Two seniors score four apiece in 18-12 Seahawk win

DUDLEY, Mass. – Seniors Curtis McKeon (West Haven, Conn.) and Chad Hollenshade (Lutherville, Md.) each potted four goals for the Seahawks (10-3, 3-3 CCC), who also received five helpers from freshman Nick LoCicero (Lynbrook, N.Y.) and four from McKeon in Salve Regina University's 18-12 win against Nichols College Wednesday night in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) men's lacrosse action at Vendetti Field. Salve Regina went 3-for-11 with the extra attacker.

Senior Brian Girard (Norwood, Mass.) and freshman Tyler Sikich (Valencia, Calif.) each scored three goals in the loss.

Junior Corey Davis (Wakefield, Mass.) chipped in with a goal and two assists while junior Michael Bane (North Grafton, Mass.) netted a pair as the Bison slipped to 2-9 on the season (0-4 CCC). Nichols outshot the Seahawks 53-46 but won just seven of 33 face-offs and went 1-for-8 with the man advantage.

The opening stanza featured 13 goals – nine of which came off the sticks of Salve Regina student-athletes as McKeon, Hollenshade, and sophomore Sharp Jones (Scituate, Mass.) each scored twice. The Bison saw Girard add a pair and briefly led 3-2 behind goals from Sikich at 10:46, Bane at 9:26, and Girard at 7:00.

Girard and Sikich scored back-to-back goals to open the second before the Seahawks ripped off five-straight to close the half with a 14-6 lead. The visitors scored four times in the final 1:39 as McKeon, senior Dan Parks (Nesconset, Mass.), Jones and Backus all found the back of the net.

Nichols scored the first three goals of the third to climb to within five at 14-9, but goals from Parks at 8:12 and Hollenshade 37 seconds later helped the Seahawks regain a seven-goal cushion at 16-9. Hollenshade picked up his fourth of the evening 23 seconds into the fourth, and Nichols senior Patrick Flanagan (Oxford, Mass.) tallied his first goal of the season with 2:50 remaining.

Freshman Steven Oldakowski (Bethelhem, Conn.) led the Bison in both ground balls (eight) and caused turnovers (three). McKeon went 20-for-27 in the face-off circle and collected 14 ground balls. Freshman Andrew Watkins (Natick, Mass.) started between the pipes for SRU and turned aside seven Bison shots to earn his ninth win of the season. Freshman Rob Belger (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) stopped 14 shots in defeat for Nichols.

The Bison play at UNE Saturday at 1 p.m. Salve Regina hosts Endicott Saturday at 7 p.m. at Gaudet Field.