#3 Men's Lacrosse Stymies #7 LIU Post in Wire-to-Wire Season-Opening Victory, 12-5
Links: Box Score
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – Fueled by a pair of hat tricks, a six-point outing from freshman Charlie Bertrand (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) in his collegiate debut and a 14-save performance from sophomore transfer Edward Hellier (South Portland, Maine), the third-ranked Merrimack College men's lacrosse team roared out of the gate with a wire-to-wire 12-5 victory at No. 7 LIU Post on Saturday at Bethpage Stadium.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 12, LIU Post 5
Records: #3 Merrimack (1-0) | #7 LIU Post (2-2)
Location: Bethpage Stadium | Brookville, N.Y.
Turning Points
- Merrimack used a 6-0 scoring run to start the game while Hellier turned in nine saves in the first half alone to keep LIU Post off the board until nearly 21 minutes had passed.
- Merrimack then used a 4-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
How It Happened
- Merrimack drew up a stellar start to the season, as a pair of goals from junior Kyle Stenberg (Annandale, N.J.) boosted the team out to an early two-goal cushion while the defense caused four turnovers and Hellier stopped all four shots he saw in the frame to maintain that lead. Late in the period, sophomore Michael O'Connell (Sudbury, Mass.) found the back of the net to give the Warriors a 3-0 edge headed ot the second.
- The visitors stretched their lead to 6-0 before LIU Post was on the scoreboard; Bertrand potted his first of the game at the 13:08 mark, and then senior Danny Loprete (Watertown, Mass.) won the ensuing faceoff and dished up to classmate Max Allen (West Caldwell, N.J.) for another quick answer before senior Tim Towler (Topsfield, Mass.) netted his first goal in nearly two years to put Merrimack in control.
- LIU Post answered with a 3-1 run to close out the half with the lone Warrior goal coming off the stick of defenseman Brennen Morin (Wilbraham, Mass.), who took a feed from Bertrand to account for Merrimack's four-goal lead (7-3) at the half.
- Bertrand had the only goal of the third quarter, as both goalies combined for six saves in the third stanza.
- After LIU Post got to within four early in the final frame, Merrimack would put the game away with a 4-0 scoring run, as Towler, Bertrand (twice) and Stenberg all found the twine to propel the Warriors to a thorough season-opening victory.
Notes and Notables
- Merrimack has now won five straight in the all-time series against LIU Post dating back to the 2014 season, including two wins at Bethpage Stadium in that span.
- Bertrand (4g, 2a) becomes the first rookie Warrior to lead the team in scoring in a season opener since Tucker Schwarz did so in a March 1, 2014, season-opening victory against Saint Rose; Schwarz, however, only had three points (2g, 1a) in that win. Since 2005, only Corey Lunney '13 had more points in his Warrior debut (5g, 3a) than Bertrand.
Team Leaders (MC // LIU)
- Points: Bertrand (6) // Dylan Harned (3)
- Goals: Bertrand (4) // Harned (3)
- Assists: Bertrand/Towler (2) // Chris Trasacco/Kris Alvarado (1)
- Faceoffs: LoPrete (10-20) // Connor Farrell (11)
- Caused Turnovers: Coburn (3) // Eric Donahoe/Alvarado (2)
- Saves: Hellier (14-for-19) // Matthew Liantonio (11-for-23)
Team Comparisons (MC // LIU)
- EMO: 1-3 // 1-2
- Shot Attempts: 37 // 39
- Ground Balls: 34 // 36
- Clears: 16-18 // 14-15
- Turnovers: 17 // 19
Up Next
Merrimack will hit the road and head right back to Long Island next weekend to face off against another East Coast Conference (ECC) foe in Molloy, the preseason No. 18 team in the country. First whistle is set for 12 p.m.
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