Seahawks win thriller, bring down Leopards in 2OT

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – With 2:59 to go in the second overtime period, junior Chad Hollenshade (Lutherville, Md.) went high and buried the game-winning shot over the left shoulder of Wenthworth Institute of Technology's goalkeeper to give the Salve Regina men's lacrosse team a thrilling 11-10 win over the Leopards on a day the Seahawks honored its seniors. With the win, the Seahawks move to 7-9 on the season and even their Commonwealth Coast Conference record to 4-4 and secure the #5 seed in the up-coming tournament. The loss moves the Leopards to 10-5 on the year and 4-4 in the CCC to earn the #6 seed.

With the score knotted at 10-10 and one overtime period already in the books, junior Curtis McKeon (West Haven, Conn.) won his 16^th and most important faceoff of the contest to give the Seahawks possession. Head coach Patrick Cooney quickly called a timeout to draw up the game-winning plan. Hollenshade gained possession when play resumed and after a quick move behind the goal launched the ball past junior Jared Proulx (Nashua, N.H.) for his 31^st goal of the season and his seventh game-winning goal of his career.

Wentworth jumped out to an early 1-0 lead off freshman Alec Paradis' (Pelham, N.H.) first goal of the game before freshman Jake Pantani (Branford, Conn.), senior Taylor Braun (Commack, N.Y.)  and Hollenshade rattled off three-straight goals to give SRU a 3-1 lead. Sophomore Ryan Coakley (Flemington, N.J.) capped the first quarter with his 24^th of the season.

After a goal from senior Pat Helfrich (North Andover, Mass.) to open the second quarter, Pantani sandwiched a pair of goals around three straight from Wentworth as the Leopards held a slight 6-5 lead after the first two quarters.

Senior Michael Horn (Marstons Mills, Mass.) got possession off a turnover by the Leopards just 47 seconds into the third quarter to tie the game at 6-6 before junior Dan Parks (Nesconset, N.Y.) gave the lead back to Salve Regina, 7-6, on the ensuing offensive possession.

Junior Steve Glover (Marston Mills, Mass.) answered with his 44^th goal of the year, a man-up goal with 11:32 showing in the quarter. Sophomore Steven Russell (Bayport, N.Y.) put the Seahawks back up with a man up goal of his own with just 13 seconds left in their extra man opportunity. McKeon gave Salve Regina its largest lead of the game until that point with his 17^th of the year with 4:22 left in the quarter.

McKeon quickly extended Salve Regina's lead to three goals as he won the opening faceoff of the fourth quarter, picked up the ground ball and raced to the net to bury the ball in the back of the cage. Wentworth rattled off three straight goals to tie the game with 4:41 left as Glover netted his second of the game.

Salve Regina was able to get off three shots in the first overtime period to the Leopards one, but a pair of saves from Proulx kept the Seahawks off the board and sent the game into a second overtime where Hollenshade honored the Seahawk seniors with the game-winning goal just over a minute into the second overtime.

Pantani paced the Seahawks with four points (3g, 1a) in the contest while McKeon picked up a game-high 17 ground balls. Senior Evan Simone (Dover, N.H.) made 13 saves in the contest to earn his first win of the season.

Salve Regina season continues as the Seahawks earned the fifth-seed in the CCC tournament. The Seahawks will square off against fourth-seeded University of New England on Saturday, April 27 at 1 p.m.