The Hawkeyes used two late goals to edge the rival Armory 11-10 at The Blue Cross Arena Thursday night. Dylan Snow’s third goal of the contest, with 55 seconds to play, helped the defending Upstate Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (UCBLL) champs improve to 3-0.
“We had a set play, but it broke down, and sometimes you have to improvise,” said Snow, who finished the game with three goals and one assist. “Nate Senez drew his man to him and left that gap for me, giving me more space. I went around the defenseman and had a really good look at the net and just threw it in.”
Senez, who assisted on the tally, had his best game of the young season as he tallied a team-high five points (1+4). The Hawkeyes also received four points from Zachary Terry (3+1), and a pair of goals from Patrick Mitchell. Tyler Gould and Jackson Saulpaugh chipped in goals as well.
The Armory, who fell to 1-2, pulled in front 10-9 on the strength of a 5-0 run to close out the third quarter. Chace Cogan and Rio Johnson powered the comeback as they combined for three goals and three assists in the third frame. Cogan and Johnson finished the game with four points apiece.
Trailing 9-5 early in the quarter, the Armory began their comeback with Alec Constable’s second goal of the contest at 3:49. Johnson followed less than two minutes later to trim the deficit to two goals. The onslaught continued as Cogan scored on the power play with an outside shot at 9:54. Gabe Edwards tied the contest 43 seconds later. Cogan struck again to give the Armory its first lead of the game with under two to play in the third.
The final 15 minutes were intense as the goaltenders took centerstage. The Armory’s Will Dempsey stopped a breakaway to open the fourth to record seven stops in the fourth to finish the game with 31. John Jacobs was also stellar in goal for the Hawkeyes, stopping 11 shots in the fourth to notch 28 stops in the win.
The game was the second meeting between the two Rochester teams. The Hawkeyes knocked off the Armory 11-6 in the first matchup. On Thursday, the game was hotly contested and went back and forth in the opening 30 minutes. The Hawkeyes took their biggest lead of the game on back-to-back markers by Terry to close out the first half to give his team an 8-5 advantage. His final goal came with four seconds to play in the second quarter and required some improvisation.
“It was a play that was drawn up, but the defense played it well and made it kind of a scramble,” said Terry, who scored on a crease dive. “We just made the best out of the situation.”
The Hawkeyes return to action Thursday, July 6, when they battle the Buffaloes at 6:00 p.m. at The Classic Rink in East Aurora, NY. The Armory will play the nightcap when they meet the Rapids at 8:00 p.m.