Hanley Hits 100 Points as Golden Bears fall to No. 7 Saint Lawrence

BOSTON, Mass. (March 22, 2023) - The Western New England Men's Lacrosse team took on the Saint Lawrence University Saints at Nickerson Field at Boston University for a neutral site game today. Coming into the game, Saint Lawrence was ranked #7 in the country and WNE stuck was able to stick with them for most of the game, before ultimately falling to the Saints, 14-9.

Records:

• Western New England: 1-6
• Saint Lawrence: 6-0

How it Happened:

Western New England would look to get on the board first, after an opening faceoff win by Chris Catuosco, but Saint Lawrence goalkeeper, Michael Marinello, would make a save on Zachary Mein, as the Saints would take the ball the other way. Saint Lawrence would score the first goal of the game on the ensuing possession, as Judge Murphy found Bobby Wells, to put the Saints up one. Saint Lawrence would score again just eight seconds later, as Paddy Condon found the back up the net. Three minutes later, Anthony Gamba would find an open Thomas Labbe on the WNE clear for a goal, after WNE goaltender Jonathon Salsbury made two saves during the previous Saints' possession. Shortly after, Salsbury would make another save, which would result in James Wrynn finding the back of the net, coming from Jack Houlden, as the Golden Bears would tie the game at two, just two minutes after the previous goal. In the final eight minutes of the quarter, the teams would trade goals, with Murphy would put the Saints up one, before Houlden would tie the game back up at three, 80 seconds later. Saint Lawrence would attempt to go into the second quarter up a goal, but Salsbury would make two big saves, keeping the game tied heading into the second.

Saint Lawrence started the second quarter off strong with four straight goals, in just over nine minutes, to put them up 7-3, with goals coming from Wells, Chase Malatesta, and a pair from Ben Hutchinson. WNE answered with three minutes left in the half, as Colin Hughes netted his first goal on the season, off of a pass from Dylan Hanley. Less than a minute later, Labbe would score his second goal of the game, to put the Golden Bears within a pair. Neither team would score again for the first half, as Salsbury would make a save with a minute left to play and Marinello would make two saves in the final seconds, to keep the Saints up 7-5 heading into halftime.

The third quarter would remain scoreless for the first six and a half minutes of play, as the teams would trade possessions, before Cody Sipher would score for the Saints, putting them back up three. On the ensuing WNE offensive possession, thanks to a faceoff win by Sean Farland, Wrynn would score off a pass from Mein, 70 seconds after the Saints' previous goal, to bring the Golden Bears to back within two. The two goal deficient would not last for long though, as Ben Kniskern would score for the Saints just eight seconds later, to put the Saints back up three. With four minutes left in the quarter, Sipher would net his second goal on the day to increase the Saints lead to four. Saint Lawrence would try to continue to increase their lead before the quarter ended, as they kept firing shots on Salsbury in net. Salsbury would make two back to back saves, before Hutchinson would score with just ten seconds left in the quarter, to put the Saints up 11-6 heading into the fourth.

Saint Lawrence would start the fourth strong, as they would take advantage of the extra-man opportunity, as Sipher would score 24 seconds into the quarter, and Hutchinson would add another goal a minute and a half later. WNE answered back 30 seconds later, following a Farland faceoff win, Hanley would notch his 100^th career point as he found Mike Bannon for a goal. Cam Croasdaile would score for the Saints with 9:29 left in the contest, to increase the Saint's lead back to seven. Hanley would score a minute later, adding his third point on the day, as WNE looked to close the gap that the Saints had created. With just over five minutes left in the game, Wrynn would find Mein, who would cut the Saints lead to five. Both goalies made a couple saves through the final minutes of the game, as the final score would remain a Saints win, 14-9.

Inside The Crease:

• Western New England falls to 1-6 on their 2023 campaign, after falling to Saint Lawrence in Boston.
• Dylan Hanley notched his 100^th career point (58 goals and 42 assists) and led the way for the Golden Bears on the day with three points (one goal and two assists), along with James Wrynn's three points (two goals and one assist).
• Salsbury made 16 saves in net, compared to Marinello's six. 
• The Saints were led by five points from Ben Hutchinson (four goals and one assist) and Bobby Wells (two goals and three assists).

Up Next on the Schedule:

• The Golden Bears will kick off CCC play, as they travel to Roger Williams University on Monday, March 27, at 6:00 p.m.
• Saint Lawrence will continue their spring break trip, as they will travel to Union College on Saturday, March 25, at 1 p.m.