LAX Falls 10-9 to Husson in OT

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College men's lacrosse team forced overtime with a late goal in the fourth quarter, but it was Husson University that scored in overtime to come away with a 10-9 victory on Wednesday afternoon at New London High School.

Chris Pelletier netted the game-winning goal on Husson's first possession in extra time, finding the back of the net just 1:50 into the period. He finished with a pair of goals and one assist on the day as the Eagles (1-3 overall) picked up their first win of the season. Mitch Heaps added two goals and three assists while Dillon Shaw finished with a pair of goals.

Junior Demetre Lyras led the Mariners (3-2 overall) with three goals while sophomore Jordan Cook chipped in with two scores. Lyras also won 16 of 18 face-offs and scooped up eight ground balls.

Husson got off to a great start in the opening quarter, scoring four times in the first 13:00 of the contest to lead 4-0. Mitchell got on the board with 30 seconds remaining in the quarter when freshman Aaron Sladyk shoveled in a goal under heavy pressure from a defender.

The Mariners flipped the script in the second quarter, outscoring Husson 5-1 to take a 6-5 lead into halftime. Junior Chris Joy got things rolling with a goal just 18 seconds into the stanza, and Lyras scored twice to fuel the attack.

Husson grabbed the momentum back early in the second half, as Brandon Corbo and Dustin Brett each finished off passes from Heaps to put the Eagles back in front. After a goal by Cook tied the score once again, Shaw tallied with nine seconds remaining in the third to give Husson an 8-7 advantage heading into the final period.

Lyras scored on a laser shot from 20 yards out to open the fourth quarter scoring, tying the game once more. Minutes later, a slashing penalty on Mitchell yielded an extra-man opportunity for the Eagles, and Pelletier capitalized off a feed from Alex Ryan. Husson held the lead until junior David Klapp backed his way in for a quick shot under the crossbar to tie the game with 4:21 to go.

After neither team scored for the remainder of regulation, Mitchell won the face-off to start overtime but turned the ball over before getting a shot. The Eagles quickly cleared and got a shot off in transition, but it went high of the goal. Pelletier then came through with the winning score, dodging past his defender to the center of the field and firing a shot from 15 yards out.

Husson goalie John Hooper III made 12 saves in the victory and faced 40 shots. Mitchell junior Peter Eshenfelder made seven stops in goal against 28 shots.

Mitchell dominated the face-off spot by a 17-6 margin and held a 40-34 edge in ground balls. Husson went 1-for-3 on extra-man opportunities and killed off a total of 6:30 in penalties without allowing a goal.

Mitchell returns to action against SUNY Canton on Sunday, March 17 at 1 p.m. at New London High School.