Score: Elmira College 11, Cazenovia College 10
Records: Elmira (1-2), Cazenovia (0-3)
Location: Elmira, NY - Notre Dame High School

Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College men's lacrosse team won a thrilling see-saw affair against the visiting Cazenovia College Wildcats by a final score of 11-10 to earn EC's first win of the 2016 campaign.

With the game tied at 10-10 coming out of an Elmira timeout at the 3:24 mark of the fourth quarter, Wyatt Katsos '17 fired a shot on goal that was stopped by Cazenovia netminder Alex Delevan. The rebound was picked up by Jacob Magnoli '18, who also managed to send a shot on goal, but was once again denied by Delevan. The Caz goalie then had his attempted clearing pass deflected by Katsos, allowing Nevin Olney '18 to secure the loose ball from about five yards out and fire it into the back of the net for the game winner.

Leading the Elmira offense with a breakout performance was Skyler Pradelski '16. Pradelski netted a career-high five goals, including two to spark a four-goal run for the Purple and Gold in the second quarter. The senior midfielder's five goals are the most scored by a Soaring Eagle since TJ Leach '16 matched the feat on April 1, 2015, against Houghton College.

The Wildcats used a four-goal run to bridge the first and second quarters and take a 5-2 lead. Cazenovia's Brandon Maxon capped off the run with the first off two power-play goals on the night for the visitors. Pradelski responded with his second and third goals of the game at the 6:11 and 4:52 marks of the second quarter. The latter tally was EC's only man-up goal on nine chances against Cazenovia.

Caz's Ben Wilson scored his first of three goals early in the third quarter to knot the game at 6-6. The two teams would find themselves tied at 8-, 9-, and 10-all in the fourth quarter. Wilson completed his hat trick performance with Cazenovia's 10th goal with less than six minutes left in regulation and only 29 seconds after Leach had put Elmira up by one at 10-9.

Following the go-ahead score from Olney, the Wildcats won the ensuing faceoff and drew a 30-second penalty on EC's Jacob Foti '18 for holding. With Foti in the box, Cazenovia was able to fire a pair of shots at EC goalie Cameron Prior '17. While the first shot sailed wide of the net, Prior was there to deny Eric Hanover with 1:47 left to play. The Soaring Eagles then successfully cleared the ball and ran out the remaining one-and-a-half minutes to conclude the contest.

In Their Own Words...
Head Coach Preston Chapman on getting the first win of the 2016 season...
"They hung together, first and foremost. It was a total team effort from the guys that were on the field to the guys on the bench. They just hung in there and played for each other."

Coach Chapman on the career performance from Skyler Pradelski...
"His athleticism really came through tonight. I think he's been trying too precise with his shots, but tonight he shot the ball a lot better."

Coach Chapman on the importance of having a goaltender like Cameron Prior in a one-goal game...
"He's been incredible. He's the backbone of the defense and he always rises to the occasion. Tonight he made several spectacular saves that kept us in the game." 

Inside the Box

• Cazenovia held a 45-to-42 advantage in shots.
• EC edge the Wildcats in ground balls, 46-to-38.
• For the first time this season, Elmira won the faceoff battle, securing 14-of-25 chances at the X.
• Pradelski scored a game-high five goals to lead the Elmira offense.
• Katsos and Leach each registered three points, with Katsos scoring once with two assists and Leach scoring twice with one helper.
• Olney finished with one goal and one assist.
• EC also received tallies from Anthony LaRusso '17 and Ollie Heitkamp '18.
• Wilson paced Cazenovia with a hat trick, followed by Hanover and Joe Timm with two goals apiece.
• Joe Delia earned three assists for the Wildcats.
• Kevin Schutt '19 picked up a game-high 10 ground balls and forced a pair of turnovers.
• Blake O'Neill '19 won 8-of-12 faceoff attempts for EC.
• Prior made 23 saves to earn his first win of the season in net.
• Delevan made 14 saves for Cazenovia.

News and Notes

• The Soaring Eagles earned their first win of the season.
• Pradelski scored a career-high five goals.
• Katsos' two assists are the most by a Soaring Eagle in a game in 2016.
• Schutt's 10 ground balls are a season high for the rookie long-stick middie.
• EC's 14 faceoff wins are the most in a game this season.
• With 23 saves, Prior became the first EC goalie to record 20-or-more stops in three consecutive games in the last 14 seasons.
• EC is now 2-0 all-time against Cazenovia, with both wins coming by a single goal. The Soaring Eagles bested the Wildcats 9-8 in overtime in last season's meeting.

Up Next
The Elmira men are home again on Saturday, March 19th, as the Soaring Eagles host SUNY Cobleskill at 1:00 p.m. in non-conference action.