PHOTO GALLERY

WEST HARTFORD, Conn.  –  The University of Hartford men's lacrosse team put down visiting UMass Lowell in both teams' America East opener on Saturday, scoring a 13-5 victory on a rain-soaked Al-Marzook Field. Senior Kevin O'Shea and freshman Griffin Feiner each netted hat tricks as the Hawks improve to 3-2 on the season. In the midst of their inaugural NCAA Division I season, the River Hawks fall to 1-5 overall.

Backed by a perfect effort at the faceoff X from freshman Dylan Protesto, the Hawks jumped out to a 5-1 lead midway through the second and never looked back. Protesto won all 11 of his faceoff attempts while classmate Spencer Andrews went 8-of-9 in his duels as Hartford dominated the battle for possession by securing 19-of-20 faceoffs on the afternoon.

O'Shea, who had a game-best five points, did all of his scoring in the first 24 minutes of action by having a hand in each of his team's first five goals to help his team build its early cushion. Opening the scoring 63 seconds in on an unassisted score, the senior fed Feiner, who compiled a career-high four points, on the ensuing possession with 12:13 left in the opening quarter to put Hartford up, 2-0. UMass Lowell halved that advantage before the end of the quarter as Cory Highfield put his team on the board, but a commanding, 6-1, second quarter run would give Hartford an 8-2 edge before the end of the first half.

Highfield closed out the game with two goals to lead the River Hawks' offense while reserves Ryan Noah, Matthew Balter, and Chris Litchfield rounded out the scoring with one tally apiece.

The offense continued to roll into the second half for the Hawks. Ending the second quarter with a 3-0 run, Feiner kept the rally going out of the break as he made it four-unanswered Hartford goals with his third of the contest at the 13:29 mark. Classmate Rion Davison, who was credited with the assist on Feiner's final marker of the afternoon, dished out another assist 132 seconds later as he connected with Will Dulin to give the Hawks their largest advantage of the game at eight goals (10-2).

UMass Lowell ended the game by scoring three of the final six goals, but never pulled within seven of Hartford. Giles Ober took the loss in net for the River Hawks, conceding 11 goals in 41:22 while making seven stops. For the Hawks, freshman Ryan Vanderford turned aside eight shots in 45 minutes, allowing three goals during that stretch, to improve to 3-2. He was relieved by sophomore Evan Quinn in the final quarter, who registered four saves while giving up a pair of markers.

The Hawks resume non-conference action with a Tuesday afternoon tilt at Holy Cross. Faceoff from Worcester, Mass., is scheduled for 4 p.m. on St. Patrick's Day.

THE TURNING POINT:
Hartford came out of the opening faceoff hot, dominating the battle of possession and taking a 5-1 advantage with 6:09 left to play in the second quarter. Senior Kevin O'Shea, who had a game-best five points including three goals, did all of his scoring within that stretch by having a share in each of his team's first five goals to start the contest. UMass Lowell came within three goals with 5:57 to play before halftime on a Chris Litchfield score, but Hartford answered back with a 6-0 rally that stretched into the third to go up, 10-2, at the 11:17 mark of the third stanza.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 

·         Dylan Protesto won all 11 of his faceoff attempts as the Hawks went 20-of-21 at the X on the afternoon

·         Freshman Spencer Andrews went 8-of-9 in faceoffs, recording a career-high in victories at the X, while redshirt senior Adam Yee was 1-of-1

·         Senior Kevin O'Shea and freshman Griffin Feiner paced Hartford with three goals apiece while Alec Brown, Matt Carroll, and Will Dulin each chipped in with a pair of markers

·         O'Shea assisted on two other goals to finish with a game- and season-best five points

·         Between the pipes, freshman Ryan Vanderford improved his overall record to 3-2 after making eight saves in the game's first 45 minutes

·         Hartford held advantages over UMass Lowell in shots (39-31), ground balls (37-25), faceoff wins (20-1), and caused turnovers (7-5)

·         In three extra-man opportunities, the Hawks converted one time

·         The Hawks' man-down unit killed both of UMass Lowell's extra-man opportunities

·         In clearing opportunities, Hartford was successful in 18-of-19 opportunities; UMass Lowell was 19-of-22 in clears

·         Giles Ober rejected seven shots in goal for the River Hawks 

NEWS AND NOTES: 

·         The Hawks have won two-straight games with Saturday's victory over UMass Lowell and are 1-0 against the River Hawks in both teams' Division I eras

·         Senior Kevin O'Shea recorded his second hat trick of the season and 14th of his career while Griffin Feiner, a freshman, netted three goals in a game for the first time in his career

·         O'Shea added two assists for a season- and game-high five points while Feiner matched a career-high in scoring with four points

·         Winning all 11 of his faceoffs, freshman Dylan Protesto, who entered the contest ranked eighth in the nation in faceoff win percentage, has compiled double-digit wins at the X in all five of his appearances this season

·         Freshman Evan Quinn took over the goaltending duties for the Hawks in the fourth quarter where he matched a career-high in saves (4) while allowing two goals

·         Hartford is 2-1 in home games this season 

UP NEXT:
The Hawks wrap up the month of March away from West Hartford as they kick off a four-game road stand with a trip to Holy Cross on Tuesday, March 17. The St. Patrick's Day showdown is slated for a 4 p.m. opening faceoff from Worcester, Mass.