BUZZARDS BAY, Mass -- Maritime men's lacrosse hosted Eastern Connecticut in their final home game of the 2024 season at Clean Harbors Stadium. The Bucs started off fast running out to a big lead in the first quarter that was erased by the Warriors in the second quarter. The Bucs controlled the second half to pick up their fourth conference win, 20-12, over ECSU.

The Basics

Final: Buccaneers 20, Warriors 12

Records: Maritime (8-5, 4-2)

               Eastern Connecticut (4-8, 1-3)

Between The Pipes

Maritime: Eddie Keller (W, 3-2): 4 Sv | 2 GA | 6 SH | 30 Min

Eastern Connecticut: Gregory Hilinski (L, 4-7): 8 Sv | 20 GA | 28 SH | 60 Min

Inside The Numbers

Maritime

• Jack Iversen, Daniel Kane, and Cooper Barrett all scored five times in the win. Quinn Mucha, Cooper McIntire, Brian Rosher, Joe Vricella, and Grant MacIver all scored once.
• Kane picked up three assists in the game. Barrett and Vricella each had two. Evan Doig, Mucha, McIntire, and Braeden Kosiwicz all had one assist.
• Rosher led all players in the game with 12 ground balls and won 23-of-36 faceoffs.
• Defensively, Chris Sullivan continued his dominance with five caused turnovers.
• In total, Maritime picked up 45 ground balls, were successful on 25-of-27 clears, won 23-of-36 faceoffs, failed to score on their only power play, and took 53 shots in the game.

Eastern Connecticut

• Brycen Kennedy and Tanner Drobish each scored three times in the loss. Zacharie Appolon and Connor Chirico both scored twice. Mike Stevenson and Andrew Pendagast scored one each.
• Appolon recorded three assists in the game. Pendagast had two helpers. Five other Warriors were credited with an assist.
• Faceoff man Rick O'Neale picked up a team-high nine ground balls and won 12-of-30 faceoffs. 
• Defensively, Sean Ventresca led the team in caused turnovers with two.
• In total, Eastern Connecticut picked up 36 ground balls, were successful on 24-of-26 clearances, won 13-of-36 faceoffs, scored on one of three power plays, and took 35 total shots in the loss.

How It Happened

The Buccaneers scored the first six goals of the game over 11 minutes in the first quarter. Kane opened the scoring less than a minute in and over the six goal run, Iversen, McIntire, Mucha, Kane again, and Iversen again, ran the Bucs out to a 6-0 lead. Inside of two minutes, Kennedy scored to get the Warriors on the board. 30 seconds later, Iversen scored his third of the quarter and the Buccaneers led after one, 7-1.

In the second, Eastern Connecticut turned the tides on the Buccaneers. Though Barrett scored first in the quarter to give the Bucs an 8-1 advantage, the Warriors went on a 9-1 run the rest of the half and took a 10-9 lead into the half time break.

It took a halftime talk from the Buccaneers coaching staff but the hosts righted the ship in the third. Eastern scored first at 12:08 and that would be the only goal of the quarter they would score. Maritime went on a 6-0 run for the second time in the game with goals from Vricella, Iversen, Barrett, Kane, Barrett again, and Kane closed out the quarter with a goal with one second on the clock to put the Bucs up 15-11 at the end of the third. 

Maritime extended their six-goal run in the fourth with five more unanswered to run the scoring streak to 11 goals. Barrett scored at 10:32 and directly off the faceoff, 10 seconds later, Rosher scored to give the Buccaneers a 17-11 lead. Barrett, Iversen, and MacIver went on to score as well and run the Bucs lead up to nine goals, 20-11. Chirico scored the only goal of the quarter and just the second of the half for the Warriors with 1:10 left in regulation. The Buccaneers went on to win the game, 20-11, picking up their eighth win of the season and fourth in conference.

What's Next

The Bucs are on the road for their next game on saturday, April 13th at West Conn at 1pm in conference play.