AUBURN – So far, the tiered boys’ lacrosse schedule is working like a charm to make Western Maine Conference teams better today and tomorrow. If everyone involved can fight off the inevitable nervous breakdown, that is.

Being assigned to pick on programs your own size, or at least your level of development, makes almost every game too close for comfort. Tuesday was merely another afternoon of jitters and palpitations for St. Dominic Regional High School, which gave away a three-goal lead in the fourth quarter before outlasting York, 9-8.

Ben Adams broke the tie and completed a hat trick with 2:15 remaining for the Saints (2-3).

“We lost our last game against Thornton, and that hurt a lot,” said Adams. “We were up by four goals and ended up losing by three. The second half we just fell apart. I can see our season going uphill from here.”

The WMC and neighboring Southern Maine Activities Association combined their 25 teams into a super conference, with five divisions grouped by traditional strength of programs. That accounts for eight divisional contests, but even the four “swing” games are weighted accordingly.

Thornton and Greely were the only undefeated teams after the first two weeks of the season, and everybody except Biddeford and North Yarmouth Academy had at least one victory. St. Dom’s is the poster team for the many schools in the middle. The Saints led Noble, Gorham and Thornton in the second half of their three losses.

“If it’s not a one or two-point game, it’s not St. Dom’s lacrosse. That’s the story of the season,” said St. Dom’s coach Jim Dock. “Hey, it makes it exciting. Thankfully my blood pressure is low.”

St. Dom’s let a three-goal lead slip away in a five-minute span of the fourth quarter against York (1-4).

Andrew Gwarjanski scored two of his three goals in the final stanza, including a strike that staked the Saints to a 7-4 advantage at the 39-second mark. The Wildcats rattled off four of the next five goals, however, including Dan Powers’ equalizer with 6:15 left in regulation.

“It’s a dangerous habit, and one we’ve got to just iron out in practice,” Dock said. “What’s been happening is one little mistake adds up to another little mistake, and then they just snowball.”

Simon Hebert found Adams for the go-ahead goal and a groundswell of momentum. Ben Horton made his 11th and final save of the game with a minute to play, denying Dillon Della Pasqua at close range.

St. Dom’s used Trevor Haefele’s speed and elusiveness on the wing to drain most of the remaining time. Evan Gove broke up a pass intended for Powers at the outer edge of York’s attack zone as time expired.

“We were motivated. We wanted this game to be a turning point, because we lost to them last year,” Adams said. “They actually won by a lot.”

Such yawners are a rarity under the new system.

“In past years, the average differential was 10 points in a game, and now it’s down to three or four,” said Dock. “No one learns anything by blowing out a team by 10 or vice versa. It’s a little more stressful for the players and the coaches, but it’s better in the long run.”

Haefele notched two goals and two assists for the Saints. Cam McKee added a goal, while Hebert chalked up three assists. Powers paced York with three goals and two helpers. Dave Figlioli also was a repeat scorer.