasons we’ve had so many quality transition opportunities,” said Gaudreau. “He’s one of the best finishers we’ve ever had here, and he had more than 20 goals last year. We’ve been really impressed with his willingness to change for the sake of the team.”

Junior Chris Roberts, who also started for the locals last season, solidifies the midfield. Defensively, Sandler and sophomore Greg Stevens have saved a backfield almost completely depleted by graduation.

Stevens has utilized superb hands and stickwork to shut down the opposition’s top offensive threats, said his coach.

Though the pieces seem to be falling into place, Gaudreau said the current lot of players still has a lot to prove if a repeat is expected.

“We’re definitely on a similar track (to last year) in that we had that early game where we just didn’t bring it, which seemed to wake us up and give us that drive,” he said. “But … this league is stacked. Every team that makes the playoffs is going to have an extreme fight on its hands. If you don’t put out your best effort, you’re probably going to lose in this league.”

Those contributing for the Falcons for the first time this season include senior Nat Bresler; juniors Curtis Perry, Kyle Tracy, Chad Wilkinson, Jacob Hughes, Collin Evans and Michael Dal Pos; sophomore Dylan Erickson and freshman Brad Clark.