WEST HARTFORD, Conn.  - The University of Hartford men's lacrosse team concluded their regular season with a big victory over Conference of New England (CNE) opponent Wentworth Institute of Technology.?? The Hawks finished the match 15-9 and will now wait to hear who their next opponent is as they move into playoff season.

Rapid Recap:

•  Junior Colin Reilly (Southington, Conn.) opened up this game with a goal in the first 40 seconds of action off a cross-field pass from sophomore Gavin Pelletier (Southington, Conn.) to take an early 1-0 lead. The Leopards matched the Hawks' energy with a goal of their own within the next minute. The first ten minutes progressed in similar fashion as teams traded goals. The teams stood even as they moved into the second quarter 3-3 with goals from junior Michael Novotny (Cornwall, N.Y.) and junior Maxton McPhee (Dudley, Mass.).
• Hartford recollected in the break putting up two quick goals to reclaim the lead, Reilly and McPhee were the first Hawks to tally in the second. Sophomore Ian Reynolds (Queensbury, N.Y.) dominated the face-off dot this afternoon maintaining the offensive pressure and allowing the Hawks to send in powerful shots. Wentworth chipped at the heels of Hartford attempting to match each of the Hawks late goals with goals of their own. Intensity maintained at the Zook as the Leopards ended the second quarter cutting it down to a two-goal differential at 8-6.
• The Hawks silenced the Leopards in the third quarter. Sophomore Nick Ugolini (Agawam, Mass.) found some success at the net tallying the first goal of the third unassisted. The Leopards were unable to halt the Hawks in their offensive surge and sophomore Gavin Pelletier (Southington, Conn.) sent in the 10th goal with 10 minutes remaining in the third. The Leopards were still dangerous in the Hartford half but junior CJ Ledwick (Falmouth, Mass.) held it down in net putting up key saves to keep them off the board in this third. McPhee closed it out with a last minute goal in the final minute solo to push the differential to five as we approached the fourth quarter.
• The Leopards were penalized after a last second hit provided in the third quarter and were forced to start the fourth quarter with a man-down. Novotny capitalized within 20 seconds pushing their lead to now six. Reilly and sophomore Shaun Wright (Frederick, Md.) scored back to back goals cushioning their lead and building the Hawks confidence. Despite a late push by the Leopards putting up three goals they were unable to mount any threatening power on offense. The Hawks took home the win of their final game in regular season with a final score of 15-9.

Inside The Numbers:

• Reilly led the Hawks with an impressive with five goals, one assist, two ground balls, and one caused turnover. McPhee came in second with his three tallies, a career-high in goals scored per game.
• Reynolds continues to be a powerhouse for the Hawks in the face-offs this afternoon he went 17-22 and picked up 11 ground balls.
• In net, Ledwick put up 11 saves to earn the win today playing all 60 minutes for Hartford bringing his season record to 7-4.

Up Next:
The Hawks will compete in the first round of the Conference of New England tournament this upcoming Saturday, April 25th with a start time of 12:00 p.m. on their home turf.

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