Bryant Nets Hat Trick as Men's Lacrosse Falls to Nichols, 16-6

PAXTON, Mass. – The Anna Maria College men's lacrosse team dropped a 16-6 non-conference decision to the Bison of Nichols College on Saturday afternoon at AMCAT Field.

With the win, Bison improves to 1-1 on the season, while Anna Maria falls to 0-3.

AMCAT SCORING

Freshman Zachary Bryant (Saco, Maine) netted his first collegiate hat trick to lead Anna Maria. Senior Alex Rezendes (Nantucket, Mass.) tallied a goal and two assists, while Andrew Marcotte (Plainville, Mass.) clocked in with a goal and an assist. Freshman Ryan Rockwal (Chicopee, Mass.) scored his first collegiate goal.

NICHOLS SCORING

MacKenzie Martin (Merrimack, N.H.) tallied a game-high five goals. Brian Hancock (Groton, Mass.) added two goals and two assists, while Anthony Verville (Portland, Maine) and Brayden Carroll (Shrewsbury, Mass.) both finished with two goals and an assist.

GOALTENDING

Anna Maria freshman netminder Paul Schwarz (Staten Island, N.Y.) posted 23 saves, while Nichols goaltender Brian McKinley (Nashua, N.H.) tallied 10 saves.

FACE-OFFS

Nichols won 19 of 25 face-offs on the day, led by a 12-for-15 effort by Kevin D'Angelo (White River Junction, Vt.). Anna Maria saw a team-best four face-off wins from Malik Griffith (Brooklyn, N.Y.).

GROUND BALLS

Anna Maria's Edward Jankowski (Billerica, Mass.) and Nichols' Anthony Verville (Portland, Maine) both tallied eight ground balls apiece.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The AMCATS played the Bison evenly in the first quarter. Nichols scored first on a textbook man-up pass-and-shoot play featuring Martin and Hancock at the 11:42 mark, but Anna Maria wasted no time drumming up a response, as Rezendes scored unassisted on the AMCATS' next offensive trip at 10:57.

Nearly three minutes later Martin and Hancock teamed up again for a 2-1 Bison lead. At the 2:46 mark Anna Maria answered as Rezendes fed Rockwal for his first collegiate goal and a 2-2 tie. The AMCATS were poised to enter the second quarter on even footing until Hancock forced a turnover on an AMCAT clear attempt and scored in one fluid motion.

The Bison scored five unanswered goals in the second quarter to break open the game, leading 8-2 at halftime. Schwarz faced 28 shots in the first half and made 13 saves.

Anna Maria would open the second half strong as Bryant netted an unassisted goal at the 12:15 mark, but Nichols regained momentum with back-to-back goals at the 10:15 and 10:07 marks to start a seven-goal stretch.

The AMCATS matched Nichols in scoring in the fourth quarter, as both teams tallied three goals apiece.

WHAT'S NEXT

The AMCATS are idle until March 15^th when they host Lyndon State at 5:00 p.m.