HOBOKEN, N.J. -
Skyler Schluter buried the rock at the 2:34 mark of the overtime period to help the fifth-ranked Dickinson men's lacrosse team survive a season opening upset bid by the 17th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks by a final of 10-9 at the DeBaun Athletic Complex in non-conference action.
The Devils defense was lockdown early as a faceoff win by
John McKee set the stage for shot attempts by
Charlie Baughan (2),
Sam Campbell,
James Isaacson,
Owen Porter and McKee forcing goalie Kevin Holtby into just one stop. However, at the 3:41 mark Dickinson finally cracked the scoreboard when
Mac Childs hit the net. Another win at the X for McKee led to two more shots and one stop, before DC keeper
Patrick Scarborough had to deny both Sam DiChristina and Matthew Pergola. Offerings by
Cullen Mulhern and
Ben Tomick went wide, but Baughan did cash in for the 2-0 lead (Schluter assist). Each goalie was tasked with making one more stop in the period as Holtby turned away Porter, while Scarborough closed the door on Chris Kirschner. There would still be one more goal though when
Sascha Gannon found Porter for the finish off a successful clear. Dickinson tried to make it 4-0 going to the second, but Holtby beat away a chance from
Sam Bunten with no time left.
The Red and White would indeed push it to 4-0 just 17-ticks into the second when McKee won the faceoff and found
Jack Deady who hit
Capp Reynolds for the tally. Stevens picked up their first tallies of the year through Tommy Robertozzi and Dominick Visintin cutting it down to 4-2, before Porter stuck the ball in the stick of Isaacson who ripped a shot past Holtby (5-2). Dickinson would be held off the scoreboard the remainder of the period despite firing eight more shots. However, at the other end of the field Jack Savarese, Kirschner and Pergola each bested Scarborough once to lock the score at 5-5 going to the break.
After Holtby denied
Ethan Gess 48-seconds into the third, Scarborough got busy for the Devils stopping Shea Grant, Keegan Hughes, Savarese and Visintin to keep the score tied. With five minutes gone in the frame,
Ren LaMotte picked up a loose ball and entered the offensive zone where Gannon, Isaacson and Porter were all turned away by Holtby. It would take until the 11:14 mark to see the first marker of the quarter as Gannon stuck one past Holtby, followed by two more McKee faceoff wins resulting in goals by
Matt Thurston (Gannon assist) and Porter (Schluter assist) to take an 8-5 edge. Unfortunately, a DC turnover led to Savarese finding Joseph Grippo with no time left for the finish making it 8-6 with 15 minutes to play.
Stevens would blitz the Devils early in the fourth as Hughes and Savarese hit the back of the net to tie the game back up at 8-8 with just under two minutes gone. The Ducks continued to apply the pressure recording three of the next four shots leading to one stop by Scarborough. That one save would result in the Red and White reclaiming the lead when Childs setup up Gannon for his second and the 9-8 edge. Dickinson would go in search of a key insurance goal by ripping the next seven shots toward goal tasking Holtby with making four more saves and hitting one post. The game entered the final minute with the visitors trying to secure the win, but a costly turnover caused by Luke Lesizza led to Hughes burying the rock with 13 seconds left to force overtime.
The extra session was all Dickinson as they recorded the only four shots of the frame with Holtby stopping Campbell and Porter, before being solved by Schluter off a great dish from Porter for the 10-9 win.
Red Devil Leaders
Goals - Gannon and Porter (2)
Assists - Gannon, Porter and Schluter (2)
Groundballs - McKee (10), Porter (7), Bunten (5)
Faceoffs - McKee (17-21),
Ben Trucksess (0-1)
Saves - Scarborough (12)
Duck Leaders
Goals - Hughes and Savarese (2)
Assists - Kirschner (2)
Groundballs - Holtby (6), Lesizza (5)
Faceoffs - Giarrusso (4-15), Creamer (1-5), Penn and Waynick (0-1)
Saves - Holtby (17)
Next on the Turf
Dickinson (1-0) will welcome the Royals of the University of Scranton to Biddle Field next Saturday afternoon at 1pm for the home opener.
