MARCH 12, 2017

KING'S MEN'S LAXERS DROP OVERTIME HEARTBREAKER TO LYCOMING, 10-9

WILKES-BARRE -- Garrett Huff scored the game-winning goal with 1:37 remaining in the first overtime period as the visiting Lycoming College men's lacrosse team posted a 10-9 victory over host King's College Sunday at McCarthy Stadium.

With the win, Lycoming improved to 2-2 while King's slipped to 1-3.

With the game tied 9-9, King's nearly won the contest but a point-blank shot by Michael Paniccia with 0:31 left in regulation was thwarted by an outstanding save by Lycoming goalie Michael Tenant to keep the Warriors alive while sending the game into extra time.  

King's Nick Foley would win the faceoff in overtime and a shot by Brock Johnson was high. King's would retain possession on the miss but the Monarchs committed a costly turnover, giving the ball to the Warriors.  King's never got the ball back. 

Lycoming managed to clear their end of the field and went on the attack. Huff took a feed to the left of the net and cut toward the middle. But a King's defender, closely guarding Huff slipped on the turf field and fell to the ground, giving Huff a lane to goal. The Warrior attacker would then make good on his shot to put an end to the contest.

The game was closely contested throughout with neither team leading by more than two goals. King's took a 4-2 lead early in the third quarter when Johnson scored off an assist from Brian Steiger. But Lycoming scored four straight goals to forge ahead 6-4 on a score by Richie Hurley with 0:42 on the clock. The teams traded scored in the fourth quarter and Lycoming eventually took a 9-8 lead with 5:05 to play on a goal by Andrew Ream.  But King's countered on a Shawn Dickey score off another Steiger assist to knot the score at 9-9, as the game eventually entered overtime.

King's was unable to walk away with the win despite having a large statistical advantage. The Monarchs owned a 53-29 lead in shots and a 33-21 edge in ground balls. But Tenant proved to be the difference with 18 saves in goal.

Steiger led King's with three goals and three assists while Johnson followed with two goals and one assist. Dickey posted one goal, one assist, and eight ground balls while Omar Nijmeh, Paniccia, and Mike DiCarlo had one goal apiece. Nick Foley won 14-of-22 faceoffs. King's goalie George Pfeiffer made five saves in the game.

For Lycoming, Hurley and Andrew Ream had four goals apiece while Tyler Thompson added one goal and three assists and Huff tallied one goal and two assists.  

King's will be idle until Saturday when the Monarchs travel to Annville to face Lebanon Valley College.