The fifth-ranked Middlebury men's lacrosse team held off a late comeback attempt by #6 St. Lawrence, edging the Saints 11-10 on Wednesday in New York. William Ryan highlighted the victory with a career-best seven points (6G, 1A).
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The hosts moved out to a 1-0 lead with six minutes expired when Ben Hutchinson scored on a bouncer from 10 yards out.
• The Panthers took a 2-1 edge on goals 28 seconds apart from Jack Sheehan and Ryan.
• The teams traded the final four markers of the opening period, as the Panthers gained a 4-3 advantage with 1:37 left in the stanza. After a failed clearing attempt by the Saints, Jake Peluso collected the ball near midfield and found a racing Billy Curtis up the sideline, as Curtis fired a shot from 25 yards with goalie Michael Marinello out of his crease.
• Middlebury grabbed a 5-3 lead when Tom Conley scored on a jumping shot from the middle of the field that found space in the top-right corner with 7:47 remaining.
• St. Lawrence recorded the next three goals, including a pair from Mark Mahoney, to take a 6-5 edge with 5:02 showing on the clock. The Panthers responded with three tallies of their own to secure an 8-6 advantage at the halftime break. 
• The lead remained at 8-6 when goalie Hayden Kern made a terrific save with his stick on a point-blank shot by Judge Murphy just under four minutes into the third quarter.
• Middlebury took a three-goal advantage (9-6) with five minutes elapsed when Ryan tallied on a quick-stick shot following a pass from behind by Curtis.
• The Saints leveled the score at 9-9 with three-consecutive markers, capped by a bouncing tally from Cam Croasdaile.
• In the waning seconds of the frame, Panther Luke Simpson fed a 60-yard pass ahead to Ryan who laced a shot under the legs of Marinello just before the horn sounded for a 10-9 lead headed to the fourth.
• Ryan gave the visitors a two-goal edge, firing a shot into the upper-left corner with 13:32 left in regulation.
• Hutchinson cut the St. Lawrence deficit in half, scoring the doorstep at 10:15. Just seconds later, Kern preserved the Middlebury lead when he stopped a rising shot by Mahoney.
• Murphy ripped a left-handed shot with just over a minute left, but Kern went to his knees and saved the game-tying attempt.
• With 35 ticks left on the clock, the Saints turned the ball over due to too many players on the field, and the Panthers were able to run out the clock for the final 11-10 score. 

NOTES

• Kern finished with 13 saves in the win, marking the seventh time he has recorded a double-digit save total.
• The victory marked the fifth triumph over a ranked opponent this season.
• Middlebury recorded a season-best 18 caused turnovers, including four from Simpson.
• The Panthers and Saints have met 19 times in the all-time series with St. Lawrence owning a slight 10-9 edge.

Middlebury returns to NESCAC play on Saturday when it hosts Colby at 1:00 p.m. for Senior Day.