Throggs Neck, NY – Sophomore
MATT HAEMMERLE scored six goals and added three assists while
BRADY WULSTER added three goals and four assists as Montclair State clinched the Skyline Conference regular-season championship with a 20-7 victory over Maritime College on Saturday.
Senior
DON FINN assisted on five goals for the Red Hawks (8-6), who captured their eighth straight game and moved to 8-0 in the Skyline with the win. MSU will receive a first-round bye in the upcoming conference tournament which begins on Saturday, April 29.
Montclair, which has captured the last eight league titles, will host a semifinal game at Sprague Field on Wednesday, May 3 against an opponent to be determined.
DAN BELLEZZA gave the Red Hawks a 1-0 lead early in the first quarter but that was answered nine seconds later as Kevin Izzo scored with 11:01 left. Haemmerle regained the lead for Montclair with Bellezza scoring again for a 3-1 advantage early in the third.
The Privateers (4-10, 2-7 Skyline) tied the game with 6:36 to go on Izzo's second goal but MSU closed out the half with four straight goals. Wulster got the first with 5:44 remaining and goals by Haemmerle and
JON RICE 17 seconds apart pushed the lead to three.
SKYLER FRANCISCO connected with 1:26 left as MSU took a 7-3 lead at the break.
JAMES CLARKE and Haemmerle widened the lead to 9-3 in the third as the run grew to six in a row. Izzo stopped the momentum for a moment however the Red Hawks put together another six-goal spurt to close the period for a 15-4 lead. Haemmerle had three of those goals with Wulster getting the other as Montclair scored twice on the extra-man opportunity.
Joe Laraca finished with a goal and two assists for Montclair State, which saw 12 different players score in the game. Goalkleepers
LUCAS JONES and
JACK CARDEW combined for 13 saves while
BLASE MANTINEO went 17-of-25 at the "X" with 11 ground balls.
MATT AXMANN was 5-of-6 on faceoffs.
MSU closes out its Skyline slate on Monday, April 24 against Purchase College at Sprague Field beginning at 7:00 pm.
